Xinyu Hu

BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Menswear

education background: LCF Foundation LCF Menswear fashion design and technology working experience: 2010 summer China Daily 2012 martine rose My design has focused largely on the utilization of geometric shapes and lines and I have drawn inspirations from ‘Tangrams’. I have tried to employ asymmetric designs such that the cuttings look different from left to right, front to back. In addition, the collars, cuffs, trousers, trouser legs, coats and vests are all developed from the concept of asymmetric patterns. The shapes of triangle and polygon are used extensively. I have also drawn inspirations from the structure of bones. Bones have a variety of different shapes as well as a complex internal and external structure. Every bone has a different structure and function throughout different periods of time during one’s life. Consequently, skeletal architecture varies throughout one’s life. In addition, different combinations of different shapes of bones underlie the difference in body shapes of different organisms. I have adaptedand transformed their shapes, colour, and patterns to my design of modern menswear.Besides the ‘collage’ and matching of shapes, different materials are also used and matched together on a single piece of clothes, creating a richness of texture and layering. This is similar to ‘bones’ in that different tissues of different qualities make up the various components of the bone. Picasso’s work on Cubism also inspired me and helped me to develop my design further. His Cubist work does not follow the route of pure aestheticism. It is more rational and abstract, and develops around the decomposition and re-construction of objects. He has often used blocks of colours such as blue and grey which overlay each other. In reflection, I have explored a similar style of using multi-layer of different colour blocks in my design of menswear garments. In order to make the coat appear more three-dimensional, I have specially selected sports materials that are lighter, more ‘crisp’ and more ‘malleable’. It would also make it more comfortable to wear. The design of the collars of the shirts is special in that one side is wider than the other. However, the collar and the collar stand would match perfectly and the use of concealed buttons on the collar would add to the delicacy of the final visual image. Vest is the new addition to my design line. Every vest is visually a ‘collage’ of knitted fabrics. In contrast to the oversized coat, the vests would follow an extremely slim fit design using knitted fabric materials.