Vivienne Tam, the doyenne of China chic, says it's high time the West recognized China's designers for their unique talent despite the country's reputation as a low-cost production centre for knock-offs. The Guangdong-born fashion designer, renowned for her East-meets-West style, built her global fashion empire in New York after a humble childhood in Hong Kong, a city she calls "New York of the Orient". Tam is taking part in "9707", a project to showcase the former British colony as a global design hub and
which pairs 10 Hong Kong designers with global brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Alessi and Georg Jensen.
Tam, whose "Mao" and "Buddha" fashion collections are archived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and other museums around the world, spoke to Reuters in Hong Kong:
Q: China is hot. When you put your collections together, what sort of feelings of China are you trying to bring out?
A: I want to bring out China's history and culture in my work to the West. Because to Western people's minds, in the past, China is (seen) for low-cost manufacturing, they're copy-cats and things like that. They don't consider China as a creative centre, even Hong Kong too. I think we have to break this rule. It's so rich in culture and in materials and resources. There's so much creative talent here.
Q: You're obviously a role model, because you managed to break out of thinking only about productivity, to being a creative role model globally?
A: I like to break the rules. Because when I started showing my collection in New York I felt very upset and not happy when people said "you have designers there? And not manufacturers of T-shirts at low cost?" I felt very embarrassed and really upset and wanted to change that whole situation. We do have such a beautiful culture ... and just (didn't) have an opportunity to show it to the West yet-and now there's an opportunity.
Q: Do you consider yourself to be a Western designer or an Eastern designer?
A: My roots are Chinese. I grew up in Hong Kong and I was born in China ... but I happened to start my business in America, so it's kind of a mix, you know. I don't want to say I'm a Western designer or an Eastern designer. I am who I am.
Q: You've mentioned that you think Hong Kong is the New York of the Orient. How would you rate Hong Kong designers on a global scale? Is it emerging as a design power?
A: I think Hong Kong has so much talent because it has to do with the East and West culture here, it brings so much energy and it will create a strong platform for China and other parts of Asia too.
Q: Do you sometimes feel pigeon-holed as a Chinese or Hong Kong designer. Is this label restrictive?
A: Sometimes the limitation, restriction, can be very creative too. Because you narrow down one thing and you focus on one area ... I mean when you have no money, you can be very creative with that. My mother and myself once went to a flea market to buy scrap material to make a patchwork dress. It can be very creative and beautiful. It just depends how you use it and who uses it, in the creative world there's no set rules. I think who I am is my experience ... born in China, raised here and went to America
. This is who I am, an embodiment of all the cultures.-Reuters
which pairs 10 Hong Kong designers with global brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Alessi and Georg Jensen.
Tam, whose "Mao" and "Buddha" fashion collections are archived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and other museums around the world, spoke to Reuters in Hong Kong:
Q: China is hot. When you put your collections together, what sort of feelings of China are you trying to bring out?
A: I want to bring out China's history and culture in my work to the West. Because to Western people's minds, in the past, China is (seen) for low-cost manufacturing, they're copy-cats and things like that. They don't consider China as a creative centre, even Hong Kong too. I think we have to break this rule. It's so rich in culture and in materials and resources. There's so much creative talent here.
Q: You're obviously a role model, because you managed to break out of thinking only about productivity, to being a creative role model globally?
A: I like to break the rules. Because when I started showing my collection in New York I felt very upset and not happy when people said "you have designers there? And not manufacturers of T-shirts at low cost?" I felt very embarrassed and really upset and wanted to change that whole situation. We do have such a beautiful culture ... and just (didn't) have an opportunity to show it to the West yet-and now there's an opportunity.
Q: Do you consider yourself to be a Western designer or an Eastern designer?
A: My roots are Chinese. I grew up in Hong Kong and I was born in China ... but I happened to start my business in America, so it's kind of a mix, you know. I don't want to say I'm a Western designer or an Eastern designer. I am who I am.
Q: You've mentioned that you think Hong Kong is the New York of the Orient. How would you rate Hong Kong designers on a global scale? Is it emerging as a design power?
A: I think Hong Kong has so much talent because it has to do with the East and West culture here, it brings so much energy and it will create a strong platform for China and other parts of Asia too.
Q: Do you sometimes feel pigeon-holed as a Chinese or Hong Kong designer. Is this label restrictive?
A: Sometimes the limitation, restriction, can be very creative too. Because you narrow down one thing and you focus on one area ... I mean when you have no money, you can be very creative with that. My mother and myself once went to a flea market to buy scrap material to make a patchwork dress. It can be very creative and beautiful. It just depends how you use it and who uses it, in the creative world there's no set rules. I think who I am is my experience ... born in China, raised here and went to America
. This is who I am, an embodiment of all the cultures.-Reuters
