We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Tingyu Hu ("TH").
Tingyu Hu is an award-winning designer that helps make the World a better place with their original and innovative creations and advanced design works.
Tingyu Hu Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Tingyu Hu.
Tingyu Hu Design - Labyrinthine Journey of a Ballerina Womenswear
Designer Interview of Tingyu Hu:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
TH : Before focusing on 2D and 3D art, I was more into stage art like playing the piano and dancing ballet. I was deeply influenced by classical music and aesthetics, Tchaikovsky, 'Little Women', 'Little Princess', you name it. Later on, during my teenage era, I explored Japanese street fashion and historical gowns and it was the beginning of everything. I learned to draw anime figures and then moved on to draw fashion illustrations when I got enough skills. Fashion design is one of my dreams in my childhood but in my early teen era, I considered that an unrealistic wish. Now I am really grateful for all the supports that make my dream come true.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
TH : “Alice’s Brain” was born in 2012, a project, designer, and multi-media artist. From the deep within, she wishes to keep imaginative and adventurous like Alice in ‘Alice's Adventure in Wonderland'. It is the persona I turn into when I am creating things.
DI: What is "design" for you?
TH : To bring my imagination to the world with the functionality.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
TH : Conceptual pieces and garments, or pure historical remakes that consume much time with handy crafts to satisfy my inner maximalist ego. During the process of making it physically, I can think of other possibilities and forms to pursue the concept I would like to express to the world so it will become a series with a complete view.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
TH : Runway shows by Iris Van Herpen, Simone Rocha, Comme des Garcons and Maison Margiela. The structure and fabric manipulation are always amazing. Every time after watching their shows, I want to create.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
TH : Combining elements that seem 'oxymorons' is my design trait. For fabric, it is heaviness and softness, modernity and vintage, structure and fragility. Cotton sateen and lace are the most used material in my works. Especially lace, every time I touch it I would have the feeling of 'home'.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
TH : After seeing an inspiring art exhibition, after watching slow-paced poetic movies from the last century, after reading abstract poems and literature, or when my brain is relaxing.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
TH : Peace or euphoria. Most of the time is bittersweet.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
TH : No matter which form, physical or not, designers could refresh people's minds and let people think about the future, which is the practical aspect of design, or designers could also resonate with people's emotions or experiences. The most important point is 'communication'.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
TH : History of art, political events, literature, music, mood, photography, poems, and historical fashion. Social media helps a lot with discovering the beauties that are far away from my background I always find my peace in the embrace of 'exotic' things. With daily research, I have an enormous and non-stopping resource in my brain. My personal experience is a feed of my inspiration too. After digesting them by writing it down in journals, the experience would transfer visual language. But keeping the curiosity about the world is the most important one.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
TH : Combing the chaos and strictness, asymmetry and peace, purity and decay, history and modernity, romanticism and functionality, imagination and reality.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
TH : Currently, I am trying to balance my creating and living. I start my day by checking the social media accounts that post artists and fashion news, then I go to work. Keep having random flashbacks of movies, quotes from books, music pieces or a dream I had in the morning unconsciously when I am on my train is the way to extract the inspiration that I need to bore it to the real world, and it is like a kind of catharsis. After I go back home, I spend a few hours collecting inspiration and thinking about the development of the project I want to work on. So I am living two lives on the same day, it is my approach to save my imagination and creativity, to make it as a habit.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
TH : When you feel something is not right, stop immediately and think over it before you continue.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
TH : Transferring an idea to visuals and building it to a final product.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
TH : Very long. I am a perfectionist, so it takes a longer period than others to think over and over, then I finally decide which idea I would finally choose, and making it out is also consuming. For example, I made a ballet tutu last year, and it takes one month of inconstant beading, so counting the time is not something I focus on. I just want everything to take a slow pace but I am really satisfied with.
DI: What was your most important job experience?
TH : Intern at Vera Wang taught me so much with real-hand experiences such as hand sewing. These are the skills that are not taught in school. Working with experts of the field during the first internship will be remembered forever in my life.
DI: How can people contact you?
TH : Through my email alicesbrain0311@gmail.com or instagram @dollylikeingenue.