II
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All the fashion drawing, illustration, monogram, and written context were designed by William Chang for the school or personal project. The software used includes Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and Corel Painter. Visual contents (photos and pattern) that are not taken by William Chang includes the picture in the p.7, Helmer’s design taken in 2013 MMS, pictures from the internet, p.17 & 23.
VTable of Content
Table of content………………………………………..........................................5
Summary…………………………………………………......................................6
My design philosophy & thought…………........................................................7 What is fashion to me; fashion as a game, we play fantasy, we create meaning…............................7 Emotional attachment, mental function, and our love of fashion…......………8 Previous works………………………………....................................................9 Witch Folk…………………………………......................................................10 Harajuku Gals……………………………....................................................…16 Tokyo Rebel………………………………...................................................…22 Technical design……………………………..................................................…28
Contact information………………………........................................................31
VI
I loved design from very early childhood. I would draw costumes, machines, buildings, robots, bicycles, shoes, decorations feeling like I could improve upon almost everything. I was frequently astonished by the beauty of things; I watched some stunning music videos again and again, as if I wanted to etch all the beautiful moments into my brain. I was 17 when I decided to devote all my energy into building a career in the fashion industry. Immediately following high school I started a degree in Fashion Design; I excelled at fashion illustration, research and trend analysis. Once I graduated, I looked for opportunities in fashion marketing and sales because I had a vision that I would like to become a figure like Pierre Berge. I was determined to develop my market knowledge and considered working in sales to give me the chance to talk directly with customers of luxury goods. But I soon realized that I might be on the wrong track because most of the fashion companies in Taiwan don’t even have a marketing department. I didn’t have a chance to do what I really want to do and after a few attempts I decided that I should take a step back and rethink what I should do to achieve my goal. I took time to travel the world and think about how I wanted to shape my career in fashion. Then in 2010, I decided that I wanted to study business and use that knowledge to shape a career in fashion. The MBA program at Concordia University gave me a way to combine design with business knowledge. I wanted to learn more management skills and develop a deeper understanding of marketing, a powerful tool that I can adopt in my fashion career. My MBA experience was rewarding but it made me recognize, I still love design so much, I still want to create, and I still want to see people enjoy the work that I create. After a fairly long round trip, I am back to where my dream started, I want to design. At this moment I know, if I don’t pursue this right now, I will not fulfill my fullest potential.
SUMMARY
VIISUMMARY
Emotional attachment, mental function, and our love of fashion
In the 1960s counter-culture styles flourished in the disorder of social change underway in the US when many questioned the highly centralized conservative values of the past. Punk was born in Maggie Thatcher’s economically depressed Britain as the system offered little but aggravation and many had lost hope. During the striving of the space era, futuristic fashion suggested that the entire western world was nurturing the space dream. Fashion is a mirror that reflects the emotions of the society at large. Yet that’s only at the macro level. From a personal perspective, a heavy wool overcoat may triggers our memories of skating on a frozen pond when we were a child, a specific patch on a jacket forever associates us with a certain group, and maybe a wraparound dress reminds us of our prom in high school. That’s why every single item is meaningful to us, there’s an emotional attachment which links us to the piece of cloth, not only psychologically, as a part of our personal story but there’s also the connection to the public story.In fact, fashion items provide emotional satisfaction and perform a mental function even when they don’t initially have any attachment. People express their emotion by choosing the items that connect to their secret emotional need, consciously or subconsciously. A hand bag satisfies a woman’s need for security by giving her a solid object to grab. Sun glasses also offer protection by prohibit other people from reading our facial expression. Short skirts on the other hand, provide a partial nudity that increases personal attraction. In the movie “ten things I hate about you”, Bianca tells Cameron that Kat is expecting “a relationship” because Kat’s wearing a black panty, it was the colour of this private item leaks the secret of Kat’s intentions. This, the connection between fashion/apparel and personal life, gives me so many ideas, motivation, energy to work as a designer. Because I know that designer is not a passive role, designers can nurture, create, enhance, and manipulate these emotions, making dressing an interesting strategic game. And yes when we look at the fashion creating process, we do see those phenomenal designers imbedded their own emotion, fantasies, dreams, progressive ideas, into their works; it is a job that weaves the dream and communicates with the memories of all humanity. As a designer I might give people a fairy tale, a bittersweet romance, or a cool, sophisticated film noir; I can give them fantasy.
“I think we just wanted to be a part of the lifestyle. The lifestyle that everybody kinda wants.” said by Mark, the character in Sophia Coppola’s newest movie the Bling Ring.
While I am chasing my dream, I’d love to create dreams for other people.
VIIIMy Design
Phil
osop
hy
& Th
ough
t
What is Fashion to me; Fashion as a game: we play fantasy, we create meaning
“What you wear defines who you are.” – Anon
Nope. I’d rather say what you want to BE defines what you wear.If we think about it, does clothing have a deeper purpose for society? Does fashion mean anything or is it merely a system that encourages us to consume? For the first question, I believe the answer is definitely yes, but what is the purpose, or the purposes? I do believe in French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s view that taste (include how people prefer to wear their clothing) is an important social function and costume or apparel is a tool we use to improve our position in society. It sounds very simple, ‘dress for success’, but more importantly, his theory suggests that dressing itself, is a game. By obeying a dress code a person can win. Adopt the right style and get a pass into an exclusive social circle, or even achieve status. But then what is the meaning of fashion? Or what is the potential purpose of the fashion system? We may need to consider it from quite a different perspective.To Roland Barthes, the French literary theorist, fashion is a system that creates meaning, a semiological system. In his work The Fashion System, he demonstrated that any sign could be easily translated to words and explained how these words could be used to emphasise a trend idea; people constantly create new meaning through manipulating the symbols, connecting fashion objects with the trend, or even misusing of ideas. If we dig deeper into this ideology, these meanings build want, appetite, and desire; they reveal the fantasies of our society. So, to a certain degree, the nature of fashion is a costume play, and apparel is the instrument for this mass reality game. We become “somebody” by dressing the part, embodying the real fantasy. And what does this mean to the designer? I supposed that the responsibility of a designer, is to fulfil the dream, the desire to be somebody. People are crazy about the Hermes Birkin Bag for a reason, possessing this item is the easiest way to associate a nobody with their desire to play prince or princess royale. So we should, by all means, do our best to satisfy this yearning by designing the objects which manifest in solid visible form these attainable dreams. That’s what I want to do. What dream is better than to help people their own dreams?
IX
PREVIOUS WORKS
X
Why is folk style always related to hippies, female, country, and bohemia? Why isn’t folk cool? Why don’t we mix folk with other styles? Have we explored the possibilities of this style widely enough? Intrigued by these questions, I embarked on research into voodoo, shamanism, witchcraft, and black magic - while listening to The Knife, Royksopp, and Macklemore. I decided that I should try to put these together – the Djing, the styles, black magic elements and symbols – and let alchemy mix a fresh folk style.
Witch Folk
XI
Black is obviously the pr imary co lour to use for a co l lect ion which is assoc ia ted w i th w i tchcra f t . But s imp ly us ing a l l b lack does not give the col lect ion any depth and complexi ty. Other colours used in this series include pure white, l ight grey, br ight yel low, cr imson red, and blue, and give the designs a l i t t le bit tradit ional folk connection.
In terms of texture, this collection is based on the traditional bohemian image; soft, comfortable, flowing and silky. But in order to giving some contrast and var iety, kni t wear, cot ton, leather are also introduced.
The (duplicated) animal skins and replica skulls are something I considered powerful in this collection. These give us a hint that we, human beings, remain a part of the nature. It reminds us of the deeper animal instincts inside our modern soul. For example, in the work titled “Conjuring,” I used rabbit and fox fur (nylon and polyester) in front of the chest to show that the kind of “cool” we enjoy is such a controversial concept; it’s actually humans showing off killing.
XII
WITCH FOLK
XIIILeft : Conjuring Human beings may be the only species that keep the remains of their food around after they’ve eaten – we retain the hides and bones of animals we’ve often consumed. In shamanism, voodoo, and witchcraft, dead bodies – human and animal - are the sources of enormous power. They are a place for our darkest i m a g i n a t i o n s t o dwell and afix our fundamental fear of death.
Right: Skull girlThe skull is one of the abundant symbols w e u s e ; h e r e i t i s d e c o n s t r u c t e d entirely. It almost has no association w i t h d e a t h i n postmodern society, a n d I ’ v e a p p l i e d it in this shirt design, $25.99, as an almost unrecognizable pattern.
XIV
U n d e r Y o u r Spell
This jewelry series o f f e r s m u c h m o r e s o p h i s t i c a t e d selections for the postmodern witches… skeletons and feathers provide provocative, theatrical choices for urban girls. Top: long grey sweater with white shirt decorate with traditional Gaelic patterns.
XV
Hipster WitchA n i n t e r e s t i n g c o m b i n a t i o n o f h i p s t e r e y e glasses, hoodie, fur and… anything else you want.
CrawedFolk pattern with a n i m a l p r i n t , reference to Alfred Hitchcock’s work The Birds.
Postmodern Witch CraftSexy is the black magic, folk style outfit with modern abstract pattern, dress yourself to confidently express your body.
M o n o c h r o m a t i c Reptiles Patterned T-shirt can be an isolate i t e m o r c a n b e matched with slim fitting jeans or more complex items.
Col
our
conf
lict:
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uku
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ear
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our
shir
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nd a
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very
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’s ey
es.
XVI
Harajuku GalsHarajuku Gals contains a total of eight designs ranging from shirts, blazers to sportswear such as jackets and hoodies. Inspired by Gwen Stefani’s 2004 single Harajuku Girls, this collection’s image is pretty much derived from the MV “What you waiting for.” I used very bright, high contrast colours together with pink and black to make up the vivid visual impression. Some detailed design elements such as pleats, lace, and brand tags were used to give each item a bit of character. The styling and matching are also an important feature for this series, multi-layered blouses, skirts, T-shirts make this look feel new. It’s always fun to try to wear convention items in non-conventional ways!
XVII
Col
our
conf
lict:
Yes
that
’s ho
w H
araj
uku
girl
s lo
ok li
ke, t
hey
put e
very
thin
g on
thei
r bo
dy, a
s lo
ng a
s th
e it
ems
are
inte
rest
ing.
S
o pu
t the
bri
ghte
st k
nit w
ear
on y
our
shir
ts a
nd a
ttra
ct e
very
boy
’s ey
es.
XVIII
Layers LayersYou can create a new style by simply putting two skirts together! Amplify the effect by combining contrasting colours. Harajuku girls take style risks.
XIX
Flower patterned pleated skirts are one of the basics for this series. The multi-layer tracksuits make the style naughty. T o p : t w o m u l t i - l a y e r blouses with unsymmetrical T-shirts. Bottom: flower p a t t e r n d a r k p l e a t e d skirts, two different fabrics are used.
HARAJUKU G
ALS
XX
Lopapeysa How to make a h o o d i e l e s s s p o r t y ? A d d some traditional Icelandic sweater p a t t e r n s ! W h o s a y s h o o d i e s h o u l d a l w a y s have it pattern in the middle of y o u r c h e s t ? A lopapeysa pattern h o o d i e i s a perfect mixture of hip-hop and a l t e r n a t i v e electronic music ( i n s p i r e d b y Bjork’s Icelandic heritage!).
HARAJUKU
XXIHARAJUKU
Chiffon Skirts:T r y u s i n g s o m e unpredictable materials in daily wear. Put chiffon together with T-shirts to give the look some dramatic and conflicting elements. Top: double layer T-shirts with flounced sleeves. Bottom: pleated skirt with chiffon overlay.
TOKYO REBEL
XXII
東京事变椎名林檎
Want to try some Japanese punk rock? Tokyo Rebel was a project inspired by a Japanese band “Tokyo Incident”, which is led by Sheena Ringo. Not every Japanese girl should be put into the kawaii category, or, at least there are some hard core elements hide under their cute faces. And this series is for them, a little bit of punk (spike, patch), little bit of military (camo, badge, and khaki cloth) little bit of school girl (checked skirt, blazer uniform), and of course, a little bit of conflict. Each single items is designed as basic item which can be easily matched with outfit with other style.
TOKYO REBEL
XXIII
東京事变椎名林檎
いくつかの日本のパンクのスタイリングを試してみたい？东京事变は日本のバンドに触発され、プロジェクトだった"東京事変、"椎名林檎率いる。必ずしもすべての日本人の女の子が'カワイイ'カテゴリに入れられるべきである...彼らのかわいい顔の下に隠れてハードコア要素があります！そして、このシリーズは多く、それらを、少しパンク（スパイク、パッチ）、少し軍（迷彩、バッジ、そしてカーキ色布）、少し学校の女の子（チェックスカート、ブレザー制服）、のために、もちろんです。コントラストの。各シングル項目は簡単に他の衣装やスタイルを一致させることができます基本要素として設計されています。
Want to try some Japanese punk rock? Tokyo Rebel was a project inspired by a Japanese band “Tokyo Incident”, which is led by Sheena Ringo. Not every Japanese girl should be put into the kawaii category, or, at least there are some hard core elements hide under their cute faces. And this series is for them, a little bit of punk (spike, patch), little bit of military (camo, badge, and khaki cloth) little bit of school girl (checked skirt, blazer uniform), and of course, a little bit of conflict. Each single items is designed as basic item which can be easily matched with outfit with other style.
XXIV
STUDENT UNIONTop: Grey fit blazer with white simple T-shirt and tie. Bottom: Stockings in three different l a y e r s , r i p p e d . S k i r t w i t h f o u r c h e c k p a t t e r n s . Classic Dr. Martens.
I was at the Student Union bar, What a headache!
XXV
UNQUALIFIED LECTURERTop: Dark greyish blue blazer with hunting patch made o f s u e d e . S p i k e added. Bottom: Slim fit stripped pants.
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XXXI
My short-term to mid-term goal is to work as a fashion designer and enhance my designing experience, develop deeper understanding about styling and merchandising, and increase my French ability. My long-term goal is to develop a model of fashion diffusion mechanism, and doing research regarding the spreading of styles. In order to support my personal interests regarding fashion study and creation, I will be working on fashion design and purchasing the opportunity of higher rank management position. If you are currently looking for a candidate for the fashion designer position, please don’t hesitate to ask for more information.
Please feel free to contact me through e-mail at
or use cell phone
514-662-613
LinkedIn:ca.linkedin.com/in/williamweichang/Behance:http://www.behance.net/changwei3037
William Wei Chang 2016
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