Interview : Yiqing Yin, the Perfect Harmony

No, I didn't disappear since the beginning of April. My apology for the absence of articles. I was concentrating all my energy on my work of freelance editor and I had the opportunity to get many interesting articles. One of them was a report on the young generation of designers. For it, I have interviewed many of those young talents, but one has particularly striken me : fashion designer Yiqing Yin. So, I really wanted to introduce her to you. 

"To me Fashion is not only about a garment but also striving to create an emotion, to tell a story and to relate to others."She states.

Yiqing is a twenty-six years old young woman from China who grew up in Paris, France. Of her two cultures, she had formed a very personal universe, made of natural elegance, grace and harmony, in one side, and of prestige, magnificence and details in the other. This mix is also present in the work of Madeleine Vionnet and Madame Grès, two French classic designers she quotes as her inspiration. Madame Grès is, incidentally, honoured by an exhibition at the Musée Bourdelle, in Paris. We can find this legacy in Yiqing's work.

Yiqing decided to launch her own label after the International Festival of Couture of Hyeres, in France, where she was a finalist. Since then, the success was always here and she won the Great Prize of the city of Paris and has been exhibited in a gallery. She will soon show her first collection in public, in July.

"I have a very sculptural approach to garment and couture, which i try to modernise by reinterpreting various techniques based on pleating draping, cording, smocks ... It s a sensitive and instinctive approach. My main focus and starting point in creation is the encounter with the fabric, its texture and its movement." She says.

Her catchwords are quality, emotions and moderation, and thus, she rejects trends, fast fashion and consumerism. She is proud to make products of quality, of an extreme luxury, even if it means that she would only sell to an elit.

Already spotted by famous magazines (Vogue, for example), the young woman is yet easy to access and she has answered my questions with politeness and concern, which is always very remarkable in the Industry. It is also very rare to see someone that young being that wise, able to think about big issues and to have a very philosophical and sensible view on the present and the future. A pearl in that world of celebrities-obsessed designers. Yiqing never quotes an actress, she dresses real women, like you and I ( if we can afford her creations of course !). Sure, he is not famous herself yet, but her vision of her work should prevents her to get a big-head :

"I love my job so much because of the reality behind it, the notion of intimacy to a person and the absolute necessity that is intrinsic to the very idea of clothing."

"The stylistic directions of my design are very personal, but I never had the feeling that I had to compromise creatively, quite on the contrary people from the industry and the public have always encouraged me to dig deeper into what I instinctively desire. I m not interested in proposing a vision that everyone likes, it wouldn’t be “honest”, and again it’s all about emotions and I much rather have people hate it or love it."

Let's hope that she will get the attention she deserves, without losing this integrity which is so refreshing in that world of attention-seekers. For the moment, her website is a bit empty, but if you want to take a look, click here : http://www.yiqingyin.com/

For the rest of Yiqing's interview and those of the other designers, you will have to wait for the publication of the article. I will keep you updated.