Beijing-based designer Vega Wang’s comes from a family of electronic engineers. So naturally her decision to become a fashion designer was a bit of a surprise. Strangely, Wang’s designs have given her a new bond with engineering, as her garments tie in electroluminescent technology (EL for short). As thin and pliable as paper, the EL strips used in the designer’s Into The Deep collection created a canvas for animations inspired by the deep sea creatures of BBC’s Deep Blue documentary series. The Creators Project caught up with Wang to ask her about her luminescent designs, her experience at Central Saint Martins, and the future of fashion.The Creators Project: What have you been working on recently?
Vega Wang: I've been really busy with my new collection. We just finished setting up the studio, and before that we were doing a lot of purchasing and publicizing, so the collection was a little delayed, and I'm scrambling to make new stuff now.How did you become interested in fashion?
I didn't get into it the way everyone imagines. I didn't grow up dreaming about being a fashion designer. I was 16 when I went to London. I started at an art college called Chichester College, in a small town in the southern part of England. I originally went there for an International Art and Design Course. During that time I was also taking English to try and catch up with everyone. As a student coming from Asia to study in England, your background is so different and your daily environment and even your understanding of art. When I finished the program, I had to start thinking of a career, and at the time I thought I wanted to go into advertising or graphic design because I've always liked drawing. But I've never been a "good kid." When I was young, I couldn't sit still and behave like the other kids in school, which is why my parents sent me abroad to study and through all this I became interested in design. When the International Art Design Course was over and I was picking classes, all of sudden one day I decided I wanted to study fashion.How did you end up at Central Saint Martins?
Ever since I was little, I've never really planned before I did things, but I've always had a goal. So when I got to the London College of Fashion, I told my family that I was eventually going to go to Central Saint Martins, and I was going to study fashion design for women, and so while I was at LCF I studied all the time. I think when you do things, you have to have a goal. Because if you have a goal, so many things are possible. They become a lot easier than you imagine them to be.Can you talk about your work when you were studying for your BA at Central Saint Martins? What sort of things were you designing?
Creating my senior collection, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do, because my parents are both engineers and my dad initially wasn't very supportive of my decision to study fashion. He thought it would be too exhausting and that women should do simpler things. But I really wanted to do it, so when I created my final collection, I created a light-centered collection. The idea came to me because I wanted to be able to collaborate with my parents. The summer before my final year, I was preparing, and I asked my parents, "If I wanted to design LED clothing, do we have any new materials?" because everyone was using LED and my parents specialized in LED, but I knew that putting LED lights on clothing would make it really thick because you have to have a board and put it on the material. There wouldn't be a way to show off the feminine silhouette, so I asked them if there was anything that was thinner, simpler. My parents said there were electroluminescent lights (EL). So we went to the Shenzhen lighting market to look for supplies, but they weren't very good. The lighting was too weak, so I went back to England and I started looking for English companies and found Elmin 8. The light was really beautiful and it was the kind I was looking for, future blue, so I sent them an email with all of my thoughts.Aside from wanting to collaborate with your parents, what inspired you to go so futuristic?
The concept for my collection came from watching a BBC series called Deep Blue. After watched it, I was in shock. It was only in 2002 that we became technologically advanced enough to get that deep into the ocean, 4000-5000 meters, and when they got down there, they discovered that at this depth, where there's absolutely no sunlight, there are creatures that create their own light. I wanted to present these amazing creatures to the world.The way that they emit light, it isn't a simple glow, it runs from the bottom of their bodies to the top. I thought it was mystical. This is why some of my designs for the line were animated. I wanted to mimic that motion.After your graduation show, why did you come back to Beijing instead of staying in London?
I like London very much, but I still wanted to come back to China. Besides, the purpose of studying abroad was gaining knowledge and experiencing difference cultures. I think if I stayed in London, I still could design fashion and enjoy that, but maybe I would still be a follower instead of the forerunner. In China, the world of fashion was brand new, and every thing was fresh.What was your first collection about?
My first collection was called Loneliness is forever. The idea was about getting in touch with my home country. After I came back from London, I found that most girls in China were dependent. Therefore I created this collection to encourage girls in China to be strong, confident and more independent.And your new collection?
The new collection's is called For Weak and For Strong because in life sometimes you come across that which you weren't expecting. My label's called Sforzando, which means with sudden force. The new line is still speaking to that.Are you working on anything outside of your designs? Are you collaborating with anyone these days?
Yes, I've always thought collaborating is a fascinating idea because when you have people from different fields working together, new ideas always pop up. I've collaborated with some fine artists, and this year I'll collaborate with some artists from 798 to make new stuff. I think it's awesome. I'm toying with the idea of putting on a show this year and if so, I'll work with some friends who are in the movie and music industries.What do you think the future is for technology in design?
I think technology is helping to bring the handmade back.@CreatorsProject
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Vega Wang: I've been really busy with my new collection. We just finished setting up the studio, and before that we were doing a lot of purchasing and publicizing, so the collection was a little delayed, and I'm scrambling to make new stuff now.How did you become interested in fashion?
I didn't get into it the way everyone imagines. I didn't grow up dreaming about being a fashion designer. I was 16 when I went to London. I started at an art college called Chichester College, in a small town in the southern part of England. I originally went there for an International Art and Design Course. During that time I was also taking English to try and catch up with everyone. As a student coming from Asia to study in England, your background is so different and your daily environment and even your understanding of art. When I finished the program, I had to start thinking of a career, and at the time I thought I wanted to go into advertising or graphic design because I've always liked drawing. But I've never been a "good kid." When I was young, I couldn't sit still and behave like the other kids in school, which is why my parents sent me abroad to study and through all this I became interested in design. When the International Art Design Course was over and I was picking classes, all of sudden one day I decided I wanted to study fashion.
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Ever since I was little, I've never really planned before I did things, but I've always had a goal. So when I got to the London College of Fashion, I told my family that I was eventually going to go to Central Saint Martins, and I was going to study fashion design for women, and so while I was at LCF I studied all the time. I think when you do things, you have to have a goal. Because if you have a goal, so many things are possible. They become a lot easier than you imagine them to be.Can you talk about your work when you were studying for your BA at Central Saint Martins? What sort of things were you designing?
Creating my senior collection, I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do, because my parents are both engineers and my dad initially wasn't very supportive of my decision to study fashion. He thought it would be too exhausting and that women should do simpler things. But I really wanted to do it, so when I created my final collection, I created a light-centered collection. The idea came to me because I wanted to be able to collaborate with my parents. The summer before my final year, I was preparing, and I asked my parents, "If I wanted to design LED clothing, do we have any new materials?" because everyone was using LED and my parents specialized in LED, but I knew that putting LED lights on clothing would make it really thick because you have to have a board and put it on the material. There wouldn't be a way to show off the feminine silhouette, so I asked them if there was anything that was thinner, simpler. My parents said there were electroluminescent lights (EL). So we went to the Shenzhen lighting market to look for supplies, but they weren't very good. The lighting was too weak, so I went back to England and I started looking for English companies and found Elmin 8. The light was really beautiful and it was the kind I was looking for, future blue, so I sent them an email with all of my thoughts.
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The concept for my collection came from watching a BBC series called Deep Blue. After watched it, I was in shock. It was only in 2002 that we became technologically advanced enough to get that deep into the ocean, 4000-5000 meters, and when they got down there, they discovered that at this depth, where there's absolutely no sunlight, there are creatures that create their own light. I wanted to present these amazing creatures to the world.The way that they emit light, it isn't a simple glow, it runs from the bottom of their bodies to the top. I thought it was mystical. This is why some of my designs for the line were animated. I wanted to mimic that motion.After your graduation show, why did you come back to Beijing instead of staying in London?
I like London very much, but I still wanted to come back to China. Besides, the purpose of studying abroad was gaining knowledge and experiencing difference cultures. I think if I stayed in London, I still could design fashion and enjoy that, but maybe I would still be a follower instead of the forerunner. In China, the world of fashion was brand new, and every thing was fresh.What was your first collection about?
My first collection was called Loneliness is forever. The idea was about getting in touch with my home country. After I came back from London, I found that most girls in China were dependent. Therefore I created this collection to encourage girls in China to be strong, confident and more independent.And your new collection?
The new collection's is called For Weak and For Strong because in life sometimes you come across that which you weren't expecting. My label's called Sforzando, which means with sudden force. The new line is still speaking to that.Are you working on anything outside of your designs? Are you collaborating with anyone these days?
Yes, I've always thought collaborating is a fascinating idea because when you have people from different fields working together, new ideas always pop up. I've collaborated with some fine artists, and this year I'll collaborate with some artists from 798 to make new stuff. I think it's awesome. I'm toying with the idea of putting on a show this year and if so, I'll work with some friends who are in the movie and music industries.What do you think the future is for technology in design?
I think technology is helping to bring the handmade back.@CreatorsProject