10 Questions with Huiya Zhang

Huiya Zhang is an independent fashion designer in China. She is also the founder and planner of the fashion creative platform H.Y FASHION STUDIO. She graduated from the London College of Fashion (LCF) and obtained a degree in fashion design with excellent grades. Since graduating in 2024, she has founded her personal studio, H.Y_ FASHION STUDIO, in London, using it as a platform to plan and execute multiple fashion design projects and visual art shoots. This studio not only carries her creative practice of continuous exploration of clothing structure and materials, but also serves as an important venue for her to collaborate with diverse creators such as photographers, artists, and models.

Her clothing design language integrates emotional narrative and material experimentation, dedicated to breaking the shackles of perfectionism and constructing a genuine and powerful visual expression between softness and imbalance. Huiya Zhang's works frequently revolve around the relationship between structure, fabric and body perception, contemplating how to bring inner comfort and self-identity to the wearer in the highly stressful and efficiency-oriented contemporary context. Before becoming an independent designer, Huiya Zhang had interned and worked at several well-known independent brands, including Susan Fang, Yuhan Wang and Marchen Studio. These experiences have broadened her design perspective and also prompted her to deeply consider the possibilities of the language and structure of materials. During Susan Fang's design internship, she was deeply inspired by the brand's innovative application of fabrics, and she further attempted to break the usage logic of traditional materials and reconstruct the structure of clothing in a more intuitive and emotional way.

Her graduation series "Imperfect Perfection" is precisely a profound response to the concept of "perfection". This series of works takes "softness" and "asymmetry" as its core aesthetics. In terms of structure, it employs nylon fabric and various filling techniques, presenting asymmetrical cuts and multi-layered structural changes. The series endows the clothing with a gentle yet tough sense of wrapping through "protective" materials such as down, cushions, and sporty fabrics, symbolizing people's yearning for inner stability in a high-pressure society. Those deliberately retained seams and structural flaws, on the other hand, metaphorically represent an individual's imperfection and vulnerability.

Through the development of her personal clothing series "Imperfect Perfection", Zhang Huiya has continuously promoted experimental research on filling techniques, modular structures and clothing installations. She hopes to establish a gentle yet firm design language through perceptual exploration of materials and interaction with the body. For her, clothing should not merely be a presentation of functionality or fashion trends; rather, it should become a vessel of emotions and a narrative approach that can be worn.

In the next five years, Huiya Zhang plans to continue promoting the cross-border integration of fashion design and visual art as an independent designer. Huiya Zhang's plan in the UK will be to expand her visual creativity studio into a leading brand that can provide art direction and plan visual innovations. She will continue to release independent series, expand the artistic and cultural aspects of design, and, at the same time, participate in more international exhibitions, fashion video projects and cross-media collaborations. She also hopes to build H.Y_ FASHION STUDIO into a creative platform with a curatorial perspective, focusing not only on clothing design but also extending to conceptual images, art installations and multimedia narratives. At present, Huiya Zhang, as the director of the studio, leads H.Y_FASHION STUDIO in participating in various shooting projects in the early planning and creative concepts. Huiya Zhang's interdisciplinary approach to fashion, photography and art education has produced meaningful work and positive client outcomes.

The UK is the centre of the global creative industry, and its inclusive environment enables such independent practitioners to thrive. For the development of H.Y_ Fashion Studio brand Studio, Huiya Zhang believes that the UK is a world-leading creative industry with a multicultural environment, which can inspire me to have more creative development and that H.Y_ Fashion Studio can have more rich project opportunities and cooperation platforms in the UK in the future. Huiya Zhang's current education, network, and practice are all based in this place. On the path of brand development, she will adhere to the forms of limited edition design, artistic items, and cooperative projects and build an independent brand system with distinct recognition and sustainable concepts to bring about British culture. She believes that fashion should not merely be a product of market orientation; rather, it should be a medium for cultural dialogue and ideological extension. Through her creations, Huiya Zhang hopes to inspire people to continuously think about issues such as "perfection and imperfection", "body and space", and "clothing and emotions", and to bring continuous innovation to the UK.

eilse.cargo.site | @zhyelise

The Imperfect of the Perfection, Collection, 2024 © Huiya Zhang

INTERVIEW

First of all, tell us about your practice. What first inspired you to pursue fashion design, and how does it help express yourself and your messages?

My creative practice began with an instinctive love for clothing during childhood. Growing up, my mother attached great importance to clothing, and this family environment subtly cultivated my sensitivity to clothing aesthetics. I often matched clothes for her, and from this, I realized that clothing is not only about beauty, but also an expressive medium that can convey emotions and identity.
When I came to London from China to study, the cross-cultural life experience brought a lot of freshness, but alsochallenges of identity and emotional fluctuations. In the context of cross-cultural life, I began to reflect on my ownidentity, emotions, and cultural belonging. These experiences prompted me to use design as a way of personal narrative to explore "who am I ", "where do I come from," and "how do I connect with others".
As I gain a deeper understanding of creation, I gradually develop a design method that combines emotional narrative and spatial language. For me, fashion design is not only a combination of shape and craftsmanship but also a visual language - I express the concept of my design work through the interaction between different fabrics, tailoring, and the body. My creative practice is rooted in personal experience while paying attention to cultural diversity and emotional expression in the contemporary context. I am deeply inspired by the details of life, emotional experiences, and the subtle relationships between people, and transform these experiences into wearable visual narratives. For me, design is not only a form of expression but also a visual language. It allows me to rethink the expressiveness and spatiality of clothing from the perspective of the "wearer", which enhances my visual expression and narrative awareness.

How did your education at the London College of Fashion inform the development of your design language?

During my study at the London College of Fashion (LCF), I systematically mastered professional design skills. Inspired by the course and in an international creative environment, I gradually formed a personal methodology that integrates theoretical thinking and practical exploration. My work "Imperfect Perfection" explores the tension between emotions and the body, emphasizing the fluid state of "perfection" and "defects". It received great attention at the college exhibition at East Bank and was invited to participate in subsequent independent exhibitions. This experience strengthened my determination to develop as an independent designer. This experience made me deeply aware of narrative design with cultural reflection and emotional depth.
During my studies, I learned to think critically. In my design works, the course emphasizes technical practice, concept development, social issues, and cross-media practice. This combination has greatly promoted the development of my design language. I have cultivated the ability to be critical thinking under this system, integrating material experiments, structural research, and emotional narration, so that my design language has both tactile intuition and structural rationality and conveys a unique design language with different forms and an intuitive understanding of touch.
The tutors constantly encourage us to question the essence of design, dig deep into the cultural context and emotional motivations behind each theme, and make me sensitive to emotions and social subjects. Therefore, during my studies at the London College of Fashion, I combined precise and thoughtful design processes to express my design ideas and always used creative and experimental design processes, as well as high-level technical skills and knowledge. Studying in London, which has a strong multicultural atmosphere, also makes me more courageous to express myself and look at the aesthetics and values of different cultures with an open mind, thereby enriching my design language and allowing me to be more inclusive and expressive in my design.

Before starting your studio, you worked with brands like Susan Fang and Yuhan Wang. What did you learn from those experiences, and how do they echo in your work today?

Before starting my own creative studio, I had the opportunity to intern and work with pioneering London designer brands such as Susan Fang and Yuhan Wang. These experiences had a profound impact on my creative concepts, working methods and even aesthetic standards. While working at Susan Fang, I was deeply involved in the brand's proofing, hand-beading, hand-crocheting, garment production, and accessories development. From concept sketches to product implementation, I used the ultimate manual method to create physical clothing, assisted in the production of more than 10 highly complex handmade garments, and participated in the display support backstage of London Fashion Week and the Paris showroom to complete the 2023 Spring and Summer Season series. I improved my delicate and extreme manual execution ability. For example, a beaded skirt often takes more than ten hours of manual stringing and sewing. In the supply chain and production links, I actively communicated and coordinated to ensure the precise implementation of design concepts and improved the execution efficiency and quality management of the project. This was a very valuable experience for me when I started my own studio.
Yuhan Wang's works are often known for their feminine images that are both soft and powerful. She pays great attention to the presentation of "Oriental aesthetics" in the contemporary world, which pushes me to integrate traditional and modern, Eastern and Western elements in my designs. I learned how to use clothing language to tell the multifaceted nature of female identity and how to use printing, fabric processing, and tailoring to express complex and poetic design connotations. These work experiences have made me understand that "perfect works" come not only from creativity but also from polishing, patience, and continuous iteration. This is the standard I insisted on when I founded my studio.
These experiences not only honed my control over exquisite craftsmanship and narrative structure but also enabled me to transform from a "student" to a "creator" and then to a "leader". The H.Y_ Fashion Studio that I founded today is a continuation of this growth trajectory - it is not only a creative platform but also a concentrated embodiment of my personal style, cultural perspective, and technical accumulation, allowing me to promote the integration and innovation of fashion and art from a more professional and unique perspective.

What's your process when starting a new collection or project? How do you go from the initial emotional idea to the final piece, especially when working with nontraditional materials or filling techniques?

When starting a new series or project, my process usually starts from emotions and personal experience, and throughresearch and experimentation, I gradually build a visual system with narrative and structural expression. In the beginning, I will do a lot of first-hand research on my personal story and slowly present my ideas in my final work. For example, my graduation work "Imperfect Perfection" is a collection of personal feelings of different social groups in marginalized states through interviews, photography, and texts, so as to find resonance with my own experience. These emotional images and texts from first-hand research have become the initial emotional carriers in my design. Next, I began to experiment with fabrics and structures, trying to transform these "insecurities" into touchable and wearable forms. For example, I express emotional instability through asymmetrical cutting and structural imbalance and use exposed seams and structural flaws to metaphorically represent the fragility and imperfection of individuals.
In the final work, I used padding technology and modular structure to experiment with the technology, allowing it to express the protection and expressiveness of the subject. The non-traditional materials and padding techniques in this project are mainly nylon fabrics and a variety of padding techniques. I used exposed seams and structural "defects" to present asymmetrical tailoring and multi-level structural changes to metaphorically express the imperfection and fragility of the individual, beautifully illustrating that accepting imperfection is the core part of the narrative of my entire work and an important transformation in my design project. For me, this process is not only an experiment in shape and material but also an emotional arrangement and cultural response through the medium of "clothing".

You use unusual materials like down, cushions, and sporty fabrics. How do you choose materials, and why are you drawn to them?

First of all, these materials have unique physical properties - light, soft, and strong wrapping, which allows me to create a sense of "protection" and "security" in my design, which echoes my understanding of clothing as an emotional container. I can fill cotton with these nylon fabrics, which will bring the so-called "sense of security" when people wear them, and the fluffy feeling and elasticity brought by the down and cushion filling make the clothing look like a soft structure with vitality. Different from traditional stiff or single materials, it can simulate the morphological changes of the human body under different emotions. Similar nylon fabrics inject modernity and functionality into the design, while its elasticity and breathability meet the comfort needs of wearing. These materials are not only technical choices but also carry metaphors and emotions. The comfort of down fabrics reminds people of warmth and reliance, symbolizing an acceptance of fragility and imperfection. Through the exploration of nylon fabrics, I try to break the boundaries of traditional clothing materials and make the materials themselves part of the story so that the wearer can see not only the clothing but also feel the emotions and energy conveyed by the clothing.

You've described fashion as a "vessel of emotions" and a "narrative approach that can be worn." How do you embed emotional storytelling into the construction and surface of your garments?

Yes, I always think that fashion is a "wearable narrative method". It not only carries the external modelling language but also is a container of emotions and memories. In my creative practice, I transform these invisible emotions into touchable and wearable forms through the details of structure, material, and surface treatment, which is my most intuitive way to express my design.
In terms of structure, I like to express a certain psychological state or the layering of memory through asymmetrical cutting, folding, winding, or deconstruction and reorganization. For example, in one of my designs with the theme of "imbalance", I deliberately broke the traditional body proportions, moved some pieces of clothing down, and sewed them in a misaligned manner, using the instability of the structure to reflect the inner anxiety and subtle tension. Therefore, in my graduation design, "Imperfect Perfection", I will use the texture of the fabric and the texture of the details to choose soft, breathable, or hand-made fabrics and use nylon fabrics and covering structures to simulate the process of insecurity that needs to be wrapped, to integrate emotional narratives into the structure and surface of clothing.

Your series "Imperfect Perfection" deals with softness and flaws. What does "imperfection" mean to you in your work? And how do you reconcile visual imperfection with emotional strength, both conceptually and formally?

In my representative work "Imperfect Perfection", I focus on the theme of "Body, Identity and Social Expectations", using clothing as a medium to explore how individuals can find a true sense of existence in imperfection. This series is not onlya practice of design language but also a comprehensive expression of emotional narrative and culture.
This project was completed independently from the initial creativity, material experimentation, and shooting planning to the final display of the finished product. The series was exhibited at the graduation show of the London College of Fashion, received high praise from mentors and industry guests, and facilitated my subsequent cooperation with many art photographers and visual directors. "Imperfection" in my work means breaking the imbalance of perfect things, and pursuing a perfect state is a reality. This series breaks traditional clothing through individual imbalance and comfortable design methods and combines traditional down jackets to explore the series. Human beings' requirements for themselves are extremely imperfect, and imperfections are reflected in the imperfections of seams and structures. By using comfortable fabrics, such as soft down fibres, a comfortable environment is found through fabrics, conveying softness, stability, and protection. I want to express the most real ideas about the source of my inner insecurity through the project"Imperfect Perfection". In this clothing series, I will use a lot of asymmetric designs, partial filling, and collapsed and expanded structures so that the outline of the clothing simulates the body posture of humans in different emotional states to visually express imperfection and emotional power. This is also how I use clothing as a medium for wearing emotions, social commentary, and a language for body dialogue.

Can you tell us more about your studio , H.Y_ Fashion Studio, and the kind of projects you work on there?

H.Y _ Fashion Studio is a comprehensive fashion and visual creative studio that I just founded in London in 2025. It aims to connect "fashion design" and "image art" and provide professional support for visual expression and image construction for young designers, brand customers, and individual users. The concept of the studio is: "Connect emotions, identity, and culture with visual narratives." It is not only a photography studio, but also a platform for fashion narratives. I hope to integrate my practical abilities in fashion design, modelling, imaging, and planning here to create visual content with emotional depth and style tension for diverse individuals. The projects currently being undertaken by the studio will be different visual design projects such as fashion design shooting, brand cooperation, and independent clothing design projects. I hope it can become a bridge connecting Asian creators with the local culture of London and also help more independent creatives establish their own visual language in the initial stage.

You've described fashion as a form of "cultural dialogue and ideological extension." How do you balance artistic vision and cultural commentary in an industry often driven by market trends?

Yes, I have seen fashion as a "cultural dialogue and extension of ideology". I think fashion design is essentially a continuous dialogue, not just between designers and consumers. It is an extension of ideology and an expression of cultural values.
In the creative process, I always pay attention to the dynamic balance between artistic perspective and market demand. As an artist, the commercial market may not require us to have very creative designs, so I think it is an important process for an artist to balance art and business. Real design is not just about outputting critical views but resonating with consumers through the design of the clothes themselves. Therefore, what I pursue is a fashion language that can convey concepts and has practical wearing value.
For example, the series "Imperfect Perfection", first explores the uncomfortable side of different social groups in society. However, in fabric selection and clothing construction, I prioritize comfort and functionality to ensure that the work has a wearing experience and market acceptance. The conceptual structure is processed into adjustable and detachable details, and comfortable fabrics are used in the design. The imperfections are then reflected by integrating seams and structural defects.
In my opinion, artistic vision and cultural commentary should not be seen as being in opposition to market trends. What is important is that we need to design works that can be both "worn" and "thought". Integrate them into the design to create works that have both ideological depth and market acceptance. For example, I will express emotions and fragility through fabric innovation and clothing functionality that are more acceptable to the market, making the design both avant-garde and practical and achieving a better balance between art and commerce.

Lastly, looking ahead, what are your goals for the future? Any projects or ideas you're excited about?

In the future, I will continue to promote the cross-border integration of fashion design and visual art as an independent designer, continue to expand my boundaries between narrative fashion design and multimedia practice, and explore the boundaries between "fashion and image" and multimedia practice.
I am establishing and managing H.Y_FASHION STUDIO in the UK. This visual creative studio is committed to using clothing as a cultural narrative language, and through images, creative planning, and fashion design, it carries out critical and emotionally resonant creative practices. I hope to build H.Y_ Fashion Studio into an independent creative platform with a curatorial vision. In addition to continuously releasing artistic and cultural clothing series, it will also provide services such as art guidance, concept planning, and fashion image production, linking international exhibitions, cross-media cooperation, and art education.
At present, I have led the studio to participate in a number of photography and visual projects, from pre-planning to creative leadership, and have achieved good cooperation results and customer response. I am also establishing cooperative relationships with local artists and creative people in the UK, and I plan to launch a number of multimedia projects that explore the body, identity, and memory. In the long term, I am committed to establishing an internationally influential art and fashion practice within the UK creative industry, not only focusing on design but also promoting a continuous fashion cultural dialogue on "perfection and imperfection" and "dressing and emotions" through education, exhibitions, and public interaction. I believe that H.Y_FASHION STUDIO will become a link between personal narrative and cultural production, artistic creation, and social participation and continue to inject new perspectives and vitality into the UK creative ecology.

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