Meet The GFW19 Award Winner: Ivy Lam

Meet former Savannah College of Art and Design student, Ivy Lam, who won the International Fashion Show Award at GFW19. Ivy tells us about her collection, what it was like to be at GFW, her top 5 pieces of advice for final year students and her plans for the future.

Firstly, congratulations on winning an award at Graduate Fashion Week 2019! What did you win?
Thank you! I won the International Fashion Show Award sponsored by GAP INC.

How did it feel when your name was read out during the show?
I was shocked but too excited that I could not react immediately.

Which university did you attend and how do you think they prepared you for graduation?
Savannah College of Art and Design, Hong Kong. They offered as much support as possible for each creative individual

What is the most valuable thing that you learnt there?
To be flexible, trial and error is an important part besides the creative process.

Tell us about your story. What lead you to fashion?
I like to play Barbie dolls when I was small. Unfortunately, their mini garments looked boring to me. So I would cut up old unwanted clothes to make new Barbie garments of my style. My passion for fashion design gradually developed.

What themes do you explore with your designs?
The themes I have explored are very different from one another. They represent different perspectives of how I see the society and the world.

Talk us through your graduate collection.
My graduate collection was inspired by the exotic flower species I discovered during my summer trip to Japan last summer. I used materials like Lycra, suiting wool, nylon, neoprene, denim, sourced either locally or from Mainland China. Some were dead stock or end of roll fabrics — the denim was dead stock items sponsored by Levi’s Jeans that I deconstructed and incorporated into my designs.

My collection “Bloom” is inspired by the Chinese phrase "Floral world – 花花世界", symbolising the numerous types of flower which is a metaphor for our diverse society. The concept defines self-expression and identity through the experimentation of hybridising different styles and silhouettes.

An orchid is used as the focus for the design elements in terms of prints, style lines, shapes, forms, textures and layers. To explore beyond sophistication and vulnerability, athletic and men’s tailoring techniques are incorporated to offer versatility for young women on the go. The collection also explores the possibilities of future contemporary womenswear.

Do you explore any political, social or historical notions through your work? If so, what messages do you hope to convey?
I would say social notions. I was inspired by the Zen Shin quote: “A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms.” It’s all about embracing diversity in the society because everyone is unique and irreplaceable.

How would you describe your personal style? What influences you the most?
The common thought of “I have nothing to wear” inspires me to design hybrid, multi-way, transformable garments. In the future, I hope to evolve my designs in order to find more and more ways a garment could be worn.

Where do you hope to be in five year’s time?
Have a studio to run my own label.

What one thing would you recommend our visitors do whilst at GFW?
Check out all the amazing booths and connect with student designers.

If you could give one piece of advice to yourself in the first year at university, what would it be?
Step out of your comfort zone and explore unusual things before you graduate because you have the most freedom at this time.

What top five tips would you give to final year students?
Travel as much as possible before you start your graduate collection.
Try something new, e.,g. drape instead of sketch/ collage, you will be amazed by the design outcomes.
Do more and worry less, you can always eliminate the not-so-great ideas!
Try multi-tasking – switch to another design when you feel tired or stuck.
Follow your heart – how the collection represents you.

Report

Skills

Fashion Design