SS15 PREVIEW| One to Watch Min Wu

Womenswear designer Min Wu has gone from strength to strength since graduating from the London College of Fashion in 2013. Wu’s collections have been met with much acclaim with her sculpted silhouettes and digitally printed gradients of colour making for a mesmerising signature style. 

With Min Wu being named a One to Watch by this season's Fashion Scout panel we caught up with her to find out the inspirations behind her latest SS15 collection and what we can expect to see from her when her pieces hit the catwalk in September.

Fashion Scout: What has inspired your SS15 collection?

Min Wu: For my SS15 collection I began by looking at the concept of human connection and how we as human beings perceive ourselves and our actions. I thought about the notion of the self. I find it interesting that, for example, if a person is driving a car and the car hits another person, it is a human response to say ‘I hit a person’ so with this as a starting point I explored how people describe themselves in relation to their actions. I was also inspired by our connection to the world through vision, we see images from cameras everyday and everywhere so ultimately our eyes have the capability to be everywhere albeit metaphorically. In terms of fabric manipulation I am inspired by looking at the things that people attach to their bodies, such as piercings. I explored the way in which skin stretches and changes when it is tattooed, with this in mind I have chosen to play with fabrics in that same way throughout this collection and have used them to express a person's feelings and emotions.

FS: Can you tell us about your design aesthetic?

MW: My design aesthetic has continued on from last season and hopefully grown in the same direction. I took my last collection as a starting point for my SS15 collection but made this one a lot more summery. The fabrics which I use in my designs allow for my aesthetic to show a contrast between structure and fluidity, creating strong shapes throughout my collection. In terms of colour palette I always do my fabric research six months before each collection launches. We start with sourcing fabrics and choosing colours and then begin to make samples using different techniques. I really care about attention to detail so my aesthetic is always very clean and finished. Structure is a really important aspect of my design aesthetic, and the silhouettes in my collection change a lot throughout the process.

FS: How has your collection evolved throughout the design process?

MW: It has changed a lot! As you go further along the design process, you uncover so many beautiful things which you could never have imagined in the beginning and you tend to change your mind a lot. My vision of my collection has changed since my starting point. I start by taking one direction and through that I tend to see more beauty in other things so rather than having a finished product that completely reflects my original inspiration I instead see the evolution of my collection.

FS: What fabrics and techniques you have used to help to create your vision in your SS15 collection?

MW: It is very important to me to ensure that the finishing on all of my garments is perfectly faultless and so it is important that I utilise techniques which will help to make my pieces look good. I work very closely with my machinist and we discuss the ways in which we can manipulate each fabric to look the exact way that we have envisioned it to be within the collection. All of the little details are so important to the overall continuity of the collection.

FS: How does it feel to be named a One to Watch?

MW: Very exciting! When I got the call I was really, really happy about it! It's a great opportunity and I am excited to see who else is named a One to Watch!

FS: What can we expect to see from Min Wu in the future?

MW: After showcasing at Fashion Scout London, I will be going to Paris to show my collection at the Fashion Scout Showrooms which I am very excited about! We also have a fashion event which we will be showing at in Beijing in October and another event hosted by Shanghai Fashion Week in collaboration with the British Fashion Council. They held the same event last year with another very famous Chinese boutique so I am very excited to be a part of it this year. Another project that I will be working on has been inspired by one of my best friends getting married. I am working on a bridal wear project in which I hope to create a more fashionable and less conventional take on bridal wear.

FS: What are you excited about us seeing in your new SS15 collection?

MW: We are working on shoes for the new season which is great I am not a footwear designer but I love shoes. We have found a shoe sampling studio and they really understand my vision which is good so I am really excited about that.

Interview by Charlotte Muscat, Contributor, (@CharlotteLM9)
Images, by Hannah Farrell, (@HFazzzz).