Jill Jiayue wants to dismantle gender norms one design at a time

“Combining what people think about the world and what I think about the world, I wanted the collection to look artistic and surrealist.” – Jill Jiayue

Like her designs, her process breaks tradition. When patterning or draping, she gets more ideas for the final design in the process after starting with a general idea. She said that her bachelor’s collection was more ‘wild and crazy’, but for her master’s reduced that to something ‘wearable and more modern’. “Combining what people think about the world and what I think about the world, I wanted the collection to look artistic and surrealist. This is the first idea I had, and I started doing the research based on that.” Jill found designers that related to her personal story and aesthetic; referencing Méret Oppenheim’s artwork Le Déjeuner en fourrure. “It’s a normal object that she covered in fur – it makes the teacup look a little bit like an artistic tactic that makes people uncomfortable. It was from the 1930s and at that time a lot of female surrealist artists came up, but their artwork was still controlled by the male artist. The teacup looks a bit like the female situation at the time – the male artists were saying ‘we love women; they are our muse’. We heard that a lot, but they didn’t put women in creative positions. They weren’t referring to women as artists, only as muses. I feel like 100 years passed and the situation has only improved a bit.”

The vision for her master’s collection was to dismantle the established norms of society. The creation of her womenswear collection drew inspiration from menswear; Jill bought vintage menswear pieces from charity shops and used similar construction in her designs, adding volume to break the design from the normal silhouette. Growing up in a traditional family, her family envisioned a more conventional path for her. Undeterred by their desire for conformity, she pursued her strong ideas, breaking away from the expected trajectory. Having completed her bachelor’s degree at RAFA, she initially hesitated to pursue a master’s due to the lack of financial support from her family. Resolute in her determination to forge her own path, she sought employment. Fate, however, had a different plan for her. The Kering Group decided they wanted to sponsor her master’s degree at RAFA.

“Everyone around me has been disappointed when they graduated because it’s hard to find an internship. And when you find one, it’s not easy to turn into a real job.” – Jill Jiayue

Since graduating, Jill has faced some difficulties in securing a visa and, even with two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree, getting an internship was hard. From working in the industry for five years in China, Jill knew the industry was hard but thought that in Europe it was bigger and that it would be different. She believes that it’s an issue that even with her qualifications and education it’s still extremely difficult. “Everyone around me has been disappointed when they graduated because it’s hard to find an internship. And when you find one, it’s not easy to turn into a real job.” Although she came to Paris about once a month during her time at the Royal Academy of Arts to source fabric and material – because of the more limited offer in Belgium – she didn’t go to school in Paris, so she was searching online for work.

Jill hopes to have her own brand down the line but for now plans to get a job, learn how to build a team, and gain some business experience. When asked about the motives behind her work, she explained her work was primarily driven by personal expression, and that answer is more aligned with an artist, not a muse – not being driven solely by the appeal to brands or employability.