Parsons graduate Qingzi Gao aims to redefine what ‘MADE IN CHINA’ means in fashion

Before making a decision to enter the design field and move to New York to start her degree, Gao initially studied Textile Technology at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Soon enough, she realised that artistic expression was something that she missed in her education. As a result, she opted for a different major and instead graduated from a Textile and Fashion Design course. “In the beginning, I really wanted to make garments for myself. I saw no clothes on the market that I could identify with, so I wanted to use fashion as a way of sharing my thoughts and emotions about the world,” says Gao.

The designer says that the initial inspiration for her garments came from her childhood memories. The catalyst for her graduate collection has been the army of small colourful plastic toys that she used to play with in her youth. She says that her ‘more is more’ approach and fondness of fluorescent hues was sparked by trips to small commodity markets, where her parents would buy her said toys. “When you enter one of those markets,” Gao remembers, “you can see an abundance of little stores, with booths piled to the brim with merchandise, and each item being slightly different from all the others.”

Gao’s designs are not only influenced by the aesthetic features of the toys, but also the ways in which they are made. In her research, she looked into the details of how the toys have been engineered inside-out and learned the science behind the small components, which allows the toys to open up and move. Consequently, she used these principles in the development of her textiles, which have been created from elastic and acrylic materials and constructed through a very precise laser-cutting process.

“The usual rhetoric surrounding the ‘MADE IN CHINA’ label has been associated with things that are unsustainable and of bad quality. But for me, these little toys from the stalls were priceless while growing up!”

In her vision, the designer wants to also address the critiques that are often linked to mass production in the Chinese industries. “The usual rhetoric surrounding the ‘MADE IN CHINA’ label has been associated with things that are unsustainable and of bad quality. But for me, these little toys from the stalls were priceless while growing up! By using them as an inspiration for my work, I wanted to give those materials and techniques value so that they are no longer treated as cheap and disposable, but rather as something that is durable and can be treasured for years to come.”

“Rather than racing through the process, I was able to think about the functionality of my designs, which made my vision more mature in the end.”

Coming from a technology background, Gao shares that rather than sketching her designs, her favourite way of working is first coming up with the textiles, and then playing around with establishing silhouettes on a model. She says that despite the worldwide lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, she was still able to develop her vision fully, thanks to the handcrafting nature of her work (she developed the fabricated small components pre-lockdown). Furthermore, these past few months gave her crucial time to carefully consider her collection: “Rather than racing through the process, I was able to think about the functionality of my designs, which made my vision more mature in the end.”

Now that the traditional ways of showing graduate work have also been challenged by the new reality, Gao is excited to explore sharing her collection in the digital sphere. “As the focus of my aesthetic is taking inspiration from that childhood ‘toy fantasy’ universe, I think that the digitalised forms of showing collections, such as films, actually coexist better with my work. Also, sharing your designs online means that more people can have access to seeing the message that I want to deliver.”

While looking back at her time at Parsons, Gao says that the programme has given her an immense push when it comes to making her vision come to life. “Before I started my course there, I would design clothes that were not functional at all – if I liked the decorations that I created, I would put all of them on one garment, and it would be so heavy that no one could possibly wear it in real life. And the professors have been great in challenging me in that way so that I can create a more streamlined version of my aesthetic.”

Although Gao is understandably worried about the ways in which COVID-19 has affected the job market, she’s looking optimistically towards the future. Before she starts to create commercial collections under her own name and collaborate with a friend she met at school – who moved back to China – Qingzi Gao is determined to get more hands-on industry experience, and is planning to work on the team of an established designer in New York.