Chih-Chia Lee is a fourth year Fashion Design student at Shih Chien University in Taiwan. She has been studying fashion design for a total of seven years. Because of her innate curiosity since childhood, Chih-Chia has been looking for unknown things around her and trying to understand them through her design process. Chih-Chia quickly became very interested in completing a handbag design course which taught her about using leather for the first time and helped her discover the many different ways of designing garments with the material.
INTERVIEW WITH CHIH-CHIA
Tell us about the inspiration behind your project:
Inspired by the Amis, the aboriginal ethnic group of Taiwan, the bags silhouette is based on the traditional musical instrument, the Warrior’s Drum. Zippers connect the lengths so that they can present a special visual effect.
What has been your experience working with leather for this competition?
In this competition I experimented with different treatments of leather, ranging from the hand painted totems, to decorative claw beading, to leather weaving. All of these techniques were used after considering the unique characteristics of leather.
How do you think this competition will impact your career as a designer?
The recognition from this competition gives me more confidence to choose and work towards what I have always wanted to pursue, to value my qualities, and to develop my expertise within my design work.
How has this competition influenced your view of working with leather in the future?
Through participating in this competition, I have gained a deeper understanding of the possibilities of leather and become increasingly curious about the parts I have been unable to try. If I have the opportunity I would love to engage in leather-related design projects in the future!
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