Up-An-Coming Designer: W by Wenjun

About a month ago I attended a trade show in Paris called Tranoi. This trade show is dedicated to displaying the collections of up and coming designers to buyers, press and all the others who work in the fashion industry. At this show I saw hundreds of amazing collections but the one that stood out to me the most was a collection called W by Wenjun created by the wonderful Li Wenjun. I spent a good 20 minutes talking to her about her work and she was the nicest person I met over the three days. After a few emails back and forth I am writing my blog post about her and her collection.

W by Wenjun is a very modern collection that could easily be worn on the street but is still beautiful and fashionable. It’s a combination of Parisian chic with simple cuts and exotic Chinese style from Li’s heritage with the incredible fabrics that she uses. I asked Li a few questions which she answered so here they are as well as the images of her collection that she kindly supplied me with.

Q: Where were you educated and what did you study?

A: I studied in The Academy of fine arts in China, after graduation I came to Paris, France, to study fashion design in STUDIO BERÇOT, a fashion design school which is very understated but well-reputed. 

Q: What experience did you have in the fashion industry before starting your own line? 

A: I began the first fashion internship in a very small designer brand which basic in Paris, as a small company, I needed to work on many things, and I learned how a fashion brand runs from A to Z. Then I began to do my internship in the bigger company such as Vivienne Westwood, Givenchy, Kenzo, Valentino, for those well-known brands, I sometimes worked in the showrooms, sometimes worked as design assistant, sometimes for shop and administration, it helps me to understand more about how fashion companies work as I always had an idea to creat my own brand. After all those experience with the European brands, I went to  New York City for me last internship for 6 months, just wanted to know more about NY fashion, to enlarge my view and experience.

Q: What made you decide to create your own line?

A: Creating my own line is more about freedom, as an artist, I feel like creating a piece of art when I am making clothes. I just want to follow my feelings.

Q: What inspired your collection?

A: Life, it's more about an attitude to life, it could be a feeling, an impression, a sight, a person, a habit...

My favorite piece is a oversized shirt made of fabric that looks like dragonfly wings (above right). It could be worn over anything or tucked into a sleek skirt. I love the versatility of this collection and the way it can all be worn together or with other designers pieces. Let me know what you think of the collection and check out Li's website: http://www.wbywenjun.com/

A Multitude of Magazines!

When you walk into WH Smiths to buy a magazine you're confronted with rows after rows of magazines so I wanted to write a post on my recommendations to help when deciding which to choose. I remember when I started being interested in fashion I wasn't AS scared because I was only around 13 so the choice of 'child' fashion magazines was fairly limited to Teen Vogue. But when I think about it, Teen Vogue gets it so right that there don't need to be any other fashion magazines for young people. If you have a child or know someone between around the ages of 11-14 who is interested in fashion then they should definitely be reading this magazine!

Company February 2013

Teen Vogue February 2013

It soon came to a point at which I wanted to start reading more 'adult' fashion magazines. Aside from Vogue (which I will return to later) probably the most popular fashion magazine in England is Company Magazine. It has accessible, street-wearable fashion ideas that are perfect for inspiring everyday or evening wear. The emphasis is based much more on street style than haute-couture. It successfully breaches the gap between glossy magazines like Vogue and fashion blogs. I would recommend this magazine to anyone with a casual interest in fashion who wants to know the street trends. Company is also the most affordable (£2.50) so this is usually the one I buy each month.

Nylon February 2013

As I became more and more interested in fashion I began to explore different areas and branched out my reading matter to more varied magazines like i-D, Haper's Bazaar and W magazine. In this exploratory period I discovered Nylon. This is probably my favourite magazine that I read. It always features current and interesting people. As well as great fashion features it has articles on music, television and films. It's a little more indie than many others and although it is quite expensive in England (£4.50), it's definitely worth it! I would recommend this magazine to anyone and everyone!

The last magazine I want to talk about is Vogue. The original fashion magazine, the fashion bible, Vogue is THE fashion magazine. Even people who know nothing about fashion know this. The main complaint people have with Vogue is that there are too many advertisements however ads are not only an important source of revenue for the company but also can help you to stay on-top of trends. Fashion houses will change their advertisements to reflect that season's collection and so can be used as inspiration. There are 18 countries that produce a Vogue each month, the most famous/popular being American Vogue, Vogue British and Vogue France. Each version has an individual style which reflects the country's general style (e.g. French Vogue features a lot of black clothes, nudity and smoking). The three just mentioned are must-reads each month for anyone seriously into fashion but I would also recommend Italian, Russian and Korean Vogue as others to check out from time to time.

American Vogue February 2013

Vogue France February 2013