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Vancouver is home to a thriving fashion industry made up of individuals committed to its growth and success. Get to know these personalities in The Inseam and discover what makes the Vancouver Fashion scene so awesome. |
Photo courtesy: Wing Yin
Wing Yin may be new to the Vancouver fashion scene, but she knows a thing or two about style. In fact, I am quick to recognize the designer upon our first meeting, as she is clad in attire appropriate for fashion week – or coffee on Main Street. Wing is the artist behind WWAKE, a line of jewelry that has recently launched online and in local boutiques such as One of a Few and Two of a Few, Eugene Choo and Erin Templeton. The pieces take a stylistic approach to arts and crafts; yet remain minimalistic and timeless in nature.
WWAKE was conceived out of a natural progression from Wing’s studies in art school. “I really fell into it. I never thought I would be in anything that crossed over into fashion. I studied sculpture and was really into contemporary and conceptual art. I still am, but I now live in a different world – I am more interested in arts and crafts. I graduated and I didn’t have my own studio, so I was just making small things, and they were really small, gestural textures that I was interested in. Then I realized that they could translate easily into jewelry,” says Wing.
The jewelry that Wing creates is distinctive for its use of hand-dyed fibers, an element that the artist strives to maintain in the creation of each piece. Wing explains, “The material and texture are something that comes intuitively for me. I’m really trying to make a good medium between sculpture and jewelry, or make jewelry that really holds what I’m interested in, like the hand of the artist.”
When I ask Wing how she came up with the idea of using such materials, she concedes, “I just really like fiber sculptures. I was playing around with rope because I like the shapes that come out of making knots with it. I was just exploring texture. I’m drawn to the materials first, and then I try to preserve the properties that I like about the material.” She brings out a few samples from her current collection, and I can’t help but awe over every item – each one is striking and modern, yet so easy to wear. It is clear that Wing puts her creativity forward, painstakingly molding each object into a beautifully crafted piece of wearable art.
Wing is continually pushing boundaries by exploring new materials. Her upcoming collection will incorporate metals, but her approach to design remains the same. “I have to start with an interesting material and then go back into metal. You can get anything cast and it becomes a jewelry item. I think I get really confused when I have that many options, and so by starting with something that’s not commonly used [in jewelry], it gives me the challenge to manipulate it back into a wearable thing,” says Wing. Even though she is using metals, she will stay true to the concept of the hand of artist by making pieces that retain her fingerprints – an element that is often masked by jewelry manufacturers today.
Wing also creates one of a kind pieces. She elaborates on her experience working with musicians, Pegasus Warning. “With commissioned work, I really try to get to know the person and understand what boundaries they have to wearing the piece. I really try to complement the artist that I’m working with. It’s really cool to work with musicians because they have an identity that I want to accommodate. I had been playing around with this way of twisting rope for awhile, and the guy behind Pegasus was just like, ‘I want it to be bigger and louder,’ so that’s when I introduced the dip-dye layering of the twisted rope. It’s kind of cool to see your work change right in front of you. You design the piece as a still object, but with someone who is performing on stage, the limits are indefinable,” says Wing.
So where does she draw her inspiration from? Wing states, “I love Japanese aesthetics. I want to be able to challenge myself by making stuff simpler - more minimal, but just as beautiful. I like the simplicity and poetry behind Japanese aesthetics and that’s something that I want to convey in future projects…. It really is the materials that I work with, and art that I like that inspire me.”
I ask how living in Vancouver influences Wing’s perspective on design. She admits that it took five years of living in New York that made her appreciate the city. “I really do think that I’m such a West Coaster. I like to get things done and I’m really pragmatic, and so in that way I’m really connected to the East Coast. But you really get time and space here and I think that’s what a lot of my work needs. I had a really hard time coming back but I just decided to do it. I met a lot of people and realized that the community here is really great, and doing the back and forth [from Vancouver to New York] gives me the best of both worlds. It keeps things fresh.”
Wing continues by expressing her love for the city, saying, “Vancouver is precious. I think there are a lot of people here that are doing great things. You just can’t compare Vancouver to NY. It’s just a different realm. I think it would be a shame if things moved quickly here - everything that’s developing right now is actually the way it should be.”
Photos courtesy: Wing Yau
