MING PIN TIEN
Styling & Photography // Jodie Deakin, Model // Issy Wood
What does it mean to you to be a designer and who do you design for?
I am not a person with multiple talents but I know I can design clothes. Therefore, being a designer is all I can think of and the only thing I am quite good at. My designs are always about personal experiences that involve with emotions and contradictions. Life is never easy but I am trying my best to fantasied those fragile moments. That is also how I expect my muse to be - a combination of power and delicacy.
Where did you study and how important was that to you in the progress of your development as a designer?
I got my MA degree in fashion design and technology, womenswear from LCF. The experience helped me a lot when I started my own brand in terms of refining my design methodology and personal signature. I started to minimumlised my designs by giving them less fancy styling lines or graphics, but really show how I am as a person by focusing on shapes and textures. I believe those two elements are very essential to all of my collections including MA final collection.
Did you intern whilst studying, if yes who for and what did you learn whilst there?
I didn't intern when I was in Uni, not in Taipei nor in London. While I was in Taipei, I worked as a full-time visual merchandiser in a influential designer boutique and it was my first professional experience. It was fun but it didn't really meet my expectation of how I see my career. It was the point that I decided to come to London for further education in design. in between, I was working for a Taiwanese fashion designer called Jolin Wu, who was also trained in London from CSM and RCA. She provided a full access for me to experiment patterns, materials, textures and most importantly, she showed me what a professional fashion designer is.
What made you want to start your own brand and what does the future hold for you?
I started creating my first commercial collection right after I finished my MA. From some feedbacks, I was aware that I would need a commercial collection, which is able to demonstrates my ability in developing concept-base commercial designs, and that was when I started my own label by given the opportunity to showcase with Fashion Scout. It has been two seasons now and I am quite pleased how it goes so far. Right now, I am working on my SS14 collection yet I am still adjusting my way of working as well as my designs to make them more approachable but still hold my personal aesthetic and signature.
What are your biggest obstacles / challenges and how do you over come them?
I don't think I have encountered a massive challenge yet since I just have done two collections so far. However, I found it quite difficult managing my brand on my own whilst I need to create new collections when I was working on my AW13/14's. Therefore, I have managed to found some amazing girls that are happy to assist me in pattern cutting, in-house PR and brand promoting. It is crucial to have some motivated people around me and they do make my life so much easier.
What are your five favourite places?
Misan Fabric Agency in London, Liberty in London, COS, Starbucks all over the world and my bedroom.