Ruoyan Er: Weaving Passion and Progress into a Decade of Fashion Design

Ruoyan, you have a versatile background in the art and design industry since 2013. Could you share more about your journey over the past decade? What led you to enter the world of design, and what inspired you to pursue a career as a fashion designer?

Yes, I am extremely passionate about this industry. As a little girl who was a dancer, my performance clothes were often ugly and ill-fitting. This led me to learn how to alter clothes from my grandmother and eventually start drawing my own designs. Later, during my studies at BJUT ten years ago, our group was deeply influenced by "Chinese high fashion." However, from my perspective, I always felt that the works were merely a stack of "Chinese symbols." At that time, I wanted to find symbols that truly belonged to me and to transform the clothes in my hands into something magical, akin to a fairy godmother's touch. The past decade, in my view, has been one of social progress and a time of awakening for girls and designers of our generation. It's been about finding self-expression and taking control of our own lives, rather than just becoming princesses and carriers of culture. We are now becoming an output of culture. This business is incredibly enjoyable because you get to see a wide range of issues and manifestations. Instead of just fancy dress, you witness wonderfully diverse lives.

In your journey, design and fine art seem to be integrated—you had a fine art teaching background in your early stages, and your recent works have been adapting elements from art history, bringing many in-depth aspects for the audience to interpret. Who are your biggest artistic influences, and how have they shaped your work?

It's undoubtedly Issey Miyake. He taught me more than just an artistically inspired view of the world; he was also a character builder for me. Especially when I learned more about how he subsequently trained his juniors and used the power of technology to improve and enhance clothing techniques and solve pollution problems, there was really no way I could not admire him.

You've incorporated substantial exposure to different cultures into your fashion practices, such as adapting the Japanese philosophical concept of ichigo ichie into your work series Serendipity Vicissitudes. Besides, as someone who grew up in Asia, how would you describe the way these cross-cultural experiences are reflected in your designs?

Everyone is proud of their culture and takes pride in it, no doubt about it. But you know, I somehow have an insight into this industry that it's actually very obvious where a designer is from, and it's often a very negative stereotype. The reason why I use the concept of "ichigo ichie" to illustrate coincidence is that my journey along the way has not been overly logical, and I'm rather touched by those first sightings and coincidences. It's kind of breaking down barriers to express only the emotion of that moment, and not to express deep thought about a certain kind of appearance (and my own design barriers count as well). Looking back, I realize that I have come a long way, by serendipity through vicissitudes. I know where I came from, and even more so, where I've been and what I've left along the way.

The Starry Night. Designer: Ruoyan Er. Stylist: Ruoyan Er. Photographer: Shan Shi. Model: Aviana DiPasquale.

Lavender Fields with Rising Sun. Designer: Ruoyan Er. Stylist: Ruoyan Er. Photographer: Shan Shi. Model: Aviana DiPasquale.

Self-portrait. Designer: Ruoyan Er. Stylist: Ruoyan Er. Photographer: Shan Shi. Model: Rebecca Zaizay

Can you elaborate on how Van Gogh's approach to painting influenced your knitting techniques and the way you infuse emotion and texture into your yarn work in this series?

I think it's about not defining the style or the expression of a thing. I love Van Gogh for the pain of going down this road of insisting on being himself, and I deeply empathize with him. As for an expression of yarn, don't you think that the term 'sweater' has some stereotypes in people's minds, lol? But actually, wool can connect everything, whether you knit it, crochet it, knot it, or even felt it. It adapts to all kinds of tools and materials and also blends with any material. So, why do people try to define what genre a painter belongs to or what style and function a piece of clothing is? I just think wool may be the softest material in my heart to connect to every shred of my memories. I guess, like Van Gogh, that one moment is eternity; I just want to record it.

Ruoyan Er design sketchbook

What was the turning point in your career that led you to focus on knitwear, and how has this specialization changed your perspective and philosophy on fashion design?

Actually, it was because of the epidemic. I was so bored at home, but it took actually trying it to realize that, oh my god, it's something I've wanted to do my whole life. I love the direct muscular touch, the interplay of 3D and 2D, and the delicate calculation of the stitches. However, I implicitly feel like there's a big disconnect between the market and the hobbyists in this knitting thing. Knitters like to find good-looking patterns to make a good-looking fabric, but inexplicably there's a bit of convergence in development. Delicate patterns seem to be getting farther and farther away from the manufacturing industry, silhouette topology, and a deeper investigation of topics that the fashion industry is always talking about. I want my efforts to bridge the gap between the two.

Escape named Marenol. Designer: Ruoyan Er. Stylist: Ruoyan Er. Photographer: Shan Shi. Model: Aviana DiPasquale.

Working at a top-tier luxury corporation like LVMH is truly impressive. Could you share how this experience has shaped your approach to design and branding in your current projects?

Hmm, I probably can't talk much about the details. But I think they are exceptionally meticulous in developing their campaigns. During my internship, I didn't even think about them making some of the salon brands competitive. I really learned a lot; each category has its own track, how to find their real customer shorthand, not in the schoolwork client sketch of "earns $3,000,000 a year, gallery work, buyer." Of course, what I learned most is that different platforms have different marketing functions, how to find their most suitable track and positioning, how to balance the percentage of art and income in the market.

In one of your previous media interviews, you mentioned your aspiration to own a textile mill that creates innovative materials for the fashion industry, aimed at building a sustainable society and empowering female workers. These are ambitious goals that extend beyond the scope of fashion design itself. Can you talk more about what you think are the social responsibilities of a fashion designer?

An example would be good. Chanel's conception of the pantsuit may have been more than just saying that it allowed post-war ladies to dress freely. She was more about providing a lot of post-war workplace empowerment for ladies as well. Right, Issey Miyake's clothing brought not only human thinking about the relationship between the body and clothing but more than that, pushed for technical material research positions, new designer test beds.

The reason why I insist on this is because I think that when it comes to "fashion pollution" in the industry, the solution to the problem seems to be redesign and deconstruction, all the time. But does this really help the masses who want to buy two nice clothes for work? I don't think so. And is the development of machinery really going to make it possible for those laid-off women who have trouble finding work to do so? Not really. When I was in high school, an invisible employment stigma of the sciences over the humanities persisted because "science and technology can empower all walks of life." So, I hope that craft technology can also empower the humanities in the areas of food, clothing, housing, and transportation. As a Chinese, as a textile country, how many people really mention slow fashion? The idea of having an all-female textile factory is partly due to my own never-ending passion for exploring materials, and partly due to the fact that when I was a child, there was a textile factory near my home called "Qianjin." Every time I came home from school, I could feel the humanity of the neighborhood. I miss that and would like to have that kind of warmth of human reunion in the future.

Vincent's Bedroom in Arles. Designer: Ruoyan Er. Stylist: Ruoyan Er. Photographer: Shan Shi. Model: Aviana DiPasquale.

With your comprehensive experience in various facets of fashion, what advice would you give to aspiring designers looking to carve out a unique path in the industry?

I think people shouldn't be afraid to go for it. I've often crossed my eyes too, but there's always a place for you in this industry. However, until you find it, think clearly about what you want because the fashion industry is a challenging one to plan for; it's changing day by day. So, keep true to your beginnings, maintain your output, and try everything!

Escape named Marenol. Designer: Ruoyan Er. Stylist: Ruoyan Er. Photographer: Wenyi Li. Model: Xinzhe Zhang