Unexpected path
Raised by engineer parents, Zhi took the design path and career unexpectedly.
As a young girl, she used to study science and Mathematical Olympiad course in senior middle school. She gave up on continuing her study in machinery but applied to learn the master course of fashion design and technology at the University of the Arts London in the United Kingdom.
During her study at UAL, she developed a technique that enables the seamless merging of color blocks and knitwear patterns. Using the technique, she produced knitwear underpinned by highly intricate and sophisticated fabric structures that render a smooth surface and present the intricacy as a harmonious whole.
"Order and engineering are things I love, and beauty is something I've been pursuing since I was a kid," Zhi recalls, adding that when she was particularly young, she would walk across several blocks to just buy a nice-looking toothbrush. "Knitting perfectly combines both of my passions, and that's what I eagerly want to do."
In the spring/summer 2023 collection, Zhi also presented her iconic design, matching orange with blue to form a strong contrast. She reveals that the orange color represents the setting sun, and the blue color represents the ocean.
As she was born and grew up in Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian province, she often went for a walk or a bike ride on the beach after school.
"I want to pass the chilling out and satisfying mood to people through my design," Zhi says.
Last year, the designer returned to her hometown and spent four months there for the first time after she turned 18.
The pace of life slowed because of the pandemic, and Zhi got the chance to look back at the life she has lived, to talk to herself, to rest and even just to count her breaths lying on the bed.
"I work in an industry that spreads beauty, but it consumes me much time and energy just to release a new collection in each season. I have deadlines to meet, one after another. For a very long time, I might have lost my natural designer's sensibility. I wouldn't notice that the flowers are blooming on that tree, or how pleasing it is to see spring has arrived."
Katz mentioned in the picture book the importance of living in the moment, which is definitely not a new concept. But it encouraged Zhi to follow her heart instead of some industry rules.
"Society tells you a lot of rules, such as people should get married or get a stable job, but these rules are not necessarily the most important things for the individual," Zhi says.
