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INTERVIEW
Chinese fashion is making waves globally, with stars like Guo Pei’s couture and Vivienne Tam’s iconic designs leading the charge. This surge of influence is reshaping the fashion world, spotlighting China’s blend of rich tradition and cutting-edge innovation.
SHUMINGYU draws on China’s rich traditions of painting and poetry, infusing these classic elements into its contemporary creations. Inspired by the Chinese saying “落叶归根” (luò yè guī gēn), which captures the beauty of autumn leaves returning to their origin, SHUMINGYU's name merges SHUYU – co- founder Alvina Ding’s given name – with MING from a family genealogy poem, paying homage to her ancestral heritage. Ding cut her teeth at the ateliers of Oscar de la Renta and the Asian Art department at Christie's, and studied fashion design, art history, and business at Parsons School of Design, Yale University, and Peking University. We sat down with the designer to find out how SHUMINGYU elegantly bridges past and present, crafting pieces that are both timeless and refreshingly current.
Can you share the story behind the name SHUMINGYU and its significance to you and the brand?
The brand name SHUMINGYU pays tribute to the Chinese saying “落叶归根”, which invokes the powerful imagery of autumn leaves falling towards their roots, returning to the soil that once nurtured it. SHUMINGYU combines the designer’s given name SHUYU with MING, a character taken from the genealogy poem that traces her family roots. The name SHUMINGYU pays tribute to cultural memories passed down through generations, which have deeply shaped our aesthetic perspective.
Throughout history, artistic pursuits such as painting and poetry were avenues of poetic self-expression, blooming into a refined and elegant aesthetic that have nurtured generations of Chinese artists. SHUMINGYU is our way of sharing our perspective of this beauty through drawing inspiration from art, philosophy, and literature, and infusing it into our pieces.
Can you describe your design process and how you blend the poetic essence of Chinese art with contemporary styles?
In terms of my design process, I first decide on a particular theme, which is either a genre of Chinese art or type of craft. Then I dive into research on the theme for a month or two. I read academic papers and art history books to understand the significance of this kind of genre, the elements that influenced its formation, what type of art it had an impact on later, its philosophical underpinnings, where the colours come from, and literary references. I look at the most representative pieces of art from the genre and identify the most distinctive characteristics that will define the overall feel of the collection. During this process, I am looking at art objects that have graced the courts of emperors, the gaze of connoisseurs, and the hands of skilled artisans. From the free-spirited brushwork of ink paintings to the rhythmic flow of poetry, and the delicate luster of ceramics, all of this informs my final design decisions.
As I do the research, I see designs in my head. I visualise the images and colours and capture what I see into sketches, which I then translate into digital prints. Once I finish my prints, I think about what silhouettes they would work best on. From then on, it’s about deciding what fabrics work best for each design and seeing how different designs fit together into an overall collection.
What are some specific elements or motifs from Chinese culture that you frequently incorporate into your designs?
I mainly draw inspiration from my own art history background, as well as other fields of the humanities including philosophy and literature. Throughout my decade long search and questioning of what makes Chinese aesthetics unique, I’ve come to the conclusion that it is the poetic underpinnings of it that makes the genre stand out. The Chinese have an overflowing love of nature and an understanding of the impermanence of existence.
This awareness gives birth to a heightened sensitivity to the beauty that surrounds us. In the words of the Chinese philosopher and linguist Lin Yutang, the poetic essence that underlies Chinese sentiment teaches us “to awake and rejoice with spring, to doze off and hear time visibly flying away in the droning of the cicada in summer, to feel sad with the falling autumn leaves, and ‘to look for lines of poetry in snow’ in winter.” These poetic underpinnings give rise to an exquisite and refined sense of beauty. This brand is my way of sharing my perspective on this kind of beauty and poetic living.
How do you balance staying true to your cultural roots while appealing to a diverse and global customer base?
Staying true to my cultural roots is my way of creating a differentiated vision and appealing to a diverse audience. I try to innovate tradition and fuse it with contemporary lifestyle in terms of silhouette and design, giving it my own spin. Additionally, designers all over the world have been inspired by Chinese aesthetics throughout the past 200 years. Thus, in a sense, Chinese cultural roots have always had global appeal.
Can you discuss any significant breakthroughs or moments that validated your vision for SHUMINGYU?
While I was a fashion design student at Parsons, I learned that Chinese aesthetics in modern fashion is not new. In fact, it has been a source of consistent inspiration for luxury brands since the 19th century. Brands like YSL and Dior have all had widely successful collections that drew inspiration from the East. I wondered why there was a glaring gap between the influence of Chinese design on modern fashion and the absence of recognition for Chinese aesthetics. I also wondered why the only themes the public associated with Chinese design were Chinese New Year and dragons when there were so many other themes and aspects that undergird the essence of Chinese visual design.
This brand is my way of sharing the depth and nuances of Chinese aesthetics in the way that I was exposed to it. To me, it is not just something I am inspired by, it is something I live and breathe.
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