I finally and successfully am a student of Fashion and Textile Design at PolyU.

Private Concern
the concern of getting into a private college in Hong Kong

The day I visited Hang Seng Management College was rainy, and the sky was grey. But this sober weather didn’t put my passion and curiosity about the school down when I was taking bus to visit the noticed management college and the nearly-be-former school of commerce, Hang Seng Management College.

Hang Seng Management College is praised as the management college with greatest potential and the breed of future commercial prestigious. And this year is the second year that Hang Seng held its government recognized degree programs. It offers secondary students six hundreds school placement in four disciplines, Business Administration, Global Supply Chain Management, Translation for commerce and Journalism and Communication.

Though this school is obviously lacked of experience in holding degree programs, many people believed that it would not be a problem as every new schools are designated to explore ways to run their schools with failures and administration issues. However, the question should be whether the school is able to provide students, who apply with mediocre A-level examination results, with quality education and countless opportunities to improve and equip themselves. When we are going to make an assumption that the school will or will not achieve this desirable outcome, first we have to know how to measure the result of its education. The diameters we can measure are graduates’ starting salaries, graduates’ knowledge in their disciplines, graduates’ willingness to continue study, to name but a few. At a time, Hang Seng degree students still have to study for at least three academic years; however, it is too early for anyone of us to make our assertion on the performances of those newly established private colleges, like Hang Seng and Shue Yan University.

"The school has more resources and the flow of professors is free, finally and under competition between schools, privates schools will have the most competent team of educators."

And things change when the constraints and limiting factors change. Economist, Professor Steven Cheung once mentioned in his book, the reasons for why private schools in the United States are more outstanding in teachers’ qualifications and students’ performances are many folds. The first reason is that private schools offer higher pay to those more competent professors, who cannot tolerate the flat wage level with those mediocre professors. This means so clearly that if the school has more resources and the flow of professors is free, finally and under competition between schools, privates schools will have the most competent team of educators. The second reason is that private schools allocate resources well. Private schools simply would not waste more than the public do. But, as far as I know, there is little information for me to compare the actual situations between private educational intuitions and public educational intuitions, so I cannot make a conclusion here.

But, anyone, the reasons I apply for Hang Seng are that my result of A-level is “mediocre” and that I have faith in this school. As I remember, a profound professor in Business discipline was employed by the school in the first year, and somebody told me there will be more in the future. This phenomenon indicates the economic examples I mentioned above. So, here comes the potential and the great possibility that the school would offer the best tertiary education. And the other reason is that it is four-year tertiary programs which consist of one year general education. In principle, four-year tertiary programs could provide students well-rounded educations which can solid students’ foundation in languages, history, and mathematics, etc. I thought.

During the interview, the professor shows much kindness and witty. The interview was conducted in English and in Chinese for the Q and A section. First he asks some open ended questions and some about the academic performances on the secondary academic years. He disagrees a lot, in a nice way. And I ask a lot about the competence of school, and the reasons why the school is so successful in getting grade As in A-level examinations. His answers illuminated me. After I heard his answers, I found myself that I had long been making thought complicated, and blinded myself. He said “I am not surprised by what A-level students in this school achieved, as they are the best student in Hong Kong. When you have remarkable students and quality education, you cannot really tell exactly what would be the constraint of the result.” He laid and explained it viciously like introducing some new concepts of his, and he continued “According to what you had asked, I cannot give you a precise answer as the method of study and how the school educates require you to explore yourself, and it various with people. And this is something that you cannot get your answers from others, but yourself.” I was amazed by his charm. After we finished the conversation, I realized what my hair stylist said before, hesitate to much would delay you from holding a chance. When hesitation is raised by lacking of self-confidence, all you need to do is to get set and go.

"Even though degree programs are quality and lectured by experienced Doctors, once the programs are not globally, or in district, recognized, studying at a private college would only be a waste of time and money."

After the interview, I continued my research on academic intuitions and others programs, the more I research, I found there are uncertainties that study in local private colleges. First worry is a common concern of all applicants, but also sociologists, educators and policy makers. It is the legitimacy of private colleges’ degree programs. To most of the students, the drive to continue tertiary is to find a high pay job as a degree holder. And to some, global legitimacy of the programs would definitely link to the chance of study overseas. However, even though degree programs are quality and lectured by experienced Doctors, once the programs are not globally, or in district, recognized, studying at a private college would only be a waste of time and money as the majority of business units do not admit you to apply degree knowledge to their work.

After the interview, an offer letter was issued two days later, admitting me as student and, of coz, asking me to pay $6000 as an admission fee, which will be considered as one fifth of the charge of the first year degree program. When I asked my father to provide me with financial assistance, he gave me the answer without hesitation. He said what scores did you actually get? And, how come you enroll a school that is not recognized and is it wasteful for me to spend almost twenty thousands dollars on you to study for an illegitimated cert? Why don’t you just go to study an associate degree, as it is much cheaper than this fucking course! Son, $60000 a year is not a small number for you and me.

"$60000 a year is not a small number for you and me."

I understood his concern. And I found he was quite firm on his point. So it is so hard for to me to check $6000 to Hang Seng account. My father is a wise person. His worry is always reasonable. I know it is so unaffordable for my family to give me twenty-five thousands dollars to study in the following years. And I felt sorry for them, as once my results was great, every problems would not happened, and they could go to boost about their clever son and his colourful public examination result. But actually I am not. And tomorrow is the deadline of paying Hang Seng admission fees. If I had not paid it on time, they would cancel my application. It is cruel. And there are about eleven days left form the announcement of the admission of government founded universities, which are the most popular schools in Hong Kong, where private schools are inexperienced and mostly not socially recognized like the government founded ones.

Education is always a luxury for everyone. And the situation is better in Hong Kong, where almost every young citizen owns the change to pursue tertiary education, but the high quality ones are for those who are academically successful. I am so grateful that I can finish my secondary education, but I am so sad that I finished it with mediocre results. I could do better, but I didn’t. Up untill this moment, I am still not sure whether I can pay this fee on time. So I sincerely hope that there will a way for me to get over it.

Feel like a loser

Feel like a Loser

The report card of Hong Kong Advanced Level Examinations launched today. No As and Bs, but two Cs in Chinese and English, and an E grade in Liberal Studies. It is terrible, I feel terrible, the present of my live terrible. It is out of my expectation, far out of it. And I am not going to blame anyone, but to review my past to think how come I come to this end of my secondary school years.

Lost Favorite
UNIQLO Black Skinny Cut Jeans
It is so sad when I arrived at Uniqlo store with the aim to re-buy an UNIQLO black skinny cut jeans which I had brought about three years ago and became an experimental item of my DIY skills. It is still extremely fit my legs’ shape and length, but because of my damn DIY experiment, it is now not perfect jeans with a big hole near my crunch, which is a kind of disgusting design to me, and it is not cool at all.
I realized so early that I have to buy a new one, but due to the public exam, I delayed and missed. As it was a limited edition of UNIQLO, it cannot be found in UNIQLO stores anymore. All Uniqlo now offers are those so called skinny cut jeans which loosely fit my legs and hip as a regular fit. It is so terrible that the waist range is form 30 inches to 33 inches, which cannot fit my waist anymore. I felt so depressed when the salesperson told me the one that I am looking for is the present one which is so flexible but without the texture of denim. How can they be so cruel, making this classic style a limited edition? How could I be so stupid that damage a pair of perfect jeans?

What a pair of Good shoes is?

As I had mentioned in “to Break the Myth of Perfect Shoes” that we have to be intended in search of a good pair, a near to perfect pair according to our individuals’ demands, it requires us to be brave to put on different pairs in order to feel the textures, the fittings, and the pressure when we walk and spiral in front of the mirror, seeing how the shoes lengthen our delicate feet and calf , and enhance our outer beauty by its mix of materials, shapes, and personalities. And I know that our standard varies with the purposes which drive us to buy a pair of shoes.

Salvatore Ferragamo fitting with Audrey Hepurn

And the designs of shoes considered it well, and it has long been composing the ultimate goals of all respectable shoes-makers.

Four years ago, I came across a book entitled “the Shoes Maker”, which is an auto-biography of a noticed and historic figure in the post war ages in fashion. And the shoes maker is Salvatore Ferragamo. In this book, he writes again and again what he insist in making a shoe. And that is what shoes wearers’ essential needs. According to the book, I loosely remember that “The feet are the only part supporting our body’s weight. It tolerates from great pressure. However, it is important to keep the structure of feet in health, and main the nature structure of the bones. Sadly there are number of bad shoes damaging our precious feet in order to seek so-called beauty by squeezing out toes into the tightly shoes’ front, attiring the ankles by hard leathers, making the bottom of feet with thicken skin by constant attrition between the shoe and the bottom of feet, and leading to great smell by wrong use of materials.”

His insight in the needs of problems of foot-wear made Salvatore Ferragamo into a master of creating nearly perfect shoes. As he described, the bottom part of the feet have to be kissed by the shoes, which closely bind the anchor of feet and the bottom part, resulting in no attrition. And, surely, there should be enough space for the toes, enabling feet moves comfortably and spread the pressure of body weight evenly on feet. In his eyes styles and colours are only embellishment of shoes after the functions, comfort and longevity of shoes considered. And his remarkable innovations and contributions in shoes-making are not discussed as I must have a lot to research and interpret, but his values on shoes are clear and essential to be mentioned in this chapter of perfect shoes.

Jimmy Choo himself,
adopted form whoisbobparris

Besides Mr. Salvatore Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo, a shoes-maker of Princess Diana, is another most talk-about shoes makers in the 20th century. His philosophy in making shoes is similar to Mr. Ferragamo’s one, but in orient interpretation, it is described as “Balanced”. He is skilful in designing elegant and delicate one-inch sleek pumps shoes. In the book entitled “Jimmy Choo” describes one of the battles between this legendary designer and the present shareholders and the founder of the brand, Jimmy Choo, Tamara Mellon. It is about the height of the shoes designs, in which Mr. Choo insisted that the balance of the shoes should not be ruined by turning it from one inch heel to four inches one, and as Tamara noticed the trend of the marker changed to favour those four inches heels, Tamara thought it is just a political fight within the authority of the company and therefore his opinion was considered as naïve and unwise.

Jimmy Choo himself is proud of what he makes. Takes Princess Diana acts as an example. She insisted to donate and bid all the old clothes excepted for Jimmy’s works- short pumps in nice style with enough space in the shoes’ fronts for toes and movement, which made Princess Diana comfortable to stand and walk in long hours during trips and ceremonies. And those shoes are all one to two inches couture pumps in elegant style and use of soft materials. It really protects and decorates one’s feet to enhance the inner beauty of one person rather than become a part of outer beauty.

Jimmy Choo couture
adopted from ShoeAddict.com

And there are other marvellous designs of shoes- the curved platform. When the platforms of shoes are not completely close to the ground and curved little upward, which fits the movement of joints between toes and feet, it provides us a force to walk forward easily when we move our body pressure forward. It also makes our walk easy and sexy, as our steps can easily be walked in rhythm with hips and waist moved with curve. And the shoes platform should be soft and flexible. And it allows the shapes of shoes changed with the movement of our feet to reduce attrition of the feet.

In most situations, our confidence is based on what we feel. If a shoe hurts, we feel pain, and how can we show confidence about ourselves without a look of uncomfortable and pain? Only when we feel our feet are kissed by the suede or lamp skin of the shoes, and when we walk firmly and unconsciously about the pressure we feel and without the fear to fall and crack our ankles, here are the right shoes. Finally, I sincerely hope every one of you would have found a right pair and be kept away from the pain of wearing shoes with bad qualities. I understand looks is of paramount important, but also the structure and health of feet! Without healthy feet, a pair of perfect shoes alone is nothing. Trust me.

to Break the Myth of Perfect Shoes

to Break the Myth of Perfect Shoes

Sam Edelman
delman black suede pump

It is so true that quite a lot of women are demanding when choosing their shoes, applying the same attitude in the way they chose their boyfriend, and that faults are easily be dictated in the insignificant. And then, they would be reasoning themselves with all unpleasant disadvantages they found to dislike them. This process actually means an experience of making a decision rather than to make a decision. However, when women put on their shoes in stores, it doesn’t mean they will buy them; and even though they spent thousands on them, they may not need them, but purchase it for the fun of shopping experience, with a common hope- in search of a pair of perfect shoes.

A pair of perfect shoes seems like a fairytale we read in childhood, which is beautiful to be imagined but painful to be believed, as, at the end, they would be disappointed by themselves who expect so high and disable to realize that it they are not carry out a decision, all they hope is simply an unachievable intention.

People are prone to doubt the myth of the Perfects, and some wisely neglect them as an. We never proof whether the perfects exist, but notice numerous examples which are near to ideal. They are all common to distinguish. With its genuine natures, the Perfects impress us at anytime anywhere.

Stuart Weitzman
Cirque Sandal

Like shoes of Christian Louboutin, Salvatore Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik are born in the ages of twentieth to twenty-first century with the souls of these marvelous designers. Their works and principles on luxury are still making an effort on defining the nature of the Perfects Pair of Shoes. With Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik telling us that a perfect pair has to be exotically beautiful, and able to shine with poison-like glamour, and Salvatore Ferragamo and Jimmy Choo exaggerated again that shoes have to be balanced, comfortable and individual.

These historic shoes-makers always asked us to experience, discover and believe the evidence we seen, touched and felt when we put on the shoes. Some may think that the features of endurable, stylish and easy-to-match contribute a good pair, or that comfortable to be worn all day long and economic make a pair a favorite. Like we all have diverse versions of love stories. With various demands, every one of us, the shoes-wearers, has different standards to define what perfect is. It all depends on us to be explored in shoe shops and to be discovered and experienced, and finally a pair of the perfect.

Resort 2012 Michael Kros's inspiration of his journey in Australia

Blending his holiday experience in Australia his resort collection, adding a touch of summer holiday, Michael Kros does infuse those nylon swimwear colours into his renowned minimal designs. We can see he applies nylon yellow and bright pink into the dress made by seemingly swimwear fabrics graphically. With clear color-blocking touches on these clothes, this collection simply reminds me how American Vogue styles the 2007 Fall Collection editorial which is called Color-Blocking. Bright colors in graphics designs, it is vivid and clear when we view it on a model alone.

And, after considering it longer, I soon discover that the model’s beautiful nude face look relatively pale and dreary, and realize that the brighter the clothes, the harder for the wearers to highlight their natural beauty with simple, clean makeup. However, form my point of view this collection only work on beautiful models, who are transformed with the help of makeup artist’s work and photographers’ effort featured in editorial or on red carpet. But there are some thought-provoking pieces. The fluorescent yellow evening gown is a good example. Fluorescent yellow mixed with black graphic, which can shape the wearer’s body in a more triangle-shaped one, making the upper torso more slim and shaped. Its high waist cutting with yellow train do helps this gown standing up in photograph. And other favorite features Kro’s old tricks, applying metallic materials into soft goddess dress, with model’s lovely waist exposed sexily. After all, swimwear like garment may just be a gimmick that catches no customers’ attention as they just want to buy some wearable clothes that make them look beautiful on foreign streets, but not something make them look like a freak who wear swim suit in a mall. But this zebra print, knee-length dress is a beautiful, the knee-length cutting fits short women to bring out their heights, the touch on shoulders making it looked delicately round and wide, and the wideness of chest is exagerated by the cutting on chest, two lines dividing toward the shoulders' points. It overall is clear, simple and elegant. But in this photo, mixing it with a pair of flats may be the style's greatest mistake.

Why I prefer to shop at enchanted Uniqlo- a shopping experience at UNIQLO gives me an insight to the success of the Japanese cultured vast fashion stores.

In a wonderful afternoon on yesterday, after hanging out with my friends to movies and at the ice-skating court at Festival Walk, a lower-high-end shopping mall, where features numerous fine stores to serve the middle class needs, form Chanel cosmetic stores, designers’ boutiques, to Levi’s store allocated. With five hundreds dollars left in my wallet, it is quite limited for me to seek any fun there. But, when I turn to a corner on the highest floor, and saw a red and white logo, I realized I finally had an alternative to end my beautiful day.

The store is illuminated in warm yellow light, decorated by red lining in the spacious areas, which I considered as the largest store in the mall. A Japanese sun-red square with white words-UNIQLO handed dominantly on the entrance captures my attention.

"Even though I was not inside the store, a fast glance from the entrance perspectives could tell me immediately what I would like to buy and what is affordable to me ."

Standing there outside the store, even though I did not consider getting in, I understood that it would have something I wanted. With a wall-wide and seemingly invisible entrance, it exposed the interior completely to me, with little intention to exclude customers outside, but to make the store as a public part of the floor, welcoming all shoppers to go inside and look around. Certainly, tidiness in this case is everything in order to make an impression. And it successfully did. Even though I was not inside the store, a fast glance from the entrance perspectives could tell me immediately what I would like to buy and what is affordable to me .With big price tag labeled at every single rack of the store with multifarious garments of all sizes tidily organized in terms of color, style, season, and even fabric type, I could choose when my eyes balls glance through all parts of the store according to my preferences without hesitating.

"The garments are cheap, honestly, but it looks chic at the meantime, and, most importantly, individual and modern. "

There are socks and t-shirts beautifully organized in rainbow colors, from bright red to dim blue, and jeans organized in various cutting, skinny jeans to straight cut and from high waist to low waist, with posters hanged from the ceiling on each type of garments featuring world-recognized Hollywood stars and fashion icons Orlando Bloom and Charlize Theron to present it in styles. The garments are cheap, honestly, but it looks chic at the meantime, and, most importantly, individual and modern. Besides the place with put on clothes, nothing is unessential. There are simply clothes, posters, sales persons and customers, but it usually keeps me half an hour to stay and shop. I decide to get inside.

This was not the first time for me to shop at UNIQLO. The first product I purchased at it was in 2009. After I had finished my news paper on Sunday, which features an article about the heat of UNIQLO DENIM jeans, claiming that the jean collection was made by fine denim with marvelous washing and bleaching techniques, and that it was unbelievably cheap and chic, I dashed to the nearby stores and purchased a skinny black one at once with about $299 spent. I have worn it for about four years. The more time I wore it, the more fit it gets. And after that, I started going in the store in search of economic and chic goods as a routine. Today, Uniqlo premium under-wears and shirts are my wardrobe regulars. Premium inner wears are wear as an outer T-shirt, as I love its fitting for Asian men’ torsos, and its plainness which can bring out my accessories and pants’ characters and even my personality. And it is efficient to impress others by its suppleness and lead others to focus on myself rather than my clothes. In boutiques that provide western designers’ casual clothing like Ralph Lauren Polo, Levis, etc, size-s are always in shortage in Hong Kong even thought it is still bigger than the right portion of Asians’ S-size bodies. But it doesn’t happen at Uniqlo. Asian guys always find right-sizes clothes at it. It is really considerate to my needs. And, as a result, UNIQLO is the store I spend most of my shopping time, when I only consume five to ten minutes at other stores even when I am looking for something I don’t know, as UNIQLO gives me a belief that I will find my needs at UNIQLO.

When I was getting in, I soon re-thought about what my wardrobe was lacked-a shirt, so I moved to the men department and stopped at the shirt part, followed the style labels and fabric labels, went on from casual wear to more-formal wear, I soon decided on a garment, which is a white shirt with long collar which gives strength to my short neck, skinny fitting, chic and timeless. And it is made by 85% cotton and 15% polyester, dry-easy, suitable to be worn on both working days and holiday. It can be mixed with pants and leather oxford shoes, or a pair of beige jeans and sandals with a brown Gucci belt to have a summer look. When a old style white shirt in G-2000, a Hong Kong Investment based men wear chain stores, cost between $200 and $450, , and those in lower high-end stores with same style cost more than $600, in Uniqlo, it cost $199. These mean the price is reasonable and that it haves quality. I did not come there expecting any extravagant garment sold at an economic price, but a piece with reasonable price and superb quality, duration, and individuality.

"When the information of products abounds at the store, form the well-organized setting of the stores to the detailed labels of clothing and price tags, customers are immediately informed at the moment they entered."

And I now remember, form the time I entered and went to the counter, no sales person interrupt me, I could totally served myself, and rarely seek help. Creepy, isn't it? And this experience is attributed to the enterprise’s strategy on customers - help yourself. When the information of products abounds at the store, form the well-organized setting of the stores to the detailed labels of clothing and price tags, customers are immediately informed at the moment they entered; however, customers choose and purchase automatically whatever they need, and that there are no need to gather a team of sales in readily to serve the customers. And it brings to the advantages that it helps the enterprise to save the cost of human resource and avoid transferring the cost to the price. Brava. Leading to an effect that there are no salespersons put pressure on customers by giving unnecessary consultations, making the experience of shopping at UNIQLO free and at ease.

"UNQILO tries to target people form all walks of lifes to maximize its sales, however, members of all groups are able to enjoy the products of UNIQLO."

Men are always compliant for the boredom and tiredness when shopping with their loved ones or their members of family. But this does not apply to the experience of shopping at UNIQLO. Contributing half of the spacious store as a part of men wears provides honorable male customers a chance to enjoy the happiness of shopping themselves. Although female expenditure on clothing still takes a large proportion of sales of the retails industry, UNIQLO obviously intends to expand its sales to a wider range of customers, and prevent itself form limited by the female customers oriented retails industry. Form men casual outwears, various jeans in multi-color ranges, sport wears, to inner clothing like those chic black tanks and sexy shorts, accessories to some lately designed formal suits, male members are now free to explore their new looks at a store with a relatively reasonable price and more choices. And it is not without its reasons. According to a book written by Mika K, entitled “the confidential reason for why UNIQLO gains global popularity- the economics of the wealthiest man in Japan”, UNQILO tries to target people form all walks of lifes to maximize its sales, however, members of all groups are able to enjoy the products of UNIQLO. This somehow explains why the men clothing lines are equally important to the women one at UNIQLO stores.

Finally, staying about half an hour, I purchased a $199 white striped shirt and two black tight tanks for $158 to enrich my wardrobe as a nice end of my beautiful day.

An afternoon Visit at Polytechnic University-Fashion and Textile Discipline Fashion students show the preface of getting into the glamorous fashion industry, and reveal the hardships behind the look of beauty.
2011-05-21

Fashion is glamorous, but the people who are ready to involve in this glamorous industry proclaimed once again “Besides those luxurious and chic looks patrolling in fashion shows, and before those stunning pieces displayed on mannequins in retails stores come out, fashion is all about practical experiments and hard work.”

On this Saturday, I pay a visit to Polytechnic University responding their consultation day for Jupas applicants. Raining heavily, but my desire to understand the subject was still not .Gathered with almost all young fashion lovers in Hong Kong at the venue MN underground hall, where an accessories exhibition is hold, in which lecturers are answering student’s worries about the admission’s requirements and preparation of the interview. And  fashion students who look fresh and chic are eager to share their experience in their disciplines , talking like an insider of fashion.

And they explained: Spending three years on study a bachelor of Fashion and Textile Studies in three streams, including Fashion and Design, Fashion Business and Textile Technology, we are required to develop in-depth understand about the full spectrum of fashion, from knitting fibres into a fabric, tailoring with a mannequin to construct a gown, to managing the production lines of fashion and merchandising techniques... The ultimate goal of this subject is to educate fashion-passionate young talents into well-rounded and versatile master of the industry, rather than just illustrating drawings and tailoring.

When we visit the studio where they work skillfully with their scissors and mannequins, and there are few of them working on their ready-to-be-judged works, a girl is cutting a funny face off a fabric, the others are sewing their complicated patterned gown, and a students is wondering how the patterns be look like. A year-2 student, Alfred expressed “Though the progress is harsh, competitive and sometimes mundane, I still enjoy it, as I experienced the power of fashion long before I came here, and it still motivates me to go for it."

A hundred times harder than what we watch in Project Runway, fashion students, in order to gain credits in certain design specialists, they are accustomed to tailor in the laboratory overnight and co-operate with hard-to-deal-with partners on some critical examinations. “It is frustrated when the work doesn’t come out as what you had expected, which is just like fashion insiders always feel. It would be better if you get used to it, I believe, and start it all over again. It is scary. But, that’s the only way.” told the chic student in black. Though being innovative is the key to success in this field, but to create an avant-garde is not enough. The creation of student is expected to meet certain standards, for example, the innovativeness of the design, the technique applied, market value and whether it can present the philosophy of students themselves-in short, whether it got the sound and presented well.

“Though the progress is harsh, competitive and sometimes mundane, I still enjoy it, as I experienced the power of fashion long before I came here, and it still motivates me to go for it. “

“So many students came with a misconception that fashion is always glamorous and about drawing beautiful silhouettes and tailoring. And they all finally scared off when they dealt with the hardships, like inventing a new form of fibre with chemistry and mathematics needed to apply.” recalled by a lecturer. And he mentioned that something minors are usually ignored by students, like the production of certain raw materials and transit time of fabrics. Marvellous piece is constructed by many structures which turns a gown into a master piece with  exquisite details. And this kind of making process require a lot of collaborative work, experiments with different combination of materials and colours and patience. And, before getting started, many have to wait for the inspiration comes out and catch it.

Even though a garment is made, this doesn’t mean the process is finished. Students, like today independent designers, have to manage the supply chain and transition of time of material in order to master the skill of fashion manufacturing. And we visit the conceptual shop, called the Future Retails Store, in which a lookingglass with digital function to show what costumers would like is installed.

Students who choose Fashion Business stream, after finishing fundamental studies in year one, need to learn to manage a production line, and retails management related subjects in Fashion Business Stream to possess knowledge to produce and sell. “Timing is crucial.” a lecturer expressed, “You see two seasons in fashion, added with resorts and cruise collections, and mass-production companies like Zara and H&M even have to supply various new designs between seasons to encourage consumption, so you have to ensure the garments are made punctually and ready be put on racks. And that is how they can survive.” Fashion students are prepared to manage all these, studying the supply chains and comparing raw material prices, how to maintain efficient production lines and keeps wide personnel net-work in the industry, to learn to survive in a world that one day they are in, and the next day out.

When garments are made, they should be sold in a season, as the trends change, the stock is designated be sold in half price, which means a loss. However, merchandising strike to avoid this and make shopping into a wonderful experience to encourage target customers to spend.

Fashion students should be able to foresee changes in trends and consumers’ preferences.

“It sounds quite interesting that the way we prepare for this stream when compare it with others subjects. When other students buried their heads in books and papers, we are obligated to enjoy the fun of shopping as a form to study consumers’ behaviours and windows designs.” This can develop an insight in fashion. Having an insight in the up-coming trends is a strength that fashion students should be able to foresee changes in trends and consumers’ preferences. “This would be a disaster when the buyers purchase a gull collection, and this would cause more than a 5% loss of the retails company.” So that is why fashion-senses are needed. “The best way to be an up-to-date is to involve in the rapid changing trends. So why not shopping and throwing out the books and fabrics?”

No matter which streams students take, a numerous of projects which push them to analysis current trends, changes in costumers’ tastes and garments’ traits will be featured in the study. Being insightful and far-sighted does enable students to deal with future work tasks in all fashion careers. As a buyer, you need to conduct good evaluation about consumers’ tastes and preferences as a profession to ensure good sales; as a fashion editor, to discover new talents and provoke new trends like instincts is a must; not to mention as a creative director, always design according to what people like and need. And this is a recipe to innovate ground-breaking designs and to discover new looks and silhouettes.

When mentioned shopping, it is difficult to avoid discussing the phenomena of the road of High-end boutiques, praised as a road in which the total profit made on the street is enough to support the stores in different parts of the world-Canton Road. “It is not a weir experience that you met our students and their work at Canton Road and Chun Wan”, a lecture of the department joked wittily. “Our students have remarkable career prospects. They are sure to involve in the industry as a designer, marketing executives, fashion editors, textile designers, and production-line manager or start their studios. So it is common that you recognise their work and faces in the street of luxury goods” Besides, bachelor students can also receive further studies as a master in Fashion and Textile. And most importantly, they can do what they cling to.”▋



Pixar 25 Years of Animation

Offer us a chance to look at the birth of our old friends- Pixar’s Characters

The names Sheriff Woody and Buzz Lightyear, Shelly and Boo, and Mr. and Mrs. Incredibles, may sound as familiar as the old friends of ours. But, we may also realize that they are the names of lively characters of those animations (ToyStory, Monster Inc., and the Incredibles) of Pixar, which seem still to accompany us with all joyful stories happened in cinema.

And, now, we all have the chance to have a glimpse at the birth of our old friends, as Pixar celebrated its 25 anniversary and hold an exhibition-25 years on Animation, in California. After that, it exhibits at Hong Kong, started from the March to July of 2011 at Hong Kong Heritage Museum, as the debut point of the world tour. In this time, more than four hundreds of sketches, models, and scripts are featured to offer public a raw vision of the birth of the characters and how pure imaginations of Pixar are brought into lives.

Pixar’s production represents a new age of digital animation. At the hall entrance, visitors are welcomed by so-real Shelly and Mike; going up on the escalator, we can see there are colourful banners with familiar characters’ faces painted hang on from the middle of the 12-metre high ceiling, giving audience of all ages a massage that it is time to be amazed by the arts Pixar. The theme is very clear.

With the soundtrack of the Incredibles playing, visiting the exhibition hall likes taking an adventure with all my favorite characters, wondering what coming next at the exhibition will surprise me and how Pixar team performs their superpower to bring imagination into digital lives. At the entrances of the hall, we can view the work-in-progress versions of our friends showed on the screen; they are structured in a green-web surface, or just in plain colours without shade, unveiling a part of the secret how they are born into human-like characters.

Seeing the works of hundreds of contributing artists, mainly includes the designs of characters with their hundreds of facial expression and bodies movements illustrated in pastel, digital sketches and pencil, raw but lively. There is a sketch capturing the moment how Buzz Lightyear rockets to the sky; and the clay model which Mr. Incredible’s face is molded into an extremely surprised one with his large, bare chin dropped and brows frowned; and how the vanillin in ToyStory 3, Lotso, changed its image form a spiky, little, toy bear to a pink, puffy, and cute looking but devilish bear, and there are more thought-provoking paintings and sketches displayed.

The Script and the World

Before I went to the exhibition, I cannot help asking what makes an animation so popular. Pixar gives us a clear answer-excellent cooperation of talents. And its success, first, begins on the script.

A script is the origin of the story, telling the audience what happens, who involves, to whom, and how the characters think and react in the designed situation. Spending three-forth of the time to plusses a story is more than the time that I had expected they spent on visualization process. Prestigious is all they wanted, and, however, continuous edition is required to make it entertaining, exciting and reel.

So, because of the team’s superb imagination, we can have a story about a mouse who is able to do terrific French cuisines with his inborn tastes and faculties; and the one that toys can think and act like human, but only desire to performs its duties-being played with children, namely, their owners; but also that an electricity company ran by professional Monsters who are hired to scare children to make them scream to gain energy.

Though they are imaginative, but we can always find ourselves in it. That’s their secret. We experience all the up and downs like what Shelly, the blue fluffy monster experience at his company, or how we desire people’s love like what Woody and Buzz did, and how our family endure challenges like the Incredibles family do. All these stories possess the elements, emotions, desires, hopes and dreams that we can all relate to.

After finishing the story on script, artists are required to visualize its sequence into colorfully illustrated drawings based on the dialogue and action from the script, and pin it on the corkboard, which is like a film showing how things happen in the movie. That is what we call, the Storyboard.

 And it evolves. It becomes the feature of the show- storyboard. All storyboards compose a stream of movements, and edited into sequences, which captured the essence of story, and edited into scenes with the characters’ emotions and actions exquisitely depicted to tell the story.

At there, I was impresses by the storyboard of Ratatouille, painted in digital form but show no stern of computer painting, giving us a feeling of pastel painting, telling us the story of how Remy and the mouse meet under the deem light nearby the river, influencing us with the colors of blue and black. I can experience the same depression after Remy and Linguini are expelled by where they belonged to. The paintings are soft and colourful, quiet but emotional.

With artists’ work, setting its colours tone, mood of the scenes, the designs of characters, and finally digitalizing it into a raw vision of moving sequence. Here come to the digital artists’ work to polish all of it into detailed scenes with shading and textures added, and they even have to smooth the movement of characters, just in order to making it what we seen reel!

Finally, after the enormous process of digital animation, adding sounds is a must to create the world in the movie. From the voices of characters to the minor sound effects, and even the soundtracks performed by an orchestra and composed for the dialogue, every sound is finely toned in order to make the situation that the characters and audience are in real.

Pixar brings the audience to a world that does not exist, and offer an opportunity to artists to conjure imaginative universes. Like the micro world of ToyStory, we can see how the artists craft the scene on story board and set its layout and mood. The scene Buzz realizes the evil plan of Lotso and totters in the dark vending machine is sketched separately into about twenty drafts composing a stream of Buzz’s adventure. It makes us experience the limitation of being a toy, like Buzz’s and his rigor to save his friend, meanwhile, showing us how the artists put their vision into the toy’s one.

The process of animation is just like how Michelangelo visualize his raw pencil sketches drawn on his tightly sketch-book into the world famous paintings hang on the church. The only difference are, Pixar’ artists are not working alone, and that the content are designed without limitation. “Others collaborators are welcomed to add their own interpretation, shadings and insights into the story.” This collaborative process may move the production towards perfect by the story being kept on improved and polished into the final essence.

The Characters

We can see ourselves through them. And “they must have something that we can relate to.” said the director of Pixar. Based on the principles, a character must moves the story forward.

Like the Incredibles family; Dash is a ten-year-old kid with full of energy; is a teenage girl who often doubt herself; Mrs. Incredible give up her heroin business for the family; and Mr. Incredible is a father who endures his mundane work in order to protect his family. Their strengths are exploding, but what they are doing is suppressing.

The thought and emotions is easy for the audience to recall. And, the designs of characters must present their personalities; however, the artists have to work out figures for all characters depicted on the script.

What I understand is making an animation is an effort of cumulative efforts of their large creative team of Pixar. “Unlike live-action films with real sets and actors, the animated environment and characters don’t live outside the imagination of the director.” expressed the team. That why producing an animation with fantastic and realistic lighting, texture, and sound-effects consume enormous works.

We have a glimpse at all the production of Pixar. And there are another interesting sections. Visitors can understand how quiet models with a moving-stream postures moves into an action at the circling machine. And we can visualize our imagination right after the exhibition at the drawing corner set outside the hall. There are numerous pastel painting contributed by visitors from all walks of lives to have a look at their little space.

Interesting and entertaining as the animations does the exhibition.

After all, thanks, Pixar.