Canadian designer Steven Tai graduated from the BA in fashion design at Central Saint Martins and came to the public’s attention after he won the Chloé award at the Hyères International Festival of Fashion and Photography in 2012. Curieux Magazine fell in love with his SS16 presentation, so we asked Steven few questions.
How old were you when you decided you want to become a designer?
Steven Tai: I actually started very late when I was studying my Bachelor degree in Marketing back when I still lived in Vancouver. I felt that I needed to look into other creative fields and, at that time a friend of mine just entered Central Saint Martins. I have always been intrigued by fashion and when I discovered clothing’s creative potential and the industry’s acceptance to innovation, I decided that I wanted to apply and see where this would take me.
Were your parents an influence?
My parents definitely had an influence on me both consciously and unconsciously because they work in the garment manufacturing business. So I grew up with clothes around me and it made me understand the construction of garments at a very young age. Also, the fact that I had resources in the production side for each collection gave me the courage to start my own business.
What made you to move to London from Vancouver where you grew up?
When I discovered CSM, I guess I didn’t even consider that it was a big change to move from Vancouver to London. I think the excitement of the school overshadowed everything else that came along with it.
A lot of designers talk about the ‘’hard life’’ at St Martins. How would you describe your CSM experience?
I think it was a bit like boot camp so I relate to the “hard life” that others have described it as. We were left on our own a lot of the times so everyone had to be self-motivated to put in the time to develop themselves. The tutors expected a lot from us and it was up to both the internal desire to fulfill my own potentials and the external pressure of the tutors that created a sort of madness that drove me during my studies. It has always been very rewarding to see how much I have learned during that time and extremely liberating to pursuit whichever areas I was interested in.
I know you have done a show in Berlin sponsored by Mercedes Benz, you have also presented in Toronto and New York. Why now London?
I have always wanted to present in London, especially when it is the city that the brand is based in and given that I started my fashion education here. It was just about waiting for the right time and opportunities to come together.
Your AW 15 collection was based on looking at artist’s spaces and you have made a collage of Tracy Emin’s bed for it. What inspired the SS16 collection?
SS16 started with the idea of the un-birthdays mentioned in Charles Dodgson’s Alice in Wonderland. I liked the idea of celebrating the everyday and I combined that theme with our central focus of the nerdy, awkward girl. Which was the jumping-off point for the collections textile manipulation and silhouettes.
I really loved your SS16 presentation at LFW. It was great that, compared to other presentations, one could interact with your models and also eat the cake in the actual presentation. How did you come up with the idea?
Thank you. I have always enjoyed creating spaces that expressed the brand’s universe. And part of that identity is a welcoming sense of humor and fun. Rather than creating something that segregates and divides the audience and the presentation. I wanted to invite the viewers to take part in the immersive experience.
The actual idea of the presentation really came from the theme of the collection. I often feel nostalgic of the past and I wanted to re-create a moment where many can relate to that is still central to the clothes. Looking back, birthday parties, even when they were held at school were so much fun because all your friends were there. And it was something I wanted to revisit and share with everyone.
Who is your dream girl to dress?
It would be Elle Fanning.
What’s next for Steven Tai?
Our AW15 film has been selected to be apart of Diane Pernet’s ASVOFF 8 in Centre Pompidou in Paris in December so I am very excited to for that! Not to mention AW16!
