Liz&Nbsp; Thng: Uniform Also Needs Design.

L.T=Liz Thng

B: in school days, many people hate wearing school. uniform 。 When I grow up, I miss it. What about you?

L.T: I liked my school uniform very much when I was a student. I remember my school uniform is very simple, dark blue. Pleated skirt The short sleeved white shirt with Peter Pan collar is tied with a small blue bow tie. It looks very sweet.

B: after entering the society, do you work uniform?

L.T: only once. I was only 19 years old and worked in a bank in Italy. My boss asked me to design the company's uniform. To my surprise, he and his colleagues liked my design at a glance, so they took it to mass production. This has made me proud and has become the first driving force for my dream of becoming a fashion designer.

B: you have many famous brands and famous hotels. Design Over uniform. As a fashion designer, how did you initially become interested in uniform design?

L.T: designing clothes has always been a passion for me. I have been in Tokyo for 5 years, and that experience has had a great impact on my life and career. I was interested in uniform design, that is, in those years of studying in Tokyo. Because I notice that the work clothes worn by the service industry personnel in Tokyo are exquisite and beautiful. They are almost impeccable. I was impressed by the cleanliness, kindness and spirit of the cashiers, office lifts, bank staff, department stores and hotel receptionists and staff. For Japanese, the first impression is very important, just like Japanese cuisine.

Later, when I returned to Singapore to pursue fashion design, many companies came to me and asked me to design their uniforms for their employees. Designing uniforms is not so simple. I need to conduct a survey of every company and brand to understand what image they want to present to the public. This is also an interesting challenge brought about by this work.

B: the uniforms you designed are too numerous to mention. What are your personal favorites? Do you remember what your first uniform was?

L.T: I like too many uniforms. If I want to mention them, first of all, the uniform of Ritz Carlton hotel. I have designed a uniform for them, from the doorman to the room cleaner. About 12 years ago, I designed three sets of uniforms (jackets, shirts and knee skirts) for the saleswoman of the Yves Saint Laurent airport duty-free beauty shop in Southeast Asia. I particularly like the wavy design behind the dress and the fine striped fabric.

The first one who asked me to design a uniform is Carlsberg beer.

B: what attracts you most to the work of uniform design? What is the most difficult part of it?

L.T: for me, every new uniform design project is attractive. This is just like the new series that every designer has published every season. As I mentioned before, every time I pick up a new customer, I have to conduct a detailed study of the background, including checking their uniform, their brand image and logo color. It's interesting to transform brand imagination into employee uniform.

More importantly, what kind of people are wearing these uniforms? So I have to meet with the staff to record their age, height, weight and dressing size. The uniform size may not be as detailed as the fashion in the shop, so I want to make sure that they are suitable for the vast majority of staff. Generally speaking, before I design, I will give priority to those who are very tall or have a very fat body, and older people must be a good looking style. Sometimes, if there are pregnant women in the staff, I have to think about them very much. {page_break}

After obtaining the approval of the customer, the uniform design was introduced into the production process and finally distributed to the employees. I think the last step is the most difficult. Generally speaking, uniforms only have 4 sizes, S, M, L and XL. Each person chooses his number according to his own figure. For those who are not so standard, we need to make some individual adjustments to certain parts of the uniform. Uniforms represent the company's image, and for employees, they wear four or five days a week. Sometimes, when employees think that uniforms are made to order, they will be critical of every detail. This is understandable.

B: fashion trends are changing every season. Will these trends also affect the field of uniform design?

L.T: of course, that's my duty. I have been designing uniforms for over 10 years. According to my work experience over the years, uniforms, like those sold in shops, can also reflect the current fashion trend, as well as the width of the profile, as well as the styles of collar and pocket. Although uniforms do not seek novelty, they are not synonymous with obsolescence or cliche.

B: do you feel constrained when you display your design talent on your uniform?

L.T: never. I don't think clients are bound to me. On the contrary, they are satisfied with my design.

B: how often do your customers update their staff uniforms?

L.T: most companies change their uniforms in 2 years, and some of them introduce new uniforms every year.

B: there are quite a few famous fashion brands among your customers, such as Chanel, Acquacustum, Ferragamo, etc. do they have more changes in their uniforms?

L.T: not necessarily. The uniform styles of fashion brands are all globally unified. The distinction between seasons and regional climate is only reflected in the thickness of fabrics, and the color must be consistent. It is easy to find that the uniform of shop assistants is always black, because they can not compete with others.

B: five star hotel is also your main customer. The uniform of hotel staff seems to be more diversified.

L.T: Yes, uniforms are important means for hotels to display their characteristics. For example, Shangri-La is Oriental style, Ritz Carlton and Hyatt are fusion style. In order to make the image of the hotel stand out and win the hearts of the people, the style of the uniform will continue and change little.

B: where do you get inspiration when designing a uniform?

L.T: it depends on what kind of company the customer is. For example, when I design uniform for Tiger, Carlsberg, HeineKen and other beer brand promoters, I have to go to bars and nightclubs to find inspiration. Unlike most uniforms, such uniforms are related to nightlife, so they are more attractive and eye catching.

B: many people will feel that wearing a uniform is not sexy, that is, the so-called "uniform temptation". Do you consider this factor when designing uniform?

L.T: I never associated my uniform with "sexy". I think the adjectives for uniforms are "classic", "capable", "elegant" and "charming".