她专栏 | 解读CUIXU：勇敢的心和自由的灵魂

在2018春夏纽约时装周前夕，我约到了choker配饰设计师CUIXU，在与她的聊天中，我挖掘到了一些她的设计灵感和故事，在TOP HER和你们分享一下。

傅：在2018春夏季纽约时装周上，你与Calvin Luo合作，Calvin Luo擅长制作中性服装设计，你对性别流动转变有何看法？

CUIXU：时尚中的中性是一大趋势。但我做时尚配饰，这并不太设计性别定义。我不会强调我作品的中性。当我的用户需要他们时，我的产品完全可以使用，不管男性或是女性。上高中的时候，我已经很时髦了，有时候女性的服装并不能完全满足我对美学的需求，所以我会穿着小尺码的男性服装。只要你快乐，一切都会有机地发生。

Picturefrom Calvin Luo NYFW SS18

傅：你会专注在配饰设计吗，还是会扩展设计范畴？

CUIXU：我很乐意做更多的时尚配饰，特别是鞋子和包包，但现在我想专注于choker的设计。人们可以从choker上看到我的才能。因为它们更小，更容易制作。

傅：在上一季纽约时装周上，你还曾经与中国的另一个品牌兰玉合作。兰玉的作品中融入很多中国元素，你是如何合作的呢？

CUIXU：兰玉来自中国丝绸世家，中国元素是兰玉品牌DNA的重要组成部分是可以理解的，我很钦佩并认同。但是，我的成长经历中没有明显的民族特性，我在欧洲学习，现在我在美国做CUIXU品牌，CUIXU是美国注册的国际品牌，只是设计师是中国人，属于一个国家的品牌也属于世界。确实，中国特色潜移默化的影响了我。例如，我的新作品Moonscooper的灵感来自一个古老的中国传说——猴子捞月，故事中，猴子试图通过在湖上捞月亮的阴影来捞出月亮。Moonscooper中有一个月亮，也是运气的象征，大卫之星。我希望我的用户首先喜欢我的设计，然后想要了解背后的文化。他们给我的设计投出信任的一票。

傅：这次收到2018春夏季纽约时装周议程是什么？

CUIXU：本次时装周，我们仍处于新产品的测试阶段。许多时装界权威人士对我们的新款手袋表现出极大兴趣。我们将继续完成关于新产品的短片广告，这是关于Moonscooper的童话故事。我为视频写了脚本。

傅：谁才是CUIXU品牌理想中的用户？

CUIXU：用户是男孩、女孩、年轻人或者老年人，这并不重要。我希望是一位桀骜不羁的人，突破社会风俗和限制。她可以在平凡的事物中找到美。

我曾经喜欢一款名为Life Quote的网络游戏，在游戏中，我和我的朋友收集建材和建造房屋。我的朋友喜欢建造大房子，我喜欢在无限的蓝色海洋中驾驶一艘小船20分钟。最终，我在荒凉的岛上找到了一座寺庙。我非常兴奋！我的朋友说，你终于找到了这座寺庙，那又怎样？对我来说，这才是这个游戏之于我的意义。

傅：你觉得最近的#metoo运动或是妇女游行活动怎么样？

CUIXU：我很支持。作为一名女性设计师，我很高兴地看到女性在家和在工作中的地位通过这些运动而提高。但我不是女权主义者。我希望性别不会限制我们参与社会角色。虽然我现在正在创业，但我不会认为我像一个男人一样战斗。

傅：你为什么选择从纽约出发？

CUIXU：我给你讲两个小故事吧。

第一个故事，我刚到意大利留学的时候发生的。我有一个室友，他人很好。当我问他你从哪里来？他抬起头，充满了自豪感地说，我是纽约人。那个画面在我脑海里停留了很长时间。我想知道，是哪座城市，让我的朋友谈到时如此自信？我可以看到从他的身体里发出的光。我把这个问题暂时搁置了一段时间。

第二个故事，在上海工作了两年后，我想拥有自己的品牌。偶然间我看到一部纪录片，采访了纽约街头的人们。一个场景是在一家咖啡馆里转向了一位老人。工作人员问他他对纽约有什么看法。他说，在纽约你可以在大街上找机会。哪怕他坐在咖啡馆里45分钟，也会有人跟他谈谈，给他机会。

我是一个相信运气和机会的人，这就是我在这里的原因。

有趣的是，我自己选择了这条路线，我并不是受到亲戚朋友的影响，而是来自两个陌生人的影响：我在意大利的室友和那个纽约街头的老人。也许这就是命运。

傅：你的爱好是什么？你从哪里获得灵感？

CUIXU：首先，我的工作是我最大的兴趣和激情。

其次，我喜欢大自然，我喜欢进入荒野。

第三，我喜欢钓鱼，我的爷爷很喜欢钓鱼，小时候他带我到处玩。渐渐地，我也养成了这种爱好。我也喜欢打篮球，高中时我就报名参加了篮球校队。

至于灵感，它们来自生活。如果我跟你聊天，我会捕捉一些东西，我可能会发现一些万花筒般的想象。我随身携带一个笔记本，捕捉到的灵感和想法会记录下来。想法眨眼即逝，所以把它们写下来非常重要。我每天晚上睡觉前都会这样做。

我最喜欢的设计师是Martin Margiela，

傅：你自己近一年到三年的计划是什么？

CUIXU：近一年来，我想使我的设计多样化，使我们的产品多样化。我还希望见到行业内或行业外与更多的朋友，积累更多资源。我欢迎跨行业合作。我不知道会发生什么，但我绝对是开放的。（傅：CUIXU是一位多才多艺的设计师，她自己拍摄了Moonscooper的迷你宣传片）。3年里，我想在行业中更加成熟，并因我的设计而闻名。我想平衡商业元素和创造力。我不希望我的设计过于商业化，我会保持我品牌的精神。

Cuixu Moonscooperhandbag

傅：如果你不做设计师，你会做什么？

CUIXU：设计师也许是我最好的职业。我做了一些个性测试，设计是我最好的搭配。如果我不是设计师，我会成为地质学家。我真的很佩服那些《国家地理杂志》的专业人士。在我的骨子里，我是一个爱冒险的人。

Zhu: Who is the ideal Cuixu customer?

Cui Xu: It does not matterif the customer is a girl, a boy, young or old. I hope the customer is adevil-may-care person, who breaks through the social customs and constraints. Heor she can find beauty in ordinary things. I used to love this video gamecalled Life Quote (?), where my friend and I collected items and build houses.My friend loved building big houses, but I just drove a little boat in the limitlessblue ocean for 20 minutes. Eventually, I found a temple in a desolate island. Iwas more than exhilarated! My friend was like, now you found this temple, sowhat? But I mean, for me, this is the whole point of the game.

Zhu: You haveco-operated with Calvin Luo, who excels at creating unisex garments, in NYFW SpringSeason 2018. What is your take on gender fluidity?

Cui Xu: Gender neutralisationin fashion is a big trend. But I do fashion accessories, which are not definedby genders by nature. I won’t accentuate the neutralisation of my pieces. Myproducts are fully accessible when my customers want them. When I was in highschool, I was already quite fashionable. Sometimes female garments could notsatisfy my needs for aesthetics, so I just hopped on the small size of maleclothes. As long you are happy, everything happens organically.

Zhu: You have alsoco-operated with another Chinese brand, Lanyu,in the last NYFW season. Lanyu has intentionally incorporated Chinese elementsinto their work. How about you?

Cui Xu: Lanyu comes fromgenerations of Chinese silk family. It is understandable that Chinese elements forma big part of Lanyu’s DNA. I admire it and agree with it. However, I grew up withless salient national identity. I studied in Europe; now I am doing Cuixu inthe US. Cuixu is a US-registered international brand, only that the designer isChinese. What belongs to a nation also belongs to the world. For sure Chinese identityhas subtly influenced me. For example, the new piece Moonscooper was inspiredby an old Chinese tale. In the tale, someone tried to steal the moon by scoopingthe shadow of the moon on a lake. I want my customers to simply enjoy my designfirst, then want to know about the culture behind. They give my design theconfidence vote.

Zhu: Why did you chooseto start from New York?

Cui Xu: When I was stillstudying in Italy. I had a roommate, who is a very friendly guy. But when Iasked him, where are you from? He raised his head, filled with prides, said, Iam a New Yorker. That impression stuck in my head for a long time. I waswondering, what is the place that made my friend so full of confidence? Ipigeonholed this question for a while. After working in Shanghai for 2 years, Iwanted my own brand. I saw a documentary that interviewed people on the streetof New York. One scene swung to an old man in a café. The staff asked him whatdid he think of New York. He said, in New York you can pick up opportunities onthe street. Even as he sat in a café for 45 minutes, someone would come up talkto him and give him chances. I am a big believer in luck and opportunities.That is why I am here.

Zhu: What are your hobbies?Where you get your inspirations from?

Cui Xu: First, my work ismy top hobby and my passion. Second, I enjoy Nature. I love going into the wildness.Third, I love fishing. My grandpa loves fishing and he takes me around when Iwas little. Gradually I got this habit with me. I also like playing basketball;I have signed up the basketball school team in high school. As forinspirations, they come from life. Say if I talk with you, I capture something,I may ave a kaleidoscope of imaginations from there. I carry a notebook with meand capture those thoughts. Geniuses can be easily lost in the glimpse of eye,so it is very important to write them down. I do this ritually every nightbefore sleep. And my favourite designer is Martin Margiela.

Zhu: What will do if youwere not a designer?

Cui Xu: Well designer is probablythe best occupation for me. If I were not a designer, I would have been a geologist.I really admire those Nat Geo professionals. Inside my bone, I am adventurous.

Zhu: Where did you getinspirations for your new bag?

Cui Xu: For example, theMoonscooper bag takes on the old tale of China with Star of David. The bagtakes on the poetic parts onto a practical bag. To open the bag, you have toglide the handle to open the bag, like extending your arm to scoop the moon. Inaddition, it adds interactions with customers. Interaction enlivens theproducts beyond functionality.

Zhu: What’s the rest onthe agenda for this incoming NYFW FS 18?

Cui Xu: For thisseason, we are still in the final testing phase of our new products. Manyinfluencers have showed great interests for our new bags. We will continue to finishthe short commercials on the new product, a fairy story about Moonscooper. I screenwrote for the video.

Abridged version forpress. You can see the full version of our interview on URBANITEzhuoruifu.com

品牌购买链接：http://cuixu.myshopify.com

作者：傅卓蕊

编译：kiki

编辑：Meng