Today we’d like to introduce you to Yu Zhou
Hi Yu, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am Yu Zhou (Zoey), I was born and raised in China, and I am a 3D designer and fashion designer. When I was very young, I already knew that I wanted to be a visual creator. I applied and got into the Fashion Institute of Technology as a bachelor’s student in fashion design. I aim to explore new ways of creating by combining 3d art with traditional fashion design to bring more visual effects to fashion.
My design journey began with a love of fashion, but with the rise of virtual art, I became interested in 3D technology, so I began to learn various 3d design software and I realized that these 3d tools could dramatically improve my design efficiency and the visual presentation of my artwork.
Besides that, because of the large amount of waste generated by the traditional fashion industry every year due to production and consumption, I also have a deep concern for sustainability. I have been researching how to reduce the waste of resources in the sample-making process through 3D technology, as well as exploring the potential of virtual fitting and digital fashion. I hope to break the boundaries between traditional and digital design and bring more possibilities to the fashion industry through exploration. I also look forward to collaborating with more like-minded designers and brands to explore the future direction of design.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I don’t think it’s a smooth road to chase your dreams, I started learning English when I was very young, but living and studying in a foreign country here in the US was a huge challenge for me at the very beginning, and I even did not know how to describe my design ideas when I was in class. In addition, because I studied both fashion design and 3d design, there are a lot of new things I need to explore. I did not know how to balance my study time, and I felt anxious sometimes because my artwork was not as good as I had imagined. I am also a person who suffered from anxiety for a long time. I can easily fall into thinking of distress, and I often question the worth of my work. However, I am trying to overcome these difficulties to explore my path as an artist and to reconcile with myself because I was surrounded by collaborators and colleagues who worked with me patiently. So I am trying to make myself truly happy through art.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have always tried to explore my style, but even now, I can’t describe exactly what I am doing as a designer. I can only say the concept of my artwork is to represent my perceived reality and human experience. I have also held multiple roles, including 3d motion designer, concept/digital artist, and creative director. Besides that, I am also a fashion designer. I am trying to incorporate fashion design with 3d design. I think it is funny to say that I do not like using fabrics to represent my design after studying at FIT. However, I am so delighted that due to the development of 3d technology, I have more ways to express my design concepts that are not limited to the traditional fashion industry. I think that is also what I am aiming for as a designer. I am currently working on a short film project. The fashion designer used 3d scans to capture her garments, and then I created several 3d scenes, blending reality with virtual 3d scenes, we intend to create different conceptual worlds in this new form. And I am also open to any cool collaboration in the future. Just email me if you feel like you are doing interesting stuff.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I wasn’t able to go to art exhibitions like I normally do, so online activities became a trend. More and more artists started to present their artwork online, so digital artwork started to become more and more popular at the time. I took a comprehensive course during the COVID-19 pandemic, which covered everything from basic modeling to post-production of short films. From the conceptual to the practical, I began to understand the production of short films and the combination of 3d and live-action. I started thinking that the use of these 3d tools is very important for artists to broaden their artistic path, so I became a multimedia designer, and I think that lesson was also an important turning point in my artistic path.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yuzhou97.myportfolio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zyu_zoey/?igsh=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: Email: [email protected]
Image Credits
Yu Zhou
