joanna.c
Jo’s Fashion design projects/journey
Hi, I’m Joanna Cho. I am a third-year Bachelor of Fashion Design student at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia. I love fashion and keeping up with trends. I truly enjoy spending time learning about fashion. Therefore, I just want to share with you what I have created, learned, and achieved.
idepentdent label creation project
This project is to create your label. I develop a new brand proposition and a collection. The brand name is 'JCwears', which is my name's initials. The purpose of the brand and the collection is now the young generation loves to wear colourful, hyperbole, or eye-catching garments and accessories, such as the Y2K trend. I believe there is always a group of people who want to try out or catch up with the trend but are too shy for the fancy looks. JCwears wants to make a collection with a simple tone but still lively outcomes for this group, making up for their little desire to stick with trends but not feel awkward walking down the street.
persona COLLECTION design project : “Bows & Lace”
“Bows & Lace” is all about blending elegance and modern vibe, and showing soft and intricate beauty.
The modern vibe for me is like people now wear whatever they want, they don’t pair their outfit with the common way, they pair it with whatever comes to their mind. Lace is known for its delicate and feminine aesthetic with a long history; from a symbol of luxury and status to something everyone can wear. Bow ties have a sense of vintage charm, not only showing elegant and noble temperament, but also a lively and playful personality.
Lace is already kind of an openwork, but I put another openwork on top of the lace to cover it. Sometimes lace is often associated with sensuality and sexiness, because of its sheer effect and peek-a-boo allure. In the 18th and 19th centuries, women often used lace in underwear and nightdress, making lace a symbol of private and intimate realm. So this kind of thought continues to the present.
Therefore, I created another openwork with lots of bow ties to cover on the lace. The openwork can still see through, but it's not that obvious then just lace. It even adds more sense of mystery. My purpose of making lots of bow ties show up together is not only presenting cuteness and playfulness, but also showing the intricate personality as a person.
Every individual has many aspects; a dress with elegance, sexiness, and cuteness is just like a person with rich and multi-layered thoughts and emotions. Whichever side you want to show today, then you will give that aura.
Your shirt project
In my design, I was first inspired by Indigenous artist Dhambit Mununggurr. She uses blue in her artwork to express emotions and capture significant moments in her life. Initially, I also considered using blue, but after learning that her choice was influenced by her son’s favorite color, I decided to use my own favorite color—red—to stay true to myself. Her work made me reflect on how to incorporate my culture into my design, which led me to use elements of traditional Chinese calligraphy.
I chose the Chinese word for “steady” (沉穩) and focused on the first character as the core of my design pattern. In calligraphy, the evolution of different fonts over time changes the appearance of a word, but the meaning and essence remain consistent. I integrated the abstract shape of the character “沉” into the structure of the garment to convey a sense of calmness and confidence.
The final design is a structured red garment that reflects my steady personality and the cultural significance of Chinese calligraphy. The piece successfully combines personal reflection, traditional culture, and modern design techniques, resulting in a unique and meaningful creation.