服務故事

​Sitting in front of his Jinzun studio with fashion designer Justin Chou, artist Paul Chiang said, "Without the sun, we cannot see the ocean blue, but in about an hour just before it sets, you'll see that under the grey hues is the blue." Each day, when the sun sets, several colors reflect upon the ocean's surface. Taitung inspires Chiang greatly and has given him a second life as an artist. Chiang hopes to share his place of inspiration with other artists, knowing that it will be a place that rouses creative beginnings.

Chou launched his spring-summer 2022 collection in October 2021. The collection was inspired by Chiang's paintings and the artistry Chiang had passed on to him during their time together. "He did a great job," said Chiang. It was like seeing several of my works on the runway at one time at the Taipei Fashion Week.

​In the field of fashion, Chou is considered a unique creative who often seeks to collaborate with other artists. His SuperlinXX collection featured at the New York Fashion Week was inspired by the ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks displayed at the National Palace Museum, where he worked with several of Taiwan's notable craftspeople to help the collection come to life. His spring-summer 2018 collection, also featured at the New York Fashion Week, was inspired by the many works of Sanyu collected at the National Museum of History. Chou has also collaborated with contemporary artist Tsong Pu and calligraphist Tong Yang-tze. In each collaboration, he brings a new sense of wonder to the fashion world.

​"Like many, I was stunned by Chiang's works at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum." – Justin Chou

After visiting the Paul Chiang: A Retrospective exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Chou purchased the catalog right after and considered proposing a collaboration with Chiang. "I have always enjoyed challenging myself, and when I saw the vibrancy and emotions detailed in Chiang's works, I had a strong desire to create a collection inspired by his works," said Chou.

The "Photograph Yourself into the Painting" activity at the Paul Chiang: A Retrospective exhibition was an idea Chou found parallel to his artistic thinking. It engaged visitors to take photos of themselves in Chiang's paintings, inviting them to match the colors and patterns of their clothing with Chiang's work(s). Chiang's works inspired Chou's collection, featured at the 2021 Taipei Fashion Week. With hopes to encourage more young artists to explore cross-art collaboration, in their collaboration, Chiang gave Chou the right to create using his works without charge.

​"The show was a blend of all the techniques used in the installation arts I created in the past." – Justin Chou

Among the 15 pieces in the collection, the piece inspired by the Mountain Ranges of Taiwan series took much effort. The series was painted with numerous lines. "The lines are like sculptures detailing fog, mist, and lighting in between the mountains," said Chiang.

"Within these mountains is fog, and within the fog is rain. I used jacquard to present these layers," said Chou. For the piece inspired by the Mountain Ranges of Taiwan, Chou collaborated with longtime partner Junmay Label & Textile. Together, they tried different techniques to present the lines onto fabric. The textile company has worked with several renowned international clothing brands and has over 40 years of experience. In the past, they've collaborated with Chou, innovating various textile crafts. This time, they merged a few crafts to present the mountain ranges using digital printing, 3D jacquard, and embroidered floating yarn. For Mountain Ranges of Taiwan, Chou reimagined the piece into a cloak. When taking a closer look at the details of the yarn, it is like seeing drizzles of rain in the mountains.

When Chou was working on the Sanyu collection, a pair of jeans made out of old, tattered cloth was among the collection, taken from a printing workshop. He patched the cloths together to look like splashes of ink – he adopted the same method to the Jinzun, Spring.

Jinzun, Spring was reimagined into a trench coat. "When I learned that Jinzun, Spring was created by tissues that Chiang used to wipe paint off his brushes, I felt I saw myself in the painting." For the reimagination of Chiang's Jinzun, Spring, Chou, and his team meticulously studied each color depicted in the painting. Chou used yellow ugan yarn as its base and added blue and red tones, creating a commanding look. "I gently painted the colors onto ugan yarn – a silk yarn and shaped them into flower-like bulbs as Chiang had done in the painting."

At Chou's studio lies a worn-out Paul Chiang: A Retrospective Catalogue, a key reference for the collection. In the collection, Chiang's works were not the only elements expressed onto fabric – Chou also took the time to get to know Chiang's creative process and to embody it in each piece. When cutting fabric, he emphasized cutting larger pieces to integrate as much of Chiang's works into his works. Chou also put much thought into the accessories; he said, "Having lived in Paris and New York for decades, in several of Chiang's old photos, you'll find him wearing a gentleman's hat. It inspired me to design wide hats and long scarves to match each piece in the collection." This was Chou's way of incorporating Chiang as a world traveler into his works.