COLLECTION | YOUJIA JIN

Inspired by anatomy Youjia Jin toys with the idea of menswear tailoring for womenswear collections, creating impeccably tailored unisex pieces designed around the structure of the human body. For AW15 Jin’s collection enthused by twisted fairy tales presents the tale of a fearless Alice in Wonderland.

Sticking to her distinct minimal earthly tones, greys accented with electric blue, synonymous with Alice’s iconic hair ribbon, the incredibly well exercised assembly represents the anatomical structure in a wearable, tasteful, form, featuring heavy pleating and asymmetrical lapels.

Much like her choice of colours makeup remains natural, glossy, with hair sleeked back, presenting the models as innocent adolescents, keeping the main focus on the configuration of the garments. Similar to Da Vinci’s ideas Jin looks at the human body as a form of art, sculpting her designs around the human form itself. Remaining original in her designs Jin yet again manages to create versatility and present non-restrictive, innovative, gender-neutral collection.

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Lily Gee, Sub Editor, @lilybethgee

BACKSTAGE | YOUJIA JIN

Fantastic background shots from Youjia Jin! #FashionScoutAW15

@andrewrmoore

AW15 PROVISIONAL CATWALK SCHEDULE REVEALED!

It’s time to get ready for the most exciting Fashion Scout yet, as we reveal our Provisional AW15 Catwalk Schedule. 

Fashion Scout will return to our London home at the Freemasons’ Hall in Covent Garden from the 20^th – 24^th of February with a packed schedule of Catwalk shows, exhibitions and events! 

Exclusively showcasing the best pioneering talent from across the globe, Fashion Scouts’ AW15 lineup includes more than 50 visionary designers from around the world hand picked by a top industry Selection Panel.

Highlights of the schedule include Friday’s Merit Award winner James Kelly, the RCA Graduate who has already received a flurry of press attention. James Kelly will be sponsored by Fashion Scout to produce his first ever London Fashion Week catwalk show. Already a favourite of Hilary Alexander OBE, Vogue UK Features Editor Jessica Bumpus and Sara Maino, Senior Editor at Vogue Italia – we expect a packed FROW.

Also presenting their debut London Fashion Week collections are designers Angel Chen, J Moon, Kim Stevenson and Minju Kim, who together form Fashion Scout’s highly anticipated Ones to Watch show on Saturday 21^st February.

Amongst those returning to the catwalk are legendary Fashion Designer Pam Hogg, SS15 Ones to Watch designer Youjia Jin, CFE Pioneer Mariana Jungmann, in addition to former Merit Award winners Gyo Yuni KImchoe and Xiao Li.

Also running from the 20^th – 23^rd of February, Fashion Scout will curate an exhibition of exciting emerging talent, including designers from around the world; Clio Peppiat, GF Hawthorne, Niro Wang and Typical Freaks.

The full schedule and designers profiles can be viewed on the Fashion Scout website here. 

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EXCLUSIVE | FASHION SCOUT ANNOUNCES YOUJIA JIN

Fashion Scout are thrilled to announce Youjia Jin.  Before moving to London the Chinese born Youjia graduated from the Beijing Institute of Fashion and Technology in 2009. The designer graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2011 and London College of Fashion in 2014 with a MA in Womenswear and was named Fashion Scout’s Ones To Watch for SS15. Since her debut collection, Youijia has received continued praise from internationally renowned publications including: British GQ, British Vogue, LOOK and i-D magazine. 

Youjia will return to the Fashion Scout London catwalk to showcase her AW15 collection at the Freemasons Hall in Convent Garden. Fashion Scout London takes place from the 20^th – 24^th February 2015, be sure to check back to the blog during the event to see Youjia Jin’s show review and much more from the event.

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EXCLUSIVE | DESIGNERS RETURN TO FASHION SCOUT CATWALK

Fashion Scout, the leading international showcase for fashion innovation, returns to the Freemasons' Hall in Covent Garden this London Fashion Week from the 20th - 24th February. Instrumental in raising the profile of emerging design on a global scale, Fashion Scout will present over 50 of the Brightest UK and International design talents in Catwalk Shows, Presentations, Exhibition and a new for AW15/16 Pop Up Emerging Designer Exhibition.

Fashion Scout designers Pam Hogg, Jamie Wei Huang and Youjia Jin are set to return to the Fashion Scout Catwalk. We caught up with Pam Hogg, who commented on the return, “Its great being back in my studio working, its like playtime with fabrics strewn all over the place. Working alone gives me this freedom, my quiet space with no one around allows the simplest thing to trigger new ideas, each day something unexpected emerges and I just go with it. I thank Fashion Scout for giving me this platform for my work.”

February 2015 will be Fashion Scout's 19th season during London Fashion Week. Featuring a selection of innovative UK and International designers, Fashion Scout will be hosting over 30 catwalk shows and presentations. The Fashion Scout London Exhibition will return to the Freemasons' Hall in Covent Garden, running from the 20th - 23rd February. The exhibition will feature all four Ones to Watch designers and Merit Award winner James Kelly, alongside four of the brightest new emerging talents.

by Lewis R Waters

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DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT SS15| One to Watch Youjia Jin

Youjia Jin creates the perfect juxtaposition between the masculine shape and the feminine form. Cleverly opting unisex pattern cutting within her womenswear collection, the balance she creates with her male tailoring skills and standout aesthetic all come together to make her one of our Ones to Watch.

Originally from China, Jin graduated from the MA womenswear course at the London College of Fashion last year and had previously studied at the Beijing Institute of Fashion and Technology. Now based in London and both a fashion designer and a buyer, she started her career by showcasing as part of her finalist at the LCF MA catwalk show at London Fashion Week last year.

Speaking of her AW14 collection, she took her inspiration from anatomy and surreal body art with a serene aesthetic. She admires the quality of human anatomy by analysing the body structure and combines the interplay conceived from traditional menswear tailoring to spark up her collections. Despite her minimal colour palette, Youjia Jin works her skill through symmetric design and pleating. Her designs are simplistic yet beautiful with clean-cut and moody colour palettes.

Youjia Jin has also achieved numerous high profile design accolades. She was awarded for the Top 10 menswear designer in China, presented her BA graduation collection at Beijing Fashion Week in 2009 and London Fashion Week last year. A designer who has well and truly caught the eye of the fashion world, we look forward to seeing her SS15 collection during our Ones to Watch show on Friday 12th September.

By Bowen Lee, Contributor, (@bowenleely).

Images, courtesy of Youjia Jin.