August 4th birthday flower is Kniphofia uvaria, also known as Torch Lily. The flower looks like a torch, which reminds me of Rio de Janeiro Olympic! The traditional flower meaning for Torch Lily is “Sincere Mind”. Oh, what a perfect word for me to introduce one of the most sincere minded brand, ZIGGY CHEN.
I was asked to write about ZIGGY CHEN couple days ago, when the collection arrived at the store. There are so many elements that are hard to figure out how Mr. Chen did it or why he have chose to do it. That is why I was not sure if I should take this important duty or not. But more I examine his garments, more I realize that this mission is very important for GULLAM. So although I am nervous, I will do my best to show how amazing this collection is. Here I go.
First thing you have to know about Ziggy Chen is that his design is juxtaposition of tradition and modern. The silhouettes are very dynamic.
First time I saw these two coats above, I thrilled. I don’t think you can notice by looking at the photos. This stripe linings are not printed but each stripe of ribbons are sewn together. These kind of fabrics are usually used for outer shell but ZIGGY CHEN purposely use as a linings.
Also, as for the second coat, it got piping technique to finish the hem. But! the interesting part is that they are hand sewn. Why? it is definitely easier to sew them on with the sewing machine. I am not sure if its a right answer but I believe that by finishing with the hand, you can adjust the tension of the threads to give deep three dimensional wave-y wrinkles, by purpose. Which can give rugged elegance to the garment.
This is a coat without lining but all seam allowance are hand stitched to the fabric so that no stitches show on the surface. Also the bar tacking used at the welt pocket is an old techniques. I am not sure if there is a machine that does this anymore. So I am assuming that they are also done by hand.
I have added the photos of the inside of all three trousers. Inside are not as important as outside, cause that is the part people don’t look at. This is the part where a lot of the brands cut corner. But all of Ziggy Chen’s garments got beautiful inside that makes us want to flip over and take photos and show them on our blog. Are these coutures or what?
Baby cashmere is extremely rare cashmere, known as fiber jewel. Baby Cashmere, deriving from the mountainous regions of Mongolia and Northern China, is available in extremely limited quantities, and got the finest quality in the world. They are not easy to sew, especially because they are super delicate but that doesn’t matter to Ziggy Chen. The tension of the threads is perfect, it gives no pilling.
All the techniques are almost beyond human power but the most incredible technique about Ziggy Chen is top stitching. The widths of the top stitches are very constant. Ziggy Chen’s top stitches are as far as I know, number one in the world. Usually at the end of the stitch, it is common to use reverse stitch. Ziggy Chen only use this when the parts need strength, like the patch pockets for instance. But other parts, you cannot find where the thread went. This cannot be done by machine, only by hands. Not only top stitches for outer shell, he use this technique for inside, and THAT is unbelievable!
Every time I examine Ziggy Chen’s garments, I find something new about it. He has world’s finest craftsmanship but he does not show off at all. He uses his techniques to create loose and easy garments. They are dramatic pieces referencing the past, while exuding a modern rugged elegance. That is what makes Ziggy Chen so (I’m sorry, I have to use this word) freakin’ special!!
As always, thank you very much for reading ‘til the end. It was an honor and I learned a lot by writing about Ziggy Chen. His factory is not just a factory. They are fashion laboratory, and Mr. Ziggy Chen is the ingenious researcher of fashion industry!
Thank you and I hope you all have a wonderful evening!
