Amy Chen

Creativity is a necessity. Sharing my ideas through clothing on a larger scope is what I live for. Hello, my name is Amy Chen.

My most passionate interest is fashion design. The ways people go about in their everyday life is the driving force of my new ideas. I believe it’s important to be creative, imaginative and inventive; because to me, designing is a creative outlet of personal opinions on certain things in this world that we belong to.

I’m capable of working with my hands (and, of course, with the help of machines) to transform what appears in the sketchbooks into wearable garments. My very first garment was a wearable art inspired by jazz music and its legend, Louis Armstrong. This bizarre creation helped me realize that creativity, in fact, has no boundaries. It received second place at the Ambiwerra Festival in 2008.

In 2009, I designed two casual wears that were inspired by modern architecture. With those garments, I competed in the APEX Australian Teenage Fashion Award. The off shoulder top and angled-pleated pencil skirt, which was inspired by Sydney Opera House, got through the Gold Coast regional heat, received first place at the Queensland state final, and finally, came second place at the Australia national finals. In that eventful year, I also produced a Greek architecture inspired gown, which was exhibited at the Sunshine Coast Fashion Festival. That particular occasion enabled me to use my selling skills to promote myself and gain opportunities such as magazine appearances and interviews.

My skills have also opened various scholarship opportunities throughout the past two years. I have luckily received recognition from the Whitehouse Institute of Design, Australian Institute of Fashion Design, and the START QUT program. I believe it is important to be recognized and acknowledged, which often consequently means receiving supports from others. This is one of my motivations to continue to do what I am passionate about. Another value that is important is to be loyal, committed and dependable. Thus, I’m determined to achieve my goals to succeed as an emerging creative practitioner.

These skills and values that live within me create my interests. I have the skills that enable my fascination of designing clothing and using my hands to be a creative outlet for my mind. Furthermore, I believe creativity is an important part of life that can never be missing. These factors are the reason why I’m interested in fashion design and strive to succeed in this fast-growing and ever-changing industry.