Emerging Spanish Chinese designer Yayi Chen Zhou weaves together identity, craftsmanship and the immigrant experience at her eponymous label
One profile among the semi-finalists for the prestigious LVMH Prize 2024 caught our attention due to the designer’s multicultural upbringing. Yayi Chen Zhou, the founder of her eponymous brand Ya Yi, has navigated the complexities of cultural duality across Madrid, Shanghai and New York. Moreover, through her design and craft, she explores the experiences of Asian immigrant women, weaving their stories into her work.
“Growing up in a Chinese immigrant community in Madrid, I spent much of my childhood in their working spaces, usually Chinese restaurants,” recalls Chen, who lived in the Spanish capital until she was ten years old. This early exposure to cultural duality became the foundation of her creative philosophy, sparking reflections on the gaps between first generation immigrants and their descendants. “I feel like there are many uncertainties among immigrant women, and they made me reflect on what it means to be a woman with a multicultural identity and background in the world today,” she says.
With easy access to Spain’s rich artistic heritage, Chen developed a passion for fine art early on. “Growing up in Europe allowed me to immerse myself in art,” she explains. From the romantic brushstrokes of Velázquez to the surrealist forms of Picasso, the art around her influenced her aesthetic. Fashion, she believes, is merely another canvas. “I see fashion or garments as part of the medium through which we express ourselves, on the human body,” she says, underscoring her belief that fashion is a powerful storytelling tool.
Chen moved to Shanghai in her teenage years, then headed to Parsons School of Design in New York, where she refined her craft while working at fashion houses including Thom Browne, The Row and Area. “In these companies, I learnt to find the balance between art and design while creating collections in a commercial context. Each company taught me different aspects of building a brand,” says Chen, whose impressive portfolio ultimately allowed her to launch her own company in 2022. “At The Row, it was about finding the perfect fabric and cut, being very exact and sharp in making design decisions— because less is more. At Thom Browne, I learnt how to push the extremes of creativity in showpieces, while also narrowing down the same concept into a more commercial context.”
Currently based in Shanghai with a multicultural supply chain, she can pinpoint where her brand identity was formed. “At Area, it was really about teamwork, and it was almost the same size as my business today. I learnt how to communicate with different teams from various parts of the world and coordinate everything as a small business. It was an invaluable reference for my brand today,” she tells Tatler. “Most importantly, I had the chance to delve into who the real makers within the garment industry in New York were, especially the Chinese immigrant seamstresses. This is where I really decided to start my brand.
