The Peak

Half and half

By M. Cohen Landherr

As a recap of Vancouver Fashion Week, The Peak decided to take a look at one of the featured lines, Orange NYC. To be honest, I was afraid to interview someone as big as Angela Chen — the creator and designer of the brand — for two reasons: although she lived in Vancouver as a child, she was schooled at Parsons in New York City and has worked for the likes of Anna Sui, Carolina Herrera, and Marc Jacobs. Yet, it turned out that she is just as friendly as she is talented: the interview with her didn’t even seem formal, but instead like we were just long-time friends gossiping about our boyfriends.

The Peak: As I was doing my “homework” I could not get over the fact that you went to one of the top fashion schools around the world! How was it to study at Parsons?

Angela Chen: I know, people get shocked when you say Parsons and sometimes they think you are snobby just because you went there . . . it was very demanding, I have got to admit. During the three and a half years that I spent in school it seemed like I didn’t have any life except school life — I would spend all my free time doing schoolwork. It was nuts!

*P:* I can imagine. But do you think that you learned a lot? Was it worth it?

AC: For sure! I have learned so much going there, and I have met so many great people, too. But, at the same time, it felt like everyone was [so] busy with schoolwork that we didn’t really have time to socialize much.

*P:* So, you moved to New York in 2004 and graduated in 2007. What have you been doing there since you graduated?

AC: Well, I was interning for different designers. I interned for Anna Sui, Carolina Herrera, and also Marc Jacobs.

*P:* You worked with Marc Jacobs?

AC: [Laughs] Yes! I wouldn’t say that I have worked with him because I was an intern so I didn’t get to see him or talk to him much, but it was a great opportunity for sure; Marc Jacobs is just such a sweetheart and the whole team just felt like family.

*P:* That’s great. So now let’s go back to the past a bit; I want to know how you decided to become a fashion designer.

AC: Well, I was born in Taiwan and lived there until I was seven years old, then my family and I moved to Canada. By that time, it was not very easy to fly out of Taiwan; it was not very easy or common to fly around in the ‘80s at all. However, my mother was always very interested in fashion . . . she had a friend who was a buyer that would travel to Japan quite often and would bring amazing clothes for my mother. My mother would throw something similar to a fashion show, only to her friends and family though. She would rent a restaurant for the night and invite a couple of friends, who were into fashion as well, and bring all the clothes she would have got from her friend in Japan — people would walk around wearing them. It was very interesting and unique! By that time I was about four to five years old . . . I would just love going to these events with my mother. Those events were for sure the biggest inspiration for me; I decided that I wanted to design clothes for those women because they were just so glamorous and confident. Since that time I never doubted that I wanted to be a fashion designer.

*P:* I bet your mother was very supportive about your decision, but how about the rest of your family?

AC: My father was not very supportive at the beginning. My father is a very conservative Taiwanese man, so for him, his daughters and sons should have gone into business school or law or medicine . . . something more “reliable,” I would say. However, it was just a matter of time — not long after I showed my father that I was sure that it was fashion that I wanted to study — that he started to support me. He always trusted in me. My brother is the same: he does not really care much about fashion, but he was very supportive! Oh, and he just graduated from SFU with a degree in psychology.

*P:* This is a very standard question, but do you look to any other designers for inspiration?

AC: All the designers I have worked for inspired me in a certain way. They all have their specialities and I always tried to learn the most from them. What I liked the most is the fact that all three of them — Anna Sui, Carolina Herrera, and Marc Jacobs — are just so different . . . I was then able to learn from different angles.

*P:* Could you tell us a little bit about your spring/summer 2010 collection?

AC: It is my first time showing my designs back home. I wanted to sort of go back to the basics and my collection is entirely black and white. I think that a black dress is a timeless piece. What I like about black and white is that you can never go wrong with it, and it is just so chic and elegant. You can put on your little black dress and go out looking like Audrey Hepburn. There is a special fabric I have chosen that is striped black and white . . . it is just so powerful, that when I saw if for the first time I decided to do my collection around that fabric.

*P:* Are you happy to be back to Vancouver? Why, after seven years in New York have you decided to come back to Vancouver to design your clothes?

AC: I am very happy to be back. Although I love New York very much, I had to get away [from] the city for a while and come back to a more quite environment. I have realized that I get really inspired when I am in Vancouver . . . so I thought it would be good for my creativity. I have been really happy that the fashion industry grew so much over these years while I was away. Nowadays, you look around and you can tell that people are really into fashion here; I see a lot of potential in this city.

*P:* That is very intriguing. People would think that you would have stayed in New York; it is the world’s present fashion capital!

AC: Don’t get me wrong! [Laughs] I want to spend half of my time in Vancouver and half of my time in New York. New York will always be New York and I will always love that city!