Interview with emerging New York Fashion designer Bingjin Zhu
Text by Bernadette Gallagher
Bingjin Zhu is a young New York based designer, born and raised in China. She graduated at F.I.T’s MFA Fashion program in New York City. Inspired by her Chinese roots, she aims to bring a sense of calm to the world of fashion. Her new label, BING, brings us a sense of serenity in a powerful way: a “soft power,” as she calls it, which is part of the inspiration for her newest collection, Soft Sculpture. It is the idea of a gentle vibe and flow working with a powerful force and structure to create something beautiful and functional.
Her mother and grandmother are what she considers the epitome of powerful softness. They have found this power from their ability to smile in the face of the good AND the bad, their calming presence and their reassuring words. Their traits are reflected in her collection through the careful design, the construction process, the balance of the chosen fabrics and through the neutral earth tones.
The collection is an expression of many things which influenced Bingjin throughout her life, but it is a collection meant to appeal to a certain group whom she calls “Ladies.” But don’t be fooled by the name; the ‘Ladies’ aren’t a gender-specific group but rather represent the traits of her mother and grandmother to which Soft Sculpture alludes:
“’Ladies’ are the kind of people who believe in power behind softness…they are vulnerable yet still powerful, they work hard, they support the family through ups and down, they are not typically labeled as a powerful person, they are the unsung heroes who have been consistently [supportive] and strong. As a brand, we are inspired by the Ladies…”
Appealing to the Ladies is not something Bingjin wishes to make exclusive to Soft Sculpture; rather, it is a group she will continue to design functional fashion for as she perfects her process and craft.
Likewise, her father’s craftsmanship served as influence for the collection, as he was a dedicated woodcarver. With his carvings and sculptures decorating her home in China and his different wooden pieces serving as her toys, his craft became a significant influence on her style as a fashion designer.
Assembling her pieces of Soft Sculpture included layering the fabrics over the model’s body to sort of mold and shape the fabrics and give them human structure. The layering process was a parallel of something she watched her mother do as she was growing up: her mom would layer silk over her father’s wood carvings. As time passed, she watched as the silk became heavier and heavier at the bottom, weighing the fabric down and shaping it over the details of the carving.
Just as the silk formed to the shape of the word carvings’ bodies, so too have the fabrics for Bingjin’s pieces in Soft Scultpure. Horsehair canvas was used to create structure and powerful forms, while the draping of jersey over these forms and the models created a balance between the powerful tailored look, and the delicateness of the jersey.
Garment design wasn’t always the plan, as Bing began her career as a pattern maker. It was through her pattern work where she “learned to build a photographic memory” and look at the world “in a more visual way.” She explains how the process of pattern making helped her better understand how to build pieces and a collection people will want to wear: “I was sewing a jacket; I tried to change the shape and color of the pockets and collar, but it turned out really bad. That was the moment when I realized how important composition was, and I should not only know how to make clothes but also how to make clothes beautiful while functional.”
Her career pursuits began after a big move: she came from rural South China just before going to school at FIT in NYC. Her memories of growing up in China are fond, as she recalls spending a lot of time fishing in the sea off her grandparent’s backyard. In the short amount of time she’s lived in New York, she has watched her style evolve.
In the beginning, her designs were what she calls “avant-garde,” as she thought of fashion as a true expression of herself. The evolution thus began when she realized it was harder to form a connection with people through the more experimental fashion. On the flip side, she then found designing for too large of an audience hindered her creative flow. For the BING brand, it was all about striking a balance: “…my inner-self kept telling me that I need to find a voice for an audience as well as myself. As of now, my brand and I have evolved to the phase where I’ve found the audience who shares my voice, and I help us express it together through my work.”
She was laid off at the beginning of the pandemic, and used her time at home to become inspired, and to act on that inspiration with what she learned working part time and attending school. Soft Sculpture is a collection born out of a strange time in our world’s history- she chose now to launch for just that reason:
“I hope I can bring the spirit of calmness to the world of fashion. The world is in crisis, people are scared, anxious, and vulnerable. I think it is really important for us to go back to the exercise of learning how to be calm and believe in ourselves, no matter what kind of jobs we are doing, which positions we are in. As a brand, we celebrate the power of softness, the power of calmness, and we hope our belief can make people feel better.” ■