Written By: Mehreen Umer
Danielle Xu, a Senior Textiles and Apparel Designer, is about to debut her remarkable Capstone Collection after dedicating countless hours in the studio. In this interview, she delves into her creative journey, sources of inspiration for her passion for design, and the intricate elements embedded in her garments. In the end, we discuss her anticipation of showcasing her creations at the upcoming UFG fashion show.
MU: Tell me about yourself as a designer and as an individual.
DX: So, myself as a designer, I’m very much inspired by pop culture right now- specifically sports pop culture. So, brands like Aimee Leandor and Kith– I really like how they have sports influences, like how Emilia and Dora will release collections that’s inspired by the Mets or the Yankees. So that’s me as a designer, and I think me, myself, personally, I’m a very creative person. I don’t want to say I’m a very creative person, but I am pretty creative. I originally pursued philosophy, and then I got so bored of it, and I could not pay attention or read anything at all. That was [how] I just know I’m meant for a creative field, so that is why I’m pursuing what I’m pursuing.
MU: Tell me about your creative process.
DX: So for my creative process, I always start with a color palette. All of my color palettes are very movie inspired– I’m a very big movie fan. So, right now everything is very primary colors, and if I were to take it from movies, I could look at Wes Anderson, and look at pastels, or maybe Quentin Tarantino, and look at some warm yellows, and stuff like that.
But I always take something from a film, or a famous figure, and I think right now, the big figure that I’m taking inspiration from is Michael Jordan in the 90s. I’d like to look at what he wore, the signature styles that he wore in that time, what made it so special, and what made it so different, and I incorporate that into my designs and then try and see how I can modernize it or make it more me.
MU: What is the inspiration for your collection? Is there a specific designer, person in your life, time period, or culture?
DX: Designer wise, I do get a little bit of inspiration from Amelie Andor. That is my favorite brand right now. I love what they’re doing. But I try not to take so much inspiration from them, just because I don’t want to make it seem like I’m copying them. If I do get the opportunity to work with them in the future, I want them to see that I can bring something to the table.
I’m also taking inspiration, like I said, from Michael Jordan and just sports in general. So, big sports figures that had a huge style image, I would say, Like Dennis Rodman or Michael Jordan. Big basketball names that have a good style.
MU: How do you feel about your completed products and them being presented at the upcoming show?
DX: I’m really excited about it. I am a little stressed. I’m not gonna lie, I feel like everyone’s stressed. But, I am excited. I think seeing my stuff on someone else is going to be very surreal. And I think everything that I’ve done is building up to this. I’ll see my projects on people or I’ll see it on forms, but I’ve never actually seen something where I put all of my creativity in it. There’s no limits and there’s nothing holding me back from pursuing what I want to pursue.
So it’s definitely going to be an amazing experience. It’s going to be very unbelievable for me and I’m really excited.
Leave a Reply