INTERVIEW with BrisAsia Fashion Festival 2022 Designer - JOTEO
Today I am interviewing Joash Teo (JOTEO), one of the many talented designers for BrisAsia Fashion Festival 2022, which is a new fashion festival celebrating culture through fashion by showcasing labels and designers with Asian, Indigenous and International heritages.
SD: What should we expect at the BrisAsia Fashion Festival for your designs?
JT: For BrisAsia I think what people can expect is a more immersive introduction to the sensibilities of my house. The silhouettes I’ll be presenting will be a pre-showing of the my new 2022 collection along with a reissue of some archive pieces from my graduate collection.
SD: Who and what inspires you the most in making your designs?
JT: The natural silhouette is always ground zero for my designs; whether it’s augmenting or transfiguring , my garments ground themselves in the natural geometric of the human body.
I very much look to the greats who came before us, Alaia is a great favourite of mine, but I just as well enjoy the works of Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld , Galliano and even some more modern names like Phoebe Philo (when she was at Celine), Kim Jones and Albee Elbaz.
Above: Coco Chen wearing JOTEO
SD: What are some of your short term and long term goals for your fashion design career?
JT: Well upfront for short term goals, I survived another year of Covid so that in itself is a pat in the back. But I think definitely what I aim for is no different to any other designer who’s just starting in their career; we’re just trying to find our footing and see where we fit in this industry. I’m thankful to have some strides in that regard this past year with my presentations at Melbourne fashion week, BFF and also having found a space to use a studio, but there’s always more to be done.
As for long term goals, there was once a time where the path was more defined, but much like the times we find ourselves in now, they now change on the wind. I’ve learned to be more adaptive as a result, to sometimes sit back and just enjoy the ride, but Im always pushing towards the things I want for brand in the long run: expansion, global or otherwise, developing a team around me to help that can help me along the journey and creating a brand that I know can stand the test of time.
SD: What was your biggest fear when going out and starting your own line?
JT: I never really had any fears on starting my own line; “I love this, I’m good at this, let’s do it !” - in retrospect those were incredibly ignorant ideals to start a fashion career at 16 but I’ve been blessed to have since been received so well by the industry and my clients. And through the many lows, I kept coming back for more. I didn’t think of the problems, I just wanted to make clothes.
SD: How do you want women to feel when wearing your clothes?
JT: I want them to feel transformed. I think while my clothing has that sense of familiarity, there a sense of removed otherness in its DNA. When you fasten that hook, when you close that zip, when you button that last button, I want women to feel as if they’ve taken on something from fantastical. It’s beautiful, but not quite of this world.
SD: There’s so much pressure for designers to come out with their greatest collection season after season. What advice would you give to young designers just starting out and hoping to make it in the industry?
JT: There is no one way to be as a designer, and I think when you liberate yourself from that expectation and focus of finding your way being a designer, you’ll find a space where you’re not only more authentic, but kinder to yourself and everyone around you.
Tickets are selling fast. If you want to see JOTEO on the runway, get your BrisAsia Fashion Festival tickets here
BrisAsia Fashion Festival Website: https://fashionfestivalqueensland.com.au/whats-on-ticketing-1
BrisAsia Fashion Festival Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lizgoldingstylist
BrisAsia Fashion Festival Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brisasia_festival_fashion/
JOTEO’s social media presence:
Website: https://www.notjustalabel.com/joteo
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Joteo-230701510845422
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_joteo_/