Vivienne Tam

Vivienne Tam Đàm yến ngọc
Vivienne Tam at the 2011Time 100gala.
Born	Tam Yin Yok (1957-11-28)28 November 1957 Guangzhou,Guangdong,China
Education	Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Occupation	Fashion designer
Website	viviennetam.com

Vivienne Tam(traditional Chinese:Đàm yến ngọc;simplified Chinese:Đàm yến ngọc;Jyutping:taam4 jin3juk6;pinyin:Tán Yànyù,born 28 November 1957) is afashion designerbased inNew York City.She was born inGuangzhou,Guangdong,China, and moved toHong Kongat the age of three. She attended theHong Kong Polytechnic University.

Tam's fashion brand is named after her and is inspired by Chinese culture, design, modern fashion, and east–west fusion. The theme of her first collection was EAST WIND CODE. She authoredChina Chic,a book in which she explored the ways in which Chinese style meets Western style and described elements of the Chinese culture like her mother's cheongsam that had the most impact on her. She also discussed how Chinese culture intertwined with Western style and influenced her future work.She has worked withHewlett-Packardon a special Vivienne Tam range of designernetbookcomputers, such as a version of theHP Mini 1000and theHP Mini 210.Tam also appeared on dressup siteStardollwhere she has her own suite and brand name. She has also designed dresses for the characters in theAnimaxmovieLaMB.

Tam debuted her collaboration with Chinese jewelry brand TSL at her Spring 2013 fashion show.

Early life

Vivienne Tam was born inGuangzhou,Guangdong,China. When Tam was three years old, her family left thePeople's Republic of Chinaand moved to Hong Kong. The experiences of Vivienne's parents as wealthy landowners duringMao Zedong's rule influenced designer's future collections and inspired her to create her signature "MAO" collection.Vivienne discovered her love of fashion at an early age. She was inspired by watching her mother making clothes for her family. By the age of 8, she was making her own outfits and dressing herself and her siblings, even forLunar New Year.She attended aCatholic school,where she learned English, even though she still spokeCantoneseat home with her family. She then went to study fashion design inHong Kong Polytechnic Universitywhere she received her Higher Diploma in Fashion Design.

Work

After finishing her degree she moved toNew York Cityto launch her business. Her company,East Wind Code,was established in March 1982. (East Wind Codemeans "good luck and prosperity" in Chinese)Her clothes were being made in Hong Kong, however she had a work space on West38th Street,NYC. After a decade, she ended up changing the name of her business to "Vivienne Tam" before her first runway show atNew York Fashion Week.

The East-West fusion

In the world offashion,Vivienne Tam is known for her "East meets West" designs. Her life in Hong Kong and family history in China made Tam a "bridge between two cultures." Tam believes that the world is ruled by the yin-yang philosophy, so her collections often reflect this belief, merging the traditional and modern cultures.

Through her works, she wants to spread awareness in the West about the beauty ofChinese cultureand national clothing. Vivienne's Tam collections highlight the unique character of Chinese culture. She uses them as a tool to show that Chinese national clothing is not just clothing but also a type of art, creativity, and a reflection of years of history.

Works and collections

Her first few collections were heavily influenced by traditional Chinese prints, fabrics, and designs. Her clothes were popular among fashion-forward women interested in Asian influence designs.

Vivienne Tam 'Mao' Jacket Spring/Summer 1995. Adnan Ege Kutay Collection

MAO

In 1995, she teamed up with artist Zhang Hongtu for her collection "MAO".Both Vivienne Tam's and Zhang Hongtu's families were denounced by Mao's regime, so their joint collection signifies "a kind of mental therapy," as Zhang puts it. The collection included several portraits of Mao that depicted him in comical light. For example, one of the images "Mao so Young" shows him with pigtails and gingham dress, and another image called "Ow Mao" shows Mao with a bee on his nose. She produced a series of printed t-shirts with these humorous images. Another collection included garments inspired by "Zhongshan suit", also known as the "Mao suit", since Mao regularly wore suits with the similar style. These suits featured black-and-white images of Mao that fully covered the garment. Vivienne Tam regarded this collection as "more serious, symbolizing the positive and negative effects Mao had on the Chinese culture"In the Asian American community this created some controversy as they felt it was in poor taste, since many had died under his power. She even had difficulty finding a manufacturer in Hong Kong that would take the job, and even several minor protests by her store. Despite the controversy in the launching of this collection, some of the pieces became permanent artworks in the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and even in the collections of the Los Angeles'sFashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Museum,theTexas Fashion Collection,and New York's Museum at theFashion Institute of Technology.

Year of the Dragon

This following collection was inspired from Asian Culture, and released in Spring of 2001, featuring images of Buddha. She explained that "The Buddha image has always been in the temple, and I wanted to make it more accessible to the people."

Expansion of her business

In 1996, she expanded her clothing empire and created a shoe line for Candie's, and the year after she opened her first store in NYC, then a branch in LA, Tokyo, and Kobe, Japan.

2017 spring collection

In Fall of 2016, Tam debuted her Spring and Summer collection atNew York Fashion Weekfeaturing iconic Houston logos. Tam partnered with Visit Houston and Asian Wives Club to promote a new perspective on the city of Houston.

2018 fall/winter collection

In February 2018, Tam presented her Fall/Winter 2018 collection, inspired by a "spiritual journey" through the Himalayas to Tibet, in Gallery I of Spring Studios.

See also

• Chinese Americans in New York City

Further reading

• Eng, Victoria (31 March 1995). "Vivienne Tam".Asian Magazine.
• Gordon, Maryellen (29 March 1993). "East Wind Code by Vivienne Tam".Women's Wear Daily.
• Ländler, Mark (31 December 2000). "An Empire Built on China Chic".The New York Times.
• Ma, Fiona; Heather, Harlan (25 March 1999). "Fusion Fashion".Asian Weekly.
• Parnes, Frances (29 March 1996). "Vivienne Tam's SoHo Splash".Women's Wear Daily.
• "Vivienne Tam Defines China Chic as Fashions with a Western Twist". 6 January 2001.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help);Unknown parameter|agency=ignored (help)
• Leung, Mariana (13 February 2013)."Vivienne Tam Makes Obama a Fashion Icon".Ms. Fabulous.
• Tam, Vivienne; Huang, Martha (2000).China Chic.New York: Regan Books.ISBN0-06-039268-1.

External links

• Vivienne TamatFMD
• "Biography".Infomat.
• "Vivienne Tam".Fashion Press.
• "Vivienne Tam".New York Metro.Archived fromthe originalon 18 February 2005.Retrieved3 February2005.
• "Vivienne Tam".New York Metro.Archived fromthe originalon 16 February 2005.Retrieved3 February2005.
• "Vivienne Tam".Star Doll.
• "Vivienne Tam".Fashion Encyclopedia.