Fashion Design inspired by Architecture, Physics and Mathematics

by Lan YAO, Junior Project Manager for Interdisciplinary and Special Projects

The “Café des Sciences” event series had a very cool talk as its 4th edition: Swiss fashion designer Stefanie Tschirky was invited by swissnex China and shared her fashion world with the audience. Stefanie presented a wealth of slides and movies demonstrating her creativity and talent. After an active Q&A session, the guests stayed late during the networking reception and continued discussions with the Swiss designer. The full house event has been held on April 18 and was a great success.

Inspired by the fields of architecture, physics and mathematics, her designs combine sharp lines with fluid contours and articulate a modern urban aesthetic, crafted through innovative material and textile manipulation. Using alternative mathematical theories as a starting point, Stefanie aims to counter the idea that we can organize the unpredictability of the natural world to create perfection.

Swiss-born Stefanie Tschirky is a womenswear designer based in Shanghai and currently working for the Chinese luxury brand Comme Moi. Having graduated from the Royal College of Art, Stefanie has received the British Fashion Council Graduate Sponsorship, and went on to work with the luxury brand Mary Katrantzou in London. Stefanie Tschirky was the recipient of the CFDA Award for both her Bachelor and Master’s collections and was represented at the prestigious ITS2016 in Italy, she has received much media attention in recent years and has been published in magazines such as Vogue, Marie Claire and Dazed. 

𝗖𝗮𝗳𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 is a format at swissnex China offering a monthly platform for Swiss Spotlight Scientists and Startups to present their projects and engage with the local community. The lectures are followed by a networking reception and scheduled to take place every third Thursday each month at swissnex China or our partner spaces. - Stay tuned for our next event on 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟭𝟲!

The future Landscape of Design | WoSoF

On the one hand, the sweatshop was protested against its cruelty but the high-street fashion still has the serious problem of waste and overstock. On the other hand, the Swiss Made FREITAG bags become worldwide popular because of the recycled fabrication; 3D Printers are widely used by the design industry and craft studios. The eco-friendly and high-tech design become the forefront. Now it is the right time for hosting “The First World Symposium for Fashion. Jewellery. Accessories” (WoSoF). The conference was hosted by the College of Design and Innovation of Tongji University in Shanghai, in collaboration with Geneva School of Art and Design (HEAD – Genève) and other design institutions around the world.

In this reason, on the 16th of December 2018, there were 17 speakers gathering in HOW Design Center of HOW Art Museum in Shanghai to discuss the new trends of sustainability and digitalization in design, to share their research projects about how these new contexts influence the curation and management, to show the innovative materials, design project and craftsmanship of jewellery and different kinds of accessories,

The group photo with all speakers

WoSoF was a great success.

One of the Initiator is the Swiss Prof. Elizabeth Fischer. She is the Dean of Fashion, Jewellery and Accessory Design at HEAD – Geneva, gave the lecture from culture-historical perspective about jewellery and fashion. She emphasized that jewellery and dress enjoy different life spans – “diamonds are forever” whereas dress is made of perishable materials. However both are necessary elements in the play of social appearances. She explained that, for centuries precious jewels, intimately linked to dress, were the preserve of the elite, worn as patrimonial symbols of rank, prestige and antiquity of lineage. The major social and industrial shifts of the 19th century deeply changed the manufacture, materials and market of jewellery. The trappings of the new wealth of businessmen and industrialists increasingly rivalled the prized ornaments of the long-standing aristocracy, while a growing affluent middle class aspired to new kinds of jewellery.

The other Swiss speaker - Katharina Sand - elaborated the future prospects of design in the era of digitalization. Currently as a lecturer at the Geneva University of Art and Design (HEAD), she analyzed the way recent innovations in technology such as Augmented Reality and (RFID) Radio Frequency Identification systems, which can be applied to the fashion and accessories industry for a more sustainable future. She introduced the digital fashion shows launched through social media live videos and the apps that use AR to match clothes for users with their virtual 3D-Image. In her speech, she combined analysis of technology innovations in production, retail distribution, fashion communication and human-garment interaction to creatively rethink how we create and perceive fashion. Her focus is combining speculative design thinking in regards to fashion and technology with real world haptic experience of garments and their “being in the world”. 

The two Swiss speakers drew together a whole complex but bright landscape for future design. The participant - many Chinese design experts and students from local universities asked questions in the panel discussion and talked with the Swiss speakers after the conference. Co-working with swissnex China, all the research papers including the new feedbacks from the conference will be published in 2019.

Prof. Elizabeth Fischer

Katharina Sand

Swiss Fashion Designer engages in Chinese Higher Education: Mod'Art Graduation Fashion Show

By Haley Jiamin LU, Junior Project Leader PR & Events

On July 18th, we were invited by Swiss designer Ms. Stefanie Tschirky to attend the graduation fashion show of Shanghai University - MOD’ART International Institute of Fashion and Arts. It is a professional fashion institute jointly founded by Shanghai University and MOD’ART International in Paris in 2003. The institute,  a partner of Shanghai University, accepts applications from students worldwide. It is the only fashion institute in Shanghai honored with the title of “Top Ten Fashion Institutes in China”, jointly awarded by CNGA and CCTV for being the first fashion institute to introduce a professional Luxury Marketing and Management program in China.

swissnex China was invited to attend the MODÁRT Graduation Fashion Show on July 18.

The show was a tremendous success in terms of design quality. Each student presented a collection of 6 looks. Each of the collections are very unique and presented with well did details as well as with suitable stage effect.

Ms. Stefanie Tschirky was originally from Heiligkreuz (St Gallen, Switzerland). She is a fashion designer currently working as a fashion design and fashion history lecturer at Shanghai University, Mod Art International. As the final year tutor in Fashion Design she prepares the students for their final graduation show, which includes making a collection of six looks. These collections are presented on the graduation fashion show and received much positive feedback. Stefanie recently received a sponsorship to show her new Spring/ Summer 2019 collection as a runway show at Tokyo Fashion week and Shanghai Fashion Week in October 2018.

swissnex Dome: Where Art meets Science!

By Haley Lu, Junior Project Leader PR & Events

With more than 1500 visitors, 80 shows and 100 guests queuing at one time for a screening, the swissnex Dome was a great success during the Swiss Innovation Week. The swissnex Dome is a full-dome structure that allows a 360° spatialization of images and sounds, taking the audience on a fully immersive and unique experience. As the centerpiece of the Swiss Innovation Week, taking place from July 2 to July 6, 2018 and hosted by the Embassy of Switzerland in China (Beijing), the swissnex Dome particularly gained attraction with its dazzling outfit and put big smiles on the audience’s faces with the audiovisual experience presented inside.

The swissnex Dome held its premiere night on July 2 during the Swiss Innovation Week’s welcoming cocktail event. Both the Ambassador of Switzerland as well as the Ambassador of Peru enjoyed the 360° cinematic spectacle away from the summer heat of Beijing.

The temporary dome theater took two days to be set up by two engineers and six helpers.

The film content proved to be innovative, entertaining and diverse: During the week-long event, two selected films from Geneva International Film Festival (GIFF), four works of students from the College of Art and Media of Tongji University, a special 360° flight footage from SOLAR IMPULSE, as well as the latest masterpiece of renowned Swiss film director Prof. Juerg Neuenschwander were featured in the swissnex Dome.

We had the special pleasure and privilege of welcoming Swiss State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation Dr. Mauro Dell'Ambrogio, movie actor Wang Xuebing amongst other high-profile visitors.

Corinne Sutter, a prominent Swiss artist who presented a live painting show during the Swiss Innovation Week, also appreciated the diverse Swiss and Chinese creations in the swissnex Dome.

“The experience was great! I was amazed and astonished by the combination. I liked it a lot from a technical point of view and also that you are allowed to entertain.”

— Corinne Sutter, Swiss speed painter

The swissnex team with Swiss State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation Dr. Mauro Dell'Ambrogio, joined by Dr. Beatrice Ferrari, Mr. Jonas Thürig and Mr. Laurent Feuz.

A Chinese group thought the screenings to be ‘a very interesting and unique experience’.  It was their first time to watch this kind of film in China: ‘We watched two films, they both were made up by simple lines, however they have a very strong stereoscopic effect.’

The swissnex Dome was the most visited event during the Swiss Innovation Week and more than 1500 visitors enjoyed the films inside the Dome. During the Grand Reception on the final night on July 6, the waiting line for the swissnex Dome counted more than 100 guests.

“The presence of the Dome and the Birdly has contributed significantly to the success of not only the Grand Finale, but also the Swiss Innovation Week. We needed magnets and entertainment, and the two features were just right!”

— Alain Gaschen, Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Switzerland in China

It was truly an honor to have organized the swissnex Dome, and even more rewarding when we hear the guests say ‘Thank you! It’s so cool!’ and see them leave with satisfaction. swissnex China will keep working on bringing interesting projects to the international audience with a combination of the latest innovations, science and technology. Our special thanks to swissnex Boston for their close collaboration and support for this project, and to Fulldome.Pro for the dome support. Please stay in touch and see you at our next event!

Sino-Swiss Contemporary Jewelry and Accessory Design Exhibition Is Well Started

By Haley Jiamin LU, Junior Project Leader PR & Events

The Sino-Swiss Contemporary Jewelry and Accessory Design Exhibition attracts crowds and offers an opportunity for future collaboration. After months of preparation, the Design Exhibition came to public on April 6, 2018. It is a great showcase of over 100 selected pieces of design made by students of HEAD-Geneva and College of Design and Innovation (D&I) of Tongji University, as well as few selected pieces from Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), China Academy of Art (CAA) and Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua. 

At 13h, guests gathered in the Dark Room Lecture Hall, Design & Innovation Collage, Tongji University, for a roundtable discussion. With mediation of Prof. Sun, Mr. Jean-Pierre Greff, Director of HEAD-Geneva, Dean Elizabeth Fischer, Head of Jewellery and Fashion, Ms. Esther Brinkmann, Founder of Jewelry Design Department, HEAD – Geneva together with 4 speakers from other institues gave a speech on the topic of ‘From the Present to the Future - from a contemporary jewellery and accessory design perspective’. 

At 16h, the crowd moved to Plattform on 2nd floor for the grand opening. Dr. Felix Moesner, Science Consul and CEO of swissnex China and Mr. Erwin Lüthi, Deputy Consul General, both made an address on the vernissage.

As the co-organizer of the exhibition, swissnex China not only took part in the work for the opening and exhibition, but also arranged for the visiting programe for Director Greff and Dean Fischer. After coordinating with different parties, we settled the schedule of visiting 2 leading design and art institutes and 2 contemporary museums

In the morning of the April 7, Director Greff and Deab Fischer visited Shanghai Institue of Visual Art (SIVA). The beautiful garden and ancient classic buildings with morden management of the institue left them a deep impression.

After lunch, Director Greff and Dean Fischer went to the West Bund Art museum and had a meeting with Mr. Tiehai ZHOU, Director of West Bund Art & Design Fair to talk about possible coorporation in the future. 

In the evening, Director Greff and Dean Fischer visited the first ‘Night Museum’ in Shanghai: HOW Art Museum.

On Sunday the 8th , Ms Fischer attanded the 90th anniversary ceremony of China Acadamy of Art (CAA) in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

As an added value and first outcome of exchanges, Prof. Dr. Jie SUN, co-organizer of the design exhibition will visit HEAD-Geneva in June to discuss the future form of collaboration.

 “All the appointments that both you and your team kindly organized were fantastic. It was a good time here in China, and many thanks to swissnex China for the work on the exhibition and organizing the schedule.” said Director Greff.

The exhibition will be open to public untill April 7, at D&I Tongji University, Shanghai.