Anya Ayoung Chee Takes On Project Runway In NYC

Posted on Monday, 25 July 2011 by JJ Bailey

Confession: I'm not a huge Project Runway fan.

I watch ever so often, and indeed, some of the alums are favourites of mine. But I often find that design challenges are a bit watered down, and let's be honest: since the fabulousness that was Christian Siriano, it's been difficult for another designer to stand out in the fray of Project Runway.

The young protege of Meiling - a legendary Trinidadian designer - Ayoung Chee has continuously illustrated her unique sense of personal style and appreciation for well-made womenswear through Pilar (especially the debut collection) and through her foray into lingerie, Anya de Rogue.

Can she handle the patterning + grading, material selection, and, quite frankly, the actual sewing of a garment from conception to completion? Whether by hand, or by industrial machine?

So those will be the sort of issues for Ayoung Chee to confront during the upcoming season of the popular show. We're rooting for her, and I sure do hope she goes the distance and produces some outstanding designs along the way.

Best of luck, Anya!

Let us look past the perplexed Tim Gunn to the bonny lass behind him. Because that's Anya Ayoung Chee, the rising Trinidadian designer who we'll be cheering for, come Thursday July 28th when the 9th season of Project Runway begins on Lifetime! Confession: I'm not a huge Project Runway fan. I watch ever so often, and indeed, some of the alums are favourites of mine. But I often find that design challenges are a bit watered down, and let's be honest: since the fabulousness that was Christian Siriano, it's been difficult for another designer to stand out in the fray of Project Runway.

However, I think Anya really has a fighting chance. Her aesthetic with the fledgling label Pilar is quite individualistic, and she has developed a very identifiable design lexicon around simple shapes and bold, ethnic patterns. The young protege of Meiling - a legendary Trinidadian designer - Ayoung Chee has continuously illustrated her unique sense of personal style and appreciation for well-made womenswear through Pilar (especially the debut collection) and through her foray into lingerie, Anya de Rogue.

She has the design bit down-pat, but I've always wondered if the one-time beauty queen can indeed manage the technical aspect of fashion design on her own, something that a designer can't totally avoid, whether in real life or in the parameters of a show like Project Runway. Can she handle the patterning + grading, material selection, and, quite frankly, the actual sewing of a garment from conception to completion? Whether by hand, or by industrial machine? So those will be the sort of issues for Ayoung Chee to confront during the upcoming season of the popular show. We're rooting for her, and I sure do hope she goes the distance and produces some outstanding designs along the way.

Best of luck, Anya!

Source: http://www.aucourantdaily.com