Zhang Yaqi Making Beautiful Dreams With Cloth Art

When I was a child, maybe everyone wrote such a composition, "my dream". At that time, we all had many dreams, such as scientists, novelists, or sparkling stars, but many people regarded their childhood dreams as an unrealistic illusion. But Zhang Yaqi was different. In her heart, she always had a dream, and after many years, she finally got what she wanted.

From childhood, she likes collecting cloth pieces, embroidery, researching weaving, and so on. She often does things like "turning waste into treasure", but it looks like broken and rotten cloth can always come to life in Zhang Yaqi's hands, and she herself enjoys it very much.

Because of his childhood interests and hobbies, Zhang Yaqi has always regarded making clothes as his own dream.

Although the University chose economics department and worked as a secretary and an economic researcher after graduation, these seemingly superior environments have never been able to set her mind at rest.

Because in her heart there is still a passion that has not yet been released.

At the age of 30, Zhang Yaqi finally made up his mind to make his dream come true.

She quit her job and opened a clothing store in Taipei mansion and Eastern District, mainly for foreign hand dyeing and clothing.

Zhang Yaqi's dream has officially started here.

Although the sparrows are small and dirty, they can walk into the shop. We can feel a strong artistic smell coming from the nose. From the product to the whole space, we all feel like we are in the art sea.

And every product is hand-made, Bohemia style.

The hand-made leather shoes, which are hand stained, are placed on wooden stands on an irregular basis, and they will like everything here at a glance.

However, with the continuous growth of experience, Zhang Yaqi can no longer be satisfied with such a way of agency. According to her words, acting abroad brand is like giving someone a child, raising well or others.

Plus, because of the working relationship, Zhang Yaqi went to Japan every month and a half to walk around. When she saw the fashion in Japan, she felt very sad, though the Japanese liked it.

But it will also give full support to the designers of local brands. That's why Lssey Miyake and other famous designers and brands were born.

Zhang Yaqi, who returned to Taiwan, began to think, can't Japan do it in Taiwan? After several deliberate attempts, Zhang Yaqi came to the conclusion that the brand can be achieved wherever there is creativity.

With motivation, Zhang Yaqi decided to make his dream a step further.

In 2002, Zhang Yaqi started his studio and set up a brand I Prefer.

I Prefer started with the concept of "Taipei design and Asian manufacturing", and changed the concept of "manual customization is expensive" with unique style design and sophisticated craftsmanship.

At the beginning of I Prefer, in order to get more creative inspiration, the brand and Taiwan art workers, designers and other cooperation create a new fashion concept, and take this opportunity to publicize this new fashion attitude to consumers, that is, let consumers become the owners of clothes.

Let consumers pick up their own fashion definition and taste.

Zhang Yaqi, who has a unique view of fashion design, has his own way of managing employees.

Her I Prefer has a secret weapon for training employees, that is, education and training.

She believes that salesmen are not good or bad in terms of "good attitude, good performance, strong sales ability", but rather "can they wear clothes". Only the clerks who wear clothes can form a sympathetic response from their minds to customers, so that more ideas can be shared with customers.

Sometimes customers buy clothes instead of clothes.

Such education and training will be held once a month. At each training session, she will let the salesmen mix and match each season's costumes, and then the executives will choose the most creative and fashionable way to wear them.

Zhang Yaqi always reminds employees that dressing is a form of self creation.

When I was young, my hobbies were formed in my mind, then I finally made up my mind to realize my dream and then reached the peak step by step.

There are many, many things that Zhang Yaqi has to do. Maybe people can't be satisfied. Just like Zhang Yaqi initially wanted to open a clothing store, buy clothes that she liked, and then get a lot of people's approval to create her own brand. In the future, she hoped that I Prefer could become a platform for creative exchange in Taiwan, so that every person who likes design and creativity can realize his dream.