California native Candy Lin considers herself extremely fortunate to be doing something she loves: being a fashion designer. She created her own clothing line, candy & caviar in January 2009 and since then she has collaborated with many renowned designers and stylists. Her line has been recognized by distinguished publications and worn by local and international celebrities, like Wang Leehom and The Black-Eyed Peas. She is looking forward to expanding her brand to children’s clothing. As she spoke with Yew Chung International School of Beijing students, we can’t wait to see where her work will take her next.
Sabrina Benni, 11, Italy
Why did you choose to be a fashion designer?
I chose fashion because I have always loved fashion. It’s important that you choose what you love, so you will be really good at it.
George Yang, 10, US
What university did you graduate from?
I went to the University of Southern California, where I graduated with an entrepreneurial communications degree.
Jason Niu, 10, Australia
What’s hard about being a fashion designer?
What’s hard is that we have to design a collection a year ahead of time and sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don’t and the critics are kind of tough sometimes.
Ana Paula Cruz, 11, Mexico
Do you have any shops in China?
In Beijing, we have a candy & caviar show room in China Central Place.
Justin Liu, 10, US
What part of the fashion design do you do?
I do a little bit of everything. I start with picking out the fabrics to use for the season and then I design it. What I don’t do is make the samples myself; we use tailors and professional sample makers to do that. I do the more creative side of it.
Jason Niu, 10, Australia
Do you earn a lot?
I love what I do and I think that’s more important.
Eric Choi, 12, South Korea
Have you worked in California?
I go back to the US (California and New York), every two months to work on sales and promotions for candy & caviar.
Sabrina Benni, 11, Italy
What do you do to make the clothes?
Because we design an entire collection, pieces go through a specific production process depending on the material. For our cotton and wool items, we construct a rough draft with our sketches and measurements. This rough draft is made out of a white canvas-like material that basically creates the outer layer of our design. After this is approved, we move on to make the exact same sample, but with the real fabric we have selected for the season. Sometimes this rough draft model can take up to three to four tries to get right until the final sample is put into production.
Jason Fu, 10, US
How are sweaters made?
For our knitted items, the factory we use is amazing. The steps for these samples are a little less complicated than the other designs. Since many of our knitted items are made from a machine, we simply give them our design and the measurement. Then, the factory inputs the code into these machines and the individual parts (body, arms, hood, etc.) of the knitwear are "printed" and sewn together afterward.
Maisy Chiu, 11, Hong Kong
Is your job boring?
No. I love my job because I have to use so much creativity in it. It makes it so much fun.
Jason Niu, 10, Australia
Can you design clothes for old people as well?
I think so. My dad isn’t too old and he wears some of my clothes, but not all of them.
Justin Liu, 10, US
Did you like designing clothes for The Black-Eyed Peas?
I loved designing clothes for The Black-Eyed Peas. We custom made pieces for them, so it was a little more unique and I got to meet their stylist.
Ellen Qian, 10, China
How do you design your clothes?
I normally sketch something out (for my eyes only), because it’s not exactly the prettiest visual. Then I use a program called Adobe Illustrator and duplicate my sketch. In other words, I draw with my mouse. But I’m able to get perfect angles and curves, and create a mirror image, so the design is proportional on the left and right. Then I simply print it out and add in the measurements. It is much easier for my pattern maker to understand my designs this way as well.
Alex Sung, 12, South Korea
How long does it take to create a line?
For an entire collection from start to finish, it is three months – and that’s for about 43 pieces.
