Evolving as a fashion designer
“How would you describe your trade?” Someone once asked me because I didn’t quite fit in with the general assumptions of a fashion designer. I sketch, design, conceptualize, develop textile prints, source for fabrics and materials, pattern-draft, drape, sew, tailor, create graphics, retail, fit clients, and the list goes on.
Firstly, I am of the belief that one cannot be a good designer without technical knowledge. Secondly, a hands-on approach which can result in unpredictable outcomes, spurs creativity. For example, the cutting and sewing of garments is laborious and tiring. I won’t pretend it isn’t. But by doing the work myself, I discover new techniques, I learn to ‘listen’ to the fabric, and I develop the ability to be agile and adaptable to the creative process. This belief, I attribute to my education at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, which encouraged an all-rounded, multi-faceted attitude towards fashion.
After several years of pop-ups, trade shows and retail settings, I am now also convinced that personal interactions with customers are essential to the design process. This seems obvious — however, it is not uncommon for creatives to retreat into their vision without consideration for the user, particularly when you work for a large company that divides tasks so efficiently there is no need for the designer to question the impact of their creations. In fact, there is no better way to challenge your vision than the tactile and sometimes bracing experience of explaining your work and dressing a regular woman with curves and needs.
Before I continue, I think it is important to define fashion. Fashion is a phenomenon related to cultural, social, political and economic trends. Fashion is also a form of self-expression. As a fashion designer, I am not interested in simply making clothing. I am interested in a design that reflects the zeitgeist, that tells a story, that demonstrates a ‘new’ form or technique or material, that connects to an intrinsic love for beauty.
However, clothing serves a functional purpose. It’s not enough to create interesting styles or materials. It is necessary to consider the needs of the wearer (comfort, identity, lifestyle), the life-cycle of the garment (material and design durability), and the end-of-life of a garment (how it is disposed or recycled). And that confluence of artistic expression and technical value has always been incredibly fascinating to me. And where A.Oei Studio fits in. The best compliment I’ve received is “wearable art”. I will adopt those words as a way to frame my work. :)
When I started A.Oei Studio, I was in an odd stage of life. I had completed fashion school, worked for other companies and had a clearer insight of the industry. But by then, I didn’t really know what the point of fashion was - in the sense of an oversaturated market and a landfill of clothing. According to studies, 80% of the environmental impact of clothing begins with design. Did I really want to continue contributing to that landfill? Did the world need yet another fashion designer? While I still ask myself these questions, today I treat them as a starting point so as to be more conscious of my process.
In 2016, encouraged by both my partner and my father, I took an enormous leap of faith to move to Seattle to start a new business: A.Oei Studio.
My initial vision of A.Oei Studio was a creative platform that merged fashion and textiles in an accessible and sustainable way. Firstly, prints as a core feature, and staple, timeless designs; secondly, the use of natural fibers and local, small-batch production. After months of research on manufacturers and suppliers, sample fittings, website build, market research, all the while traveling back-and-forth between the U.S. and Singapore, I finally launched A.Oei Studio in March 2017 with a collection showcase at Clementines, a multi-label boutique in Seattle.
A.Oei Studio won the Emerging Talents Award and was invited to showcase at Curate NYC 2019.
The initial phase had its ups and downs but by 2019, A.Oei was stocked in 14 boutiques in the U.S. and 3 in Singapore. 2019 was also the year I received a few award nominations and put up 2 fashion shows. Outwardly, things were looking sort-of good. Inwardly, I was a one-woman show scrambling and multi-tasking as if I were a much larger company with more resources than reality. Then Covid.
By May 2020, I was ready to fold the brand as the boutiques I had worked with had either closed or cancelled their orders. Interestingly, during this low point, a few customers reached out to request for custom-made clothing. Through that process of pivoting to a bespoke model of designing, not only did I find my way back into a new order of business, I also developed increased appreciation for the craft and technology of fashion. As well, a genuine curiosity about the women who wore my designs. This approach moved me away from seeing the business as merely a transactional process.
Designing with a customer
Post-Covid, things were picking up for A.Oei Studio as I moved from ready-to-wear to made-to-order, from wholesaling B2B to retailing directly to consumers. I also moved the brand from beloved Seattle to Washington, D.C.., tested out standalone pop-up stores in Alexandria and New York City, before finally opening a new atelier-showroom at the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria.
A.Oei Studio at Torpedo Factory, VA
Looking back, I took on a little too much without setting my foundations right and was burnt out financially, mentally, emotionally. With the combination of various ‘negative’ experiences and outcomes, I decided to hit a pause at the end of 2024. Although this has been a most painful decision, I remind myself that through it all, A.Oei Studio is the embodiment of my vision as a fashion designer, a dream that I have consistently worked towards, and this pause is merely a stage in the bigger scheme of things.
16 years, this journey. My role as a fashion designer has evolved from that of a student trying to develop a ‘handwriting’ (as my Dutch teachers called it), a designer trying to find a place within the industry, an independent business owner balancing the tension between sustainability, commercial needs, and artistic impulses, to a maker finding value in meaningful exchanges. As I’ve had the fortune of doing so much, living in different countries, and taking on different responsibilities, I’ve come to accept that my role as a fashion designer is an ever-evolving one, and that is a good thing.
Next steps? I’m currently in Singapore trying to get my feet back up. This year, I took on fashion draping workshops and costume design work. In particular, I learnt a lot from the workshops: communication skills, presentation skills, course planning, and most of all, having fun returning to the basics of fashion design. I will continue teaching in 2026 and would love to collaborate with more spaces to teach these courses.
For A.Oei, I am gradually returning to my own designs but will take things slow. My intention is to release one design a month, with bespoke fabrication options. At the moment, my focus is still on custom-made orders so if you have an upcoming event, please don’t hesitate to reach out!