Labels: Ping Wu, Project Runway, Project Runway Season 7, Project Runway T Lo Interviews, T Lo Interviews

Ping like ping pong and Wu like "Wooo!"

Darlings, from the minute we first encountered Ping in her audition video for Project Runway, we knew she was going to become a much talked-about member of the S7 cast. Since everything from her personal style to her designs to her auf'ing have been discussed far more than any other contestant in a while, we figured we'd whip out our inner Barbara Walters and give it a go.

So you left China when you were 17?
Yes, I came to the United States from Chengdu, China, alone as a teenager. I went to the University of Pittsburgh, I lived there for 3 years studying English, while I was there, I was double-majoring in Biology and Psychology. I also went to SUNY Buffalo to study Physical Therapy.

When did you discover your passion for fashion?
I truly believe that everyone has a gift. I always loved craft works ever since I was a little girl. I was very good with my fingers [laughs]. I’ve always liked to create things, but I didn’t realize that it really was a sign that I could be a good designer. Of course, I went to all the best schools that I could possibly go to. I was very comfortable being a physical therapist, but I had a lot of spare time and I was alone, I’m still alone [laughs] so I worked from 9 to 5 and then “what do I do?” from 6 until the next morning? I took some arts classes, including ceramic, I also picked up my childhood love, hand knitting, and I also made greeting cards.

My friend convinced me to go to farmers' market with her to sell my cards. I realized that my customers were all professors in the arts field and they bought as many as I could produce. So I was thinking, “Well, if I can make two-dimensional paper greeting cards, I bet I can make clothes.” It’s a different medium but you just turn that into a three-dimensional column and it is clothes. I hand-made my own clothes because I didn’t understand the pattern book and everybody loved it. I thought that if I could make clothes without any training and people like them I guess I could do a much better job if I studied it professionally.

Where did you study fashion?
I enrolled in the Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Italy. After I completed my studies in Fashion Design, I interned with designer Luisa Beccaria in Milan and later with BLESS in Paris.

And in March 2007 you were invited to participate in the Qi Pai Cup Costume Creation Contest during Beijing’s International Fashion Week.
After I finished my internship in Paris, purely by luck, I was invited to this amazing international fashion week with these seven famous Chinese designers but nobody knew me [laughs]. My clothes were so different, the judges just loved them. The reason why I wanted to participate was that the winner of each category would win a chance to show their collection in this trade show called Premiere Classe in Paris. The salon director loved my collection so she told me that even though I didn’t win she would invite me to the show in Paris and she did.

That’s amazing.
They didn’t know that I was just a freshly graduated student. I had no business established but I did not miss that chance. I took some business classes during the evening for several months. I gathered all the business knowledge I needed or at least to make myself more confident to set up a business, I created the entire collection and went to Paris in September 2007 for the show.

Is that true that the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art bought the entire collection?
That’s true. They were my first customers. I still thank them until this day. They were the ones who discovered me. What happened was that one day I went to their store wearing my own clothes just to check on the museum, so the buyer for accessories immediately saw me and asked me about my outfit and I told her I had made it. She was intrigued and asked if I made anything else. I told her that I made accessories. She made an appointment with me the next day and she bought my entire collection.

We love that hat shown in the casting video. Is knitting your main thing?
Thank you. Actually, my interests are much broader than just knitting. I chose knitting for my current line because it’s the easiest way to manufacture your own textiles. It’s the easiest way to produce the shape you want, to create the patterns quickly; all you need is two needles and you can go anywhere with it. I’m also interested in bamboo, weaving techniques with, also high-tech materials.

You also make jewelry.
Yes, I also do jewelry. I have very high standards for the kind of look I want to achieve and sometimes to create the looks I want I really need equipment and materials and for now I’m not ready to produce really high-quality pieces.

Why did you decide to be on the show?
My colleagues have been bugging me to get on the show for a couple of years, ever since I returned to America from Europe. I never felt connected to Project Runway because I was doing mainly accessories. I only make clothes in the spare time that I have for myself. I’m always busy doing a lot of things and during the application period I had some free time and looking for thing to fill up my schedule so I decided to try. Worst case scenario, they don’t choose me.

Did you enjoy the experience?
Yes, for sure. Thousands of people applied and only sixteen of us were selected; the entire America meeting little Ping. It was quite an honor. I think I’m the first native Chinese designer being selected.

You have an impressive resume obviously, and you’re quite talented, and yet you were eliminated so soon. What do you think went wrong?
Well, a few people told me that my design style doesn’t fit in what the majority of the American audience thinks. It’s not the kind of style that people are used to seeing. I also think that in the last challenge wasn’t a very successful team work. I think that’s the main reason why I was eliminated. A lot of things didn’t air, but I had a lot of problems during that challenge.

Do you think if it hadn’t been a team challenge you’d still be on the show?
I mean, of course. Life cannot be replayed or repeated, but I think it if had been my own work, genuine work, genuine design…even if I had been sent home anyway, I wouldn’t feel the same. I took 100% of the consequences, it was my responsibility, but the work wasn’t 100% mine. I had much more interesting designs before that I made. It was just complicated to make the team work towards the vision that I wanted. I had to compromise for the team to move on.

How was it working with Jesse?
It was very difficult to work with Jesse. When I chose him, I purely chose him for his skills. Before that challenge, he appeared to be a very quiet, nice guy. I thought he was humble [Laughs]. Oh my god, I thought we were a perfect team and that my vision was my strength. I thought we could both contribute with different sets of skills and make this brilliant work. He could not understand my vision, how to realize my design. He forced me to listen to him, he forced to go into directions he wanted. I don’t hate him by any means, I don’t know him personally, but I think as a team you have to respect…I’m taking the majority of the responsibility, you’re my team member, you were chosen by me, you should follow me. He was against me every step. It was very sad, very sad.

It didn’t help that the model complained about you.
See, they cut my reply during the final airing, which also made me quite upset. When she said that I was very calm, I didn’t blame her or anything. I said to the judges that we worked as a team. We have two designers, two models. I was trying out my garment on the first model. It is not unreasonable to expect Jesse to work on his design with his model who worked with him in the previous two challenges. He knows her body the best. Why did I have to do everything by myself? I was busy with one model, why couldn’t he take care of the other one?

Do you think you went home because of Jesse?
I could’ve told the judges what was truly going on behind the curtains, but I didn’t. There’s a reason why the final looks don’t even match and it’s not my fault. It’s because I’m Chinese, I never sell my team mates. I never disclose problems with my team mates. If I tell the judges two, three things that happened, does that make me a better person? I don’t think so.

Did he spend a lot of time teaching you how to sew?
Well, that’s another thing that they cut off of my response. Immediately after he said that I said, “Why don’t you tell the judges what you have taught me?” and he was silent. His interpretation of my style is just putting fabrics on. That’s absolutely not what my style really is, even though it does look drape-y as if there were no skills involved.

We have to say that a lot of people feel that your designs are nothing but draped fabrics on the body. What do you have to say in your defense?
I think that’s a very superficial judgment. It’s the same level as Jesse’s interpretation of my design style. I think there are multiple solutions to a problem, any given problem. The simplest solution is the most difficult to find. It’s the cleverest way to solve the problem. So, I think a real good design, a smart design is the one that people go “Wow, why didn’t I think of that?” I designed that first look without a single cut because I didn’t have enough fabric. It’s problem solving. You want to make complicated pieces look effortless. Same thing with my accessories, they are very easy to make. If I told you the trick you’d think that it was so easy. It’s still functional and gorgeous. That’s a skill. There’s intelligence involved. If you think from a business point of view, if you spend less time introducing your product, you save a lot of money and you can produce much more. It’s much more profitable.

When you were crying on the runway you said that Anthony turned to you and said “Don’t ever change, Ping.”
Yes, he did. I knew I was going to be eliminated if I didn’t betray or disclose the internal problems with Jesse. I was prepared and calm. I was so glad that he said that, I love Anthony. I love Seth Aaron. He looked very scary in the beginning but he’s a very sweet guy. After he gave me a hug he whispered that to me. That made me feel very special and I started to cry.

So, what’s next for Ping?
I think I walked a long way before the show. I’m an extremely hard worker, so that’s not going to change because of the show. I will continue my career, my passion for creating designs. Huge commercial success is not my priority, to be honest with you. There are many ways to make money. I live a good life just being a physical therapist. The reason why I pursue fashion design it’s because I really feel that it fits my soul, I can bring something different, unique to this world. I will definitely continue this and I will not base my success on a show. I think you have to earn every bit of your success.

You’re very talented, you have a very unique style and we wish you all the best.
Thank you, guys.

Click Here: http://projectrungay.blogspot.com/2010/02/t-lo-interviews-ping-wu.html

I have trust issues with "Project Runway." I've been burned before by the show, which returns on Lifetime 9 p.m. Central Thursday.

Season 6 was the show's first outing on Lifetime, and many fans worried that it would be different than the Bravo editions of the catwalk chronicle.

Prs7 Though the fashion contest had temporarily relocated to Los Angeles, the first Season 6 episode was not much different than past "Runway" incarnations. However "Runway's" Season 6 turned out to be a dud in the long run, largely because the usual judges, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia, were missing for most of it.

Another problem with Season 6: The designers just weren't that impressive (a problem that also afflicted "Runway's" slapdash, slack final season on Bravo).

Thanks to the lack of drama in the workroom, the lack of pizazz on the runway and the infuriating decisions of the judging panels, which were dominated by an array of guest judges, the first Lifetime season of "Runway" just didn't work for me. I gave my best Tim Gunn sigh, threw up my hands, and walked away from the whole hot mess midway through the season.

This year, the show is back in New York -- thank goodness -- and so are the wonderfully waspish Kors and Garcia. And the contestants in Season 7 seem to have a reasonable amount of talent. Still, we're still in Too Early to Tell territory as far as the new season of "Runway" is concerned.

Will the challenges, which notably lacked creativity in Season 6, be more inspiring and surprising this time around? The first challenge of Season 7 is not reassuring on this front. Will the contestants have not just interesting personalities but design aesthetics worth paying attention to? There are a few interesting garments on the runway Thursday, but all in all, whether the contestants or their clothes will be compelling remains to be seen.

The first episode of Season 7 is pleasant, but upcoming episodes will tell the tale. If the new edition of "Runway" is boring or blah, you can believe I'll be focusing the fashion-addicted part of my brain on the fabulosity of "RuPaul's Drag Race," which begins its second season Feb. 1 on Logo.

The latest bunch of contestants on “Project Runway” are the usual mix of young strivers and veteran stylehounds. One of the most distinctive personalities to emerge in the season premiere is the irrepressible Ping Wu, a designer who was born in China but most recently lived in Chicago.

She made an impression on her fellow designers by draping her materials on her own body while working, and her aesthetic appears to be far more avant-garde than that of the typical “Runway” contestants. Wu is  in China visiting family, but when she returns, she’ll be living in New York. Via e-mail, Wu, who has also worked as a physical therapist, talked about her fashion training, her unconventional design process and her ties to the Midwest, China and New York.

(The dialogue below has been edited and condensed.)

Pr7-ping Can you talk a bit about your training as a designer?

I was admitted to the most prestigious fashion design school, Istituto Marangoni, in Italy for eight months of intense training from 2004-2005. I was almost 29 when I entered this field. My parents thought I’d lost my mind. My German design teacher shouted at me, “Your name is the most boring name in the world! No one would ever remember it! Don’t ever use it for any brands!” You can imagine the humiliation.

No one believed I could go far. My life in Milan was pure hell. But the experience, the training and the knowledge I gained about the industry during that time was extraordinary! Later, I was accepted for another internship in Paris. In comparison, those were days in heaven. Looking back, I’m very thankful that I had such an extremely tough beginning — it forced me to see things through without any mercy or fantasy.

Do you always drape your garments on yourself as you design?

Not always. I do sketch or play with plastic bags or tissue paper to experiment with the forms. But I feel more natural and direct and I have more ideas flow in me when I drape the fabrics on myself in front of a mirror. I want my entire body to interact with my ideas, and provide me with accurate feedback instantly.

How did you end up living in Chicago?

I lived Champaign-Urbana for four years prior to moving to Chicago in 2004. At the time, it was purely because Chicago is the closest cosmopolitan city to Champaign-Urbana, where the majority of my close friends are. When I returned to the U.S. after my fashion studies in 2006, I purposely chose Chicago to set up my small business because of the people here! They are laid back and super-friendly. I felt my business could develop better here during its infancy. Sure enough, I was right. The Ping Wu brand was born and (grew) under the support of kind (Chicago-based consultants).

Now, it’s time for me to bring my business to a bigger stage to further its development while I still have the energy and ambition. That’s why I moved to New York City a few months ago. As (designer) Yohji Yamamoto said, “I’m walking back to the future facing where I came from.”

What do you feel you learned from being on “Project Runway”?

No matter what social roles you choose to play in society — designers, stylists, models, therapist, teachers etc. — they’re just the hats we put on our heads. Underneath, you have to be a decent human being first and foremost. Then love and beauty will show through your work in a powerful and genuine way.

Did you become friends with any of the other designers?

Oh for sure! I believe unique experiences bond people together, especially those that we can’t easily explain to others.

Had you watched past seasons of "Project Runway"? Were you glad it was back in New York this season?

Well, to be quite honest, I've never paid attention on the locations of the show! Why would it matter? I was glad the show was in New York, however, because I was going to move there afterwards. So it was like a warm-up for me.

What was your favorite “Project Runway” memory?

I deeply cherish every second of the time I spent with the industrial sewing machines, the superb cutting table and the mannequin ... and the crazy opportunities to make exciting garments in the public eye. I rarely have opportunities like that, and I don’t have any of these luxury tools in my real life. I [love] to create and to experiment and I only wish I could live like that!

Anything else you want to add about your experience?

Maybe that I could really be an actress?! As a child, I always loved stories and films -- they served my imagination perfectly. My biggest wish in childhood was to be involved in making movies. But in China, people only wanted pretty girls to be actresses, with big eyes and small nose. And I have big nose and small eyes. Plus, as I grow, I am more moved by the reality [of life,] in which people get sick and die. Suddenly, movies seem to be quite light and artificial in comparison. Gradually, that childish wish became a forgotten dream.

Who would ever guess years later, I'm standing in front of camera, in a reality TV show, watched by nationwide audience on another side of the ocean!? Life is full of surprises. Now with the experience of "Project Runway," I can really proudly say: The best role I could ever imagine is really being myself!

Click Here: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2010/01/project-runway-lifetime-season-7-ping-wu.html

Go on a home visit with "Project Runway" Season 7 Designer Ping Wu, in Chicago, IL, to get a sneak peek at where she lives and works. Check out Ping Wu's page for her portfolio and more of her videos!

Watch "Project Runway" Season 7 Designer Ping Wu's audition tape that she submitted to be on "Project Runway." The video was shot at her residence in Chicago, IL.

Ping Wu

College: University of Pittsburgh, State University of New York at Buffalo, Istituto Marangoni - Milan, Italy
Major: Biology, Psychology, Physical Therapy, Fashion Design
Year Graduated: Design School - 2006
Attended SEA Conferences: 2003 & 2004
Presented at SEA Conferences:  2010 & 2014
Creative Work: Hand made greeting cards, ceramic sculptures, hand-knitted accessories, design women's wear
 
What were your "dreams" back in 2003 and 2004?
I didn't have any dreams back then, just was looking for directions. I was trying to get information, to know what my options would be if I involved into arts more seriously. Also, I wanted to check if my works were good enough professionally for me to turn my "hobbies" into something more serious.

What have you accomplished since attending the SEA Conference? After the SEA conference back in 2003, I continued selling my greeting cards to a local gallery and some private clients in Champaign-Urbana, while working as a full time Physical Therapist. I searched among the best fashion design schools in the world to fulfill my needs. In the end, I chose one and only applied there, the most prestigious fashion design school in Italy.

After I received my admission letter, I quit my job in Champaign-Urbana and moved to Chicago as a contracting therapist, in order to make more money and save for later use. I prepared my work, my apartment lease, furniture sale etc. all under the assumption that I would leave by mid September. Only realizing one month before school started that it's almost IMPOSSIBLE for me as a physical therapist to get a student visa for fashion studies in a private institute in Italy. I even tried to apply in another state, Michigan, and even flew to Montreal and it was still not approved. After many numerous phone calls and faxes, I was exhausted and cried many many times...during this time, I was still working full time as a therapist. Finally, only 3 days before my plane departure date, I went back to the same visa office which was my worst nightmare. The previous visa officer was gone on vacation. His replacement carefully read my recommendation letters to verify "Ping Wu is an Artist" (I was embarrassed to call myself an "artist", even now. But due to the situation, it was my only way to get the opportunity to study fashion in Italy.) So, ONE day before my plane departure date, I received my visa!!! I was so thrilled, and cried again!!!

By the time I arrived in Milan, I was so exhausted, and even a little confused: like after a night of nightmares, you would disbelieve when it's all over. I felt strange landing in a strange land only a few hours later. Milan, Italy a place where my pursue in design officially started.

I thought with my age, and cross-cultural experience, I was well prepared for this journey, only to find out that was not at all the case. This turned out to be full of the wildest stories, shocking experiences that any one of them can tear you apart, destroy you emotionally, and truly challenge your limits.

These horrible experiences including staying with an Italian family that hit her and kicked her out. At another place her roommate stole from her not only money but also her Italian Permit of Stay and other legal documents. A landlord refused to give her back her deposit. She finally was able to stay with some friends she had made so she didn't become completely "homeless."

My academic experience was also not smooth. I was the only one in this highly international class/school who didn't have any systematic fashion knowledge and official training. Immediately, I knew there's a long way to catch up. Even on the first day of school, I saw the difference between this school as compared to any previous schools I'd been in. The entire school was dressed in black, and black only. "Channel", "D&G", "Gucci" etc labels were everywhere. Most of the students, especially the international students were coming from very wealthy backgrounds, many of their families own established fashion businesses. My simple and functional style was sharply contrasted with these black classic crowd. My classmates' daily vocabularies consisted of various designers' names, brands, variety of drugs, and sex. My difference was obvious in every aspect.

This fashion school cultivated many world class designers in Italy. For such prestige, I understood and even respected strict rules to guarantee quality of education. However, certain things I have heard and experienced here were absolutely shocking. Our design teacher was a German designer who had this strong prejudice against Chinese for some reason. She told me straight out that I shall not use my name as a brand name. "Because it's the most boring name in the world! People will forget it in 1 minute! If your customers dislike Chinese, they would never buy your things!" "You're so selfish to use your name as a brand..." Her opinions were always felt like personal attacks, rather than professional criticism. She made fun of me in front of all the students in other classes...she only taught her favored students details privately, and not to others. There was so much obvious humiliation and unfair treatment. It almost paralyzed my ability to draw and think. Yet, there was no way to switch classes or get the administrator's attention.

Many young students in our class gave up their dream in fashion, and switched to other interest as a direct consequence of her teaching. What a terrible and painful scene to observe! At that time, I can't help telling myself: If I ever became a teacher, even if I couldn't give anything more to my students, I would give them a belief, encouragement, a hope and the ability to hold on to their dreams - the are soooo essential! They're still a little sprout, which may have potential to grow up into a big tree one day. How could anyone dare to kill their dreams and kill their enthusiasm so irresponsibly and with no mercy!?

Despite of the fact, I still received a good final grade in the end. I finally came to a conclusion by the end of my studies; this is not the best school for my design style. However, I appreciated my experience here. I got exactly what I wanted to learn and more.

Following graduation, despite the language barrier, I independently found an internship opportunity working directly with Luisa Beccaria, and designed her accessories for her upcoming collection. As a first intern in her company, I helped my school establish a relationship with the designer for future students' internship placement.

To further enrich my learning experience in Fashion, I also found another internship opportunity at BLESS, Paris. I directly worked with a very creative artistic designer Desiree Heiss. My days in Paris were a heaven on earth...Professionally fulfilling and life was full of harmony and friendship...I miss it every day.

But it had to end. In the mid of August, I had to come back to Chicago to renew my license in Physical Therapy and update my clinical knowledge. As I'm still working part time as a contracting therapist, it becomes clear to me: I want to get back to Fashion.

In October, my accessories designs and greeting cards were selected into Illinois Artisans Program, and sold at the Thompson center and southern Artisans shop.

What are your dreams now?
To further improve myself in the fashion world, hopefully in New York City next.

What do you hope to be doing in 5 years?
Hopefully, I would have my own little line.

What were the most beneficial aspects of the SEA Conference? Confirmation on the quality of my works and my potential to succeed in the artistic field.

How did attending the SEA Conference help you get to where you are today? 

1.  The crucial thing: the encouragement and confidence in this unknown artistic world
   
   
2. The contacts: I still keep in touch with Organizer Amy Rogers, the speaker Libby Platus and lawyer Dale Golden. They're not only genuinely kind to me, and sincerely interested in my development at a personal level, but they also helped me in giving suggestions in a professional way.
   
   

Do you have any advice to an artist starting out?
Persevere!

http://www.selfemploymentinthearts.com/#!ping-wu/c1i9o