In the fast-paced world of haute couture, it's clearly evident Eva Chen is going places.
As the creative brain behind Juan Eva, the Liaoning native has set the lofty goal of making her designer line of elegant women's clothing a global fashion brand within two years with select boutiques to show off her creations.
Much like her idol Valentino who she admires for his use of red and his designs that "make ladies beautiful, always beautiful" , the Vancouver-based Chen is targeting a market of 30 to 60 year old women with creations of distinct design that are classic, elegant and edgy.
At the opening party of Vancouver Fashion Week on Wednesday in a luxury car showroom, a model wearing Chen's pale pink silk party dress with black accents drew a favorable response from the society types, fashionistas and local media in attendance.
With her runway show set to take place on Friday (APRIL 9) when she is showing 20 pieces from her collection, the Shenyang native says her life is hectic in working from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. to be ready, in addition to taking care of her daughter at their suburban home in the neighboring city of Richmond.
She says her Vancouver showing which is showcasing clothes for the fall and winter, will be big on purple, black and crme colors.
"I like crme because it is a color that is outstanding everywhere. My collection, the cutting, the shape is very lady- like, feminine and unique. I think it is how all ladies feel about art. It's very outstanding."
While some of her creations are akin to updated version of old classic dresses from the 1940s, others are form-fitting outfits with crisp lines and matching linen trousers accented by fake fur. If Chen is targeting mature women with her creations, they are ladies with style, those not afraid to dress their age, celebrating their standing in life.
"They are not expensive clothes. With the clothes I design it depends on the fabric and the detail. If it is very, very pretty, maybe a little bit expensive but normally I not charge too much. I will service every beautiful lady," she says.
"If this line does really well I will next do kids because I have a daughter. I hope for her age group I can create beautiful clothes. She is nine years old and it's hard to find clothes. I also like to do jewelry."
Following Vancouver, Chen will next prepare for Seattle Fashion Week where she is showing next month. She plans to have 30 pieces ready for the show with a target of creating 100 pieces of women's clothing so she can take her brand global.
"One day, sometimes I design 10 pieces, but I can't sew that fast. I can usually finish one or two items in one or two days. In three months I think I will finish 100 pieces."
It seemed inevitable Chen would do something creative. Her mother was a singer and a singing teacher, while her sister is a television producer in Shenyang. From a young age she was constantly involved in singing, dancing and drawing. For six years she would play the erhu professionally before attending Lu Xun Academy of Fine Arts, Shenyang, where she would learn all about cutting, sewing and design under the strict tutelage of teachers trained in classic design.
Upon graduation in 1994, she moved to Singapore where she worked for other designers for five years, before stops in Los Angeles and San Francisco where she would hook up with her former Shenyang teacher Jinza Jin. For the past decade, she has lived in Vancouver suburb of Richmond, an airport city extremely popular with Chinese migrants.
She believes with her extensive experience around the world and her eye for elegant design, there's no reason why she can't burst onto the world fashion scene in a big way, following in the footsteps of all the design greats she has admired.
"China designers are getting stronger and stronger. Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong are the hot spots. But there are only a few that work all over the world. I try to do that in working in Canada."
With her life so hectic at present in getting her creations ready for the runway, the currently self-financed Chen said she knows it will take a lot of investment to take her brand global, but it is something she hasn't pursued yet. She admits, however, a few parties have shown interest.
"A few investors have talked to me, and others say 'want to be your marketing manager.'It gives me hope that I can do this." While she currently designs, cuts and sews everything herself, Chen says China will eventually play a big role in her master plan.
"I will do everything I can do. I will go back to China to choose the fabric. I also love Italian fabric and will travel to Los Angeles and New York.
"Right now, I'm using Canadian people (to create her designs), including Chinese. Later I will find a factory in China to mass produce the goods. If everything is good work I can do this."
