We recently connected with Ruoyan Er and have shared our conversation below.

Ruoyan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I’ve actually had a big theme over the years, which is “stories of people suffering from mental illness.” As a listener, I feel it’s my duty to strip away the emotion and the subtlety. Probably the most significant design for me is my “Serendipity” series. I tried to strip away the emotions and use the texture of the knit to reflect the charm of textile. Letting the unevenness of the touch pile up. Let the story of the teller become touchable and embraceable. You can feel the contradiction between the struggle and acceptance of each storyteller behind the soft texture and strong colors.

Ruoyan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My current clientele consists of two main segments, businesses and individuals. For individual buyers and customers, most of them come to customize sweaters made of top quality yarn because of the unique warmth quality and one of a kind. For corporations, I’m more likely to be asked to create tech packs and CAD designs, because I’m directly connected to the supply chain, whether it’s seamless or casual, I have the appropriate factories to connect with. But the needs are different, which makes me happy because I get to see the whole industry with different people!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I think it’s the whole thing about having a growing network of contacts.Despite being in the same industry, everyone is doing different things and different artists have different ways of expressing themselves. There is a sense of “the oceans are connected and different species of fish can live in the same sea”. Unintentional interpersonal or emotional projections will always lead to unexpected harvests in my own hands in the future.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

In the future I would like to own a textile mill of my own, making unique and bold materials, and excellent quality from the source. I think the whole textile thing is supposed to represent a kind of female power. Meaning more jobs for artisans and less unemployment for women. And of course, as natural biodegradable materials, I’ve always felt that all-natural wool and cotton proteins are more environmentally friendly. And of course it’s doing something for animal husbandry and agriculture, right?

Contact Info:

• Website: https://erruoyan.wixsite.com/website
• Instagram: @geki_b
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruoyan-er-8680151ab/
• Twitter: @ErRuoyan

Image Credits
Photographer cv：Shan Shi @13studio