We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Yuwei Hu. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Yuwei below.

Yuwei Hu, an award-winning costume designer based in Los Angeles, is thriving in the early stages of her career, consistently showcasing her intricate designs in the entertainment industry. Reflecting gratefully on her journey, this rising designer continues to push the boundaries of costume design with each project. Her early work quickly gained attention for its meticulous detail and innovative approach, earning her acclaim and opportunities to contribute to high-profile productions. With her unique artistic vision, Yuwei’s designs are celebrated for their ability to enrich storytelling, transforming costumes into essential elements of the visual narrative. Today, she offers insights into her journey, the inspirations behind her work, and the challenges she has overcome to achieve success in this competitive field.

Yuwei , 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?

From my earliest memories, my grandmother has been a constant presence, sewing and crafting fabric creations with her vintage sewing machine and handknitting. I would often spend hours by her side, carefully observing her every movement with threads and needles. This early exposure gradually ignited my passion for designing and crafting garments, while considering the impact they have on the people who wear them. The warmth of textiles, the sincerity of stitches, and the sophisticated cultural background of garments have drawn my interest in designing what we wear, transcending their roles as mere protective and decorative pieces.

Growing up in Beijing, China, amidst a diverse tapestry of stories, behaviors, and attire among the city’s dense population, I developed a fascination for human observation. This environment led me deeper into exploring the performativity of garments and the textures surrounding individuals or groups. After graduating from Parsons School of Design in Fashion Design, I pursued an MFA degree in Costume Design at California Institute of the Arts, School of Theater. Centering on the occupiable spaces around oneself, my practice has expanded to encompass performance art, fashion, and costume design. With a focus on fostering immersive experiences, I emphasize the transformative power, which flows seamlessly from performers and wearers to engage audience in observation or participation. I am intrigued by the dual experience of emotion and rationality inherent in this interaction, endeavoring to craft designs that resonate on both emotional and intellectual levels.

From garments, body spheres, sound-embodied wearable sculptures, hammered sound installations, sensor-embodied interactive wearable pieces, and home soft goods, to costumes for different productions in film, dance, and theater productions, my designs seek to intertwine the current status of socioeconomic with the attention to nature in its multiple socio-natural occurrence. Through this synthesis, I delve into the relationship of ontological hybridity between costume and performance. By exploring the intrinsic fusion of identities and sensations that exist within each layer, I seek to enrich the depth and complexity of a unified and multifaced experience.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Costumes, to me, are powerful communicators of characters, knowledge, understanding, and cultural significance. They transcend mere garments, embodying symbols imbued with meaning that reflect social norms, historical contexts, and individual identities. Molded with progress and evolving through time and space, the construction of costume identity within a series of actions supports shaping both self-perception and external impressions, to embrace the different facets of their identity through the outer layer of their bodies. At the core of my approach lies a foundation of intensive research and collaborative effort. I work closely with directors, producers, fellow creatives, and scholars to ensure that the design choice aligns seamlessly with the intended purpose of the production. This collaborative process enriches the depth of character portrayal and contributes to a more profound understanding and appreciation of the narrative, which brings designs to resonate deeply with underlying themes.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The designs of costumes come to life in performance, as they are dressed and inhabited by actors, dancers, or collective identities. Each look embodies different roles, emotions, and narratives with the expressive mediums of movement, gesture, and interaction. Employing a symbolic language comprising colors, fabrics, motifs, and styles allows me to effectively convey messages and enhance the depth of character portrayal within a performance. In the theater production of “The Water Station”, a Japanese, slow tempo, silent play about the plight of refugees written by Ota Shogo, I utilized costume design to portray the backgrounds and individual journeys of each character. Through meticulously crafted costumes, I aimed to articulate the pressing issue of homelessness. Each costume was carefully designed to capture the struggles, resilience, and humanity of the characters within the narrative context. By infusing the costumes with symbolic elements and subtle details, I sought to evoke empathy and deepen the audience’s understanding of the characters’ experiences, contributing to a more impactful and thought-provoking theatrical presentation.

As an Asian costume designer, I feel a strong sense of responsibility to support Asian filmmakers and artists. I believe in using my platform and skills to amplify their voices, stories, and perspectives through costume design. Through authentic and nuanced representations in costume design, I aim to challenge stereotypes and celebrate the richness and diversity of Asian cultures and experiences. By collaborating, I aim to celebrate our shared heritage while also highlighting the unique perspectives and stories within the Asian community. Designing costumes for “A Better Place” was a truly enriching experience for me. It is a short film based on the story of a first and second generation Asian-American family and their journey toward understanding the value of their lives resonated deeply with me. I aimed to authentically portray the characters’ cultural backgrounds and personal identities while also reflecting the unique difficulties and experiences they face as part of the Asian-American community.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.yuwei-hu.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yw.hu/

Image Credits
Zixuan Li, Héctor Alvarez, Alejandro Caminos, Shih-Chun Hsiao, Ryan Nebreja