Melbourne designer Cuiting Wu’s graduate collection is merging ceramic materials and knitwear

“I think less is more… and that’s why I do handcrafts.”

As an official media partner of PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, Fashion Journal is excited to once again be supporting the National Graduate Showcase x Emporium Melbourne, celebrating Australia’s top-ranked emerging fashion design talent. The top 10 leading graduates from across the country will exhibit their collections in a boundary-pushing presentation, showcasing experimental design and innovation.

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Over the next few weeks, we’ll be profiling each designer through a series of interviews. Next up is Cuiting Wu. Inspired to change the ‘grandma’ stereotype associated with knitting, Cuiting’s graduate collection merges ceramics and knitwear to create contemporary, playful designs. Below, she tells us about her collection.

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Cuiting… you also can call me Fee. I am a Chinese-born designer. I commenced my Master of Fashion (Design) at RMIT University after obtaining a Bachelor of Design in Graphic and Object Design from the University of New South Wales. I try to incorporate my experiences into [my] design[s], for example, [by using] different skills and materials to find more potential for [my] designs.

Tell us about your collection.

My collection is about how to change the impression of knitwear. The inspiration came from my experience when I worked on my bachelor’s graduation project and I was using knitting skills in the project. However, I got [some] feedback about my project [and they said]…  knitting is a grandma thing, and the feedback motivated me to think about how to change the stereotypes of knitwear.

Within my master’s project, I explored the possibilities of combining ceramic and knit materials and tried to show more potential in knitwear. My aim is to achieve creative innovation through [the] merging of materials, using my training in print and graphics to further expand the visual potential of the designs.

When did you know you wanted to get into fashion and textile design?

High school. I was influenced by my mum when I was young as she loves to go shopping and styling, and she was really good at knitting… I learnt knitting from her during primary school. But I didn’t realise that I wanted to get into fashion and textile design until I had the fashion course in my high school, and the course gave me a chance to get in touch with the fashion industry… that made me want to learn more about fashion and textile design.

What were the major points of inspiration for your collection, and you more broadly as a designer?

The major points of inspiration are my experiences… I always want to combine what I learnt, what I saw and what I experienced together. For example, the print in my collection… was inspired by my studies in object design… I also researched the five senses and they gave me ideas of how [to] change the impression of knitwear.

Tell us about the experience of putting together your graduate collection.

It was a big challenge for me as this was the first time I created a collection… it was fresh for me and I really enjoyed the process of making and the time at RMIT with friends and teachers. I am very grateful to my teachers… they always help and inspire me [and I] learnt lots of things about design and the fashion industry. In addition, I am very grateful to my friends and parents, they always support and encourage me. 2023 was an amazing year for me!

What part does sustainability play in your design practice? And other ethical considerations?

Slow making and craftsmanship in my design practice. I think less is more… and that’s why I do handcrafts.

Who do you think is most exciting in Australian fashion right now?

I think the most exciting in Australian fashion is the diversity of culture and innovation. There are more and more different designers bringing their culture and ideas to Australia to create… innovation for the fashion industry and to show audiences the potential of Australian fashion.

What about the Australian fashion industry needs to change?

In my opinion, fashion is something that… [requires you] to settle down and take your time to think and design, so I think maybe Australian designers could try to slow down their life and… [encourage] slow production.

To view more of Cuitling’s work, head here. You can get your tickets to PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s National Graduate Showcase x Emporium Melbourne here.