00:00It feels sad to me sometimes, like the skinniest lady, right, can feel that, oh, they are still bigger size and they can be smaller.
00:11Wah, I am so getting emotional now.
00:24Hi, my name is Rui Xian, I'm a dressmaker and the founder of Studio HHFZ.
00:29We've been running for about six years now.
00:32HHFZ is an abbreviation for Hui Huang Fang Zhen.
00:36So it literally means Mighty Fabric and Needle, but it's actually my parents' name.
00:42So the Huang is from my dad's name and the Fang is from my mom's name.
00:46And I like put them together, it's like a pun.
00:51I've been very in touch with my roots in a sense.
00:54I really like the Chinese culture.
00:56I also love vintage style.
00:58So I think it's sort of like, it just comes naturally to me.
01:03And as a Chinese, I think it's quite important to have a cheongsam at least in our wardrobe.
01:09Since young, I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer, but I didn't know which aspect in particular.
01:16I always like dressing up and then I really wanted to get into domestic poly, doing fashion design.
01:23Through that course, I realised that I really enjoy the process of dressmaking.
01:27Like making the thing from scratch, from like the ideation to the sewing, the hand stitching.
01:33So after I graduated, I started working for a few boutiques.
01:38At my last bridal shop company, I really fell in love with cheongsam.
01:42I think any woman who wears a cheongsam immediately has a very different aura and a whole persona.
01:50It's really about the clothes fitting to you instead of you fitting into the clothing.
01:56So actually when I started HHFZ, the focus was more on bridal cheongsams in particular.
02:02And I mean, for me, I still do the cutting and sewing on my own.
02:06So everything is bespoke, meaning everything is customised and measured and designed according to your style.
02:15So I think no two pieces are the same.
02:18Even if it's the same fabric, it will be like different details.
02:21Like it could be with sleeves, without sleeves and like different beads and buttons.
02:28Experimenting with the different fabrics is also our forte.
02:34Because we work with tweed, we work with jacquards.
02:36There are fabrics that are more modern.
02:42I was very nervous whether or not to quit my full-time job to pursue this.
02:48But I was thinking to myself, if I don't do it now, then when?
02:52You know, I don't think there will ever be a point where I'll be like,
02:55okay, I'm ready to start the business.
02:57And at that point, I feel a bit hesitant of my own work because I think of my age.
03:03I was 24 when I started, so I think people were a bit apprehensive of like,
03:07can this person deliver what they say they can do?
03:10The first piece that I made when I started HHFZ was for a client who made three pieces with me, wedding gown.
03:17And then it was a cheongsam and an evening outfit.
03:21She had a lot of confidence in me.
03:23So, I'm very thankful for her.
03:26The person who gave me the confidence to start out actually.
03:31This piece, it's very close to heart because this is my wedding outfit.
03:37Green is me and my husband's favourite colour.
03:40And basically, I used fresh water pearls and tassels.
03:45Actually, on the inside, I used shoulder padding to puff it up.
03:50So, something that I haven't done before.
03:53So, when I first started, the business was pretty slow, I would say.
03:57I think people will see it more as a piece for formal occasions.
04:01But personally, I really like to work with pieces that are more everyday wear.
04:05Because I know that these cheongsams, these pieces are really put into good use.
04:09And people feel confident, be it wearing to work or a presentation or a conference.
04:17So, we have experimented a lot with two-piece suits.
04:21Breaking the cheongsam silhouette into two pieces.
04:23Basically, a top and a skirt or a top and pants.
04:27And I think these pieces are generally more versatile to wear on a daily basis.
04:31What is the biggest challenge in managing expectations?
04:36I think the biggest challenge is managing expectations.
04:42I mean, talking about body image and...
04:46I think a lot of people have that mindset that,
04:50Oh, cheongsam has to be very tight-fitting.
04:52And I have to be very slim, very tall to fit a certain image that they have in their mind.
04:58So, I would say 95% or actually higher, 97% of women who come in,
05:08certainly have something that they are insecure about, like about their body.
05:12And some dressmakers or designers who are like,
05:17Oh, you cannot gain any more weight.
05:19But I want to sort of bring this whole image that they have.
05:25And it's all about embracing your body for what it is.
05:30And then when I see clients struggle with that,
05:36it's also like an internal battle.
05:39Naturally, I would want to correct them.
05:42But at the same time, I also want to do it at your comfort.
05:46Of course, on my part, I will suggest materials that wouldn't make you feel as insecure.
05:51Like for example, satin is quite unforgiving.
05:53It really accentuates every curve and every bulge you have.
05:58So, sometimes I have to see the person and I'll be like,
06:01Okay, if they are really that insecure, then maybe I will steer away from that.
06:05Or if let's say, I think this person can be pushed a little bit in terms of how they feel about their body,
06:10I might suggest like, Okay, maybe we can go with satin.
06:12But there are some tweaks or some linings that will make them feel a little bit more comfortable.
06:20It's a problem that I also struggle on my own
06:22because sometimes I do look at myself in the mirror and be like,
06:25Oh, I wish I could be skinnier.
06:28But when I actually see somebody like my client struggling with the problem also,
06:34it's really like a reminder to myself to just keep doing what I do
06:38and to change a little perspective at a time.
06:41Because we are bespoke, the opportunity to work with the different body shapes
06:44really gives me a better understanding of dressmaking.
06:49So, now when you think of a cheongsam,
06:51I hope that it's not just a very tight-fitting, body-hugging, silky kind of image that comes to your mind.
06:59It's really like endless possibilities and I want to bring that image that you have in your mind into reality.
07:08I do think that it's very hard to find seamstresses in Singapore.
07:11The seamstresses of the older generation, like in their 50s and 60s,
07:17once these seamstresses retire, there's like really no one else to do dressmaking in Singapore.
07:23It's sort of a reason why I wanted to start this business also because I feel like
07:27actually my team is quite young.
07:29I'm very fortunate to have found them.
07:32Yeah, and I think their mindset is quite like mine where we are really looking to level up our skills.
07:44I think the dressmaking trade will survive for a long time.
07:46People nowadays, we like things that are unique and it's more like catered to like our personal style and our personal needs.
07:52So, there's always going to be a demand.
07:57Now, in our society, especially in Singapore, we're all like very fast-paced.
08:02We're all about like efficiency.
08:04Clothes and food are like the easiest to get in touch with your roots.
08:16It's a dream of mine to have like a dessert stall and a dressmaking studio side by side.
08:21So, the idea is like when you come into fitting for your dress or like you make a dress
08:26and then you go over and you have a nice, very warm, hot dessert.
08:33So, that is why I also like started the Chinese desserts.
08:37My husband's the one like running the space.
08:41The name of the dessert stall is called Si Yuan.
08:43Basically, 饮水思源, the Chinese idiom, is to remember where the water we consume comes from.
08:51Remembering your roots.
08:54We serve traditional Chinese desserts with a little bit of twist.
08:58For me, I always love Chinese desserts and I think it's very hard to find like good quality ones,
09:04especially those that's hand-homemade and handmade from scratch.
09:10Say, almond paste.
09:11I think almond paste is a very like good example because most places,
09:15I think the shortcut is just to add like almond essence to get the almond taste.
09:18But for us, we do it from scratch.
09:21I think for both spaces, the dressmaking studio and also the cafe,
09:26I'm trying to go for a very slow-living kind of process, like really embracing the very little things.
09:33Like, for example, in the studio, we embrace the little details like the buttons that you choose,
09:39the colour of the lining and for the cafe, when people eat it,
09:45they feel the amount of work and effort that has been put into like a bowl of dessert.
09:54It's a very like slow life, slow sustainable life.
09:59Yeah, it's just like a dream.
10:02Five to ten years down the road, I mean, I hope to keep it still the same like that
10:06because people always ask me like,
10:08oh, if I want to like upscale my business, like employ more, do more.
10:12But to me, it's not about like the volume,
10:15but it's about the quality and the connection that I make with people.
10:19I do intend to do this as long as I can.
10:22Yeah.
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