HW60 #Her World Her Story

For decades, Her World has been a champion for women – in mind, body and action. To celebrate Her World’s 60th anniversary this year, we present #HerWorldHerStory – a collection of 60 inspiring real-life stories on print and on herworld.com. And it starts with you: real women. In this second of our six-part series, which runs till our August issue, #HerWorldHerStory will feature 10 women who encapsulate what it’s like to be a woman in Singapore. They share their successes, challenges, passions and ambitions – these are their stories.

- CARA VAN MIRIAH, HAYLEY TAI, CHEONG WEN XUAN

Hu Ruixian, 25

THIS 20SOMETHING DRESSMAKER HAS MADE IT HER PERSONAL MISSION TO GET YOUNG WOMEN LIKE HERSELF TO SWITCH OUT THEIR T-SHIRTS AND JEANS FOR CUSTOMISED CHEONGSAMS.

I started my cheongsam business Studio HHFZ in 2018, four years after graduating from Temasek Polytechnic’s Fashion Design course, as I felt that millennials have forgotten their roots. I wanted to celebrate the Chinese heritage, focusing on custom dressmaking service. I also want to encourage more people to don the cheongsam other than on special occasions such as weddings and Chinese New Year.

I’m a one-woman show at the studio because I want to be 100 per cent involved, walking my customers through the entire dressmaking process.

Many people have asked me, “Ruixian, why do you go through all these steps by yourself?”

Some of my industry peers think it’s too “ley cey” (troublesome). But to me, it’s not about how many clients I have or how fast I get the work done. My job is my something dressmaker has made it her personal mission to get young women like herself to switch out their T-shirts and jeans for customised cheongsams.

life! Every night before I go to sleep, I think about the pieces I’ll be making or working on the next day. It’s really a labour of love, and each piece I make is unique to the wearer.

I meet with my customers to understand what they’re really looking for in the dress, and they can also choose the fabric at the studio.

Sometimes, I’d bring them to the fabric suppliers to find the most suitable piece. I then create a draft of the final product, before working on the cheongsam. It takes me about three months to complete one.