A Future Interwoven

Emerging Spanish Chinese designer Yayi Chen Zhou reflects on the tapestry of her multicultural influences that define the eponymous label, weaving together identity, craftsmanship and the immigrant experience

- Cherry Mui

One profile among the semi-finalists for the prestigious LVMH Prize 2024 caught our attention due to the designer’s multicultural upbringing. Yayi Chen Zhou, the founder of her eponymous brand Ya Yi, has navigated the complexities of cultural duality across Madrid, Shanghai and New York. Moreover, through her design and craft, she explores the experiences of Asian immigrant women, weaving their stories into her work.

“Growing up in a Chinese immigrant community in Madrid, I spent much of my childhood in their working spaces, usually Chinese restaurants,” recalls Chen, who lived in the Spanish capital until she was ten years old. This early exposure to cultural duality became the foundation of her creative philosophy, sparking reflections on the gaps between firstgeneration immigrants and their descendants. “I feel like there are many uncertainties among immigrant women, and they made me reflect on what it means to be a woman with a multicultural identity and background in the world today,” she says.

With easy access to Spain’s rich artistic heritage, Chen developed a passion for fine art early on. “Growing up in Europe allowed me to immerse myself in art,” she explains. From the romantic brushstrokes of Velázquez to the surrealist forms of Picasso, the art around her influenced her aesthetic. Fashion, she believes, is merely another canvas. “I see fashion or garments as part of the medium through which we express ourselves, on the human body,” she says, underscoring her belief that fashion is a powerful storytelling tool.