Meet Terrence Zhou: the Bad Binch (TONGTONG) of fashion.
Perfect: When did you first realise that you wanted to become a fashion designer?
Terrence Zhou: I always wanted to do art. It is kind of funny because I chose fashion because I wanted to know more about it. However, the more I know about it, the more I don’t want to do it. In the end, I tried to find a balance between the unusual silhouette that touches my feelings and the side of fashion that I don't feel passionate about at all.
Perfect: How would you describe your brand’s unique style and identity? What is most identifiable of it?
Terrence Zhou: My brand is a representation of who I am. When I create my pieces, I want to make sure that it would remind people of my personality without me explaining. They could immediately guess what my interests are and what I aim to do. They might forget what I made but they wouldn’t forget the feeling and emotions once they have seen my work.
Perfect: Where does the inspiration for your designs usually come from?
Terrence Zhou: My inspiration usually comes from myself. I have to be in a space free of anxiety to actually create. Usually, they are moments of life that could be seen as banal but somehow for each banal case I would love to turn them into something relevant and interesting to our lives. The urge of manipulating and controlling trivial things pushes me to do more work to communicate with my audience.
Perfect: What skills and aspects are key to constructing one of your signature silhouettes?
Terrence Zhou: Intuition and unlearning. Lots of times experience can restrict our thoughts and ideas because we have been taught the right way of doing things. There is nothing wrong with that, as a matter of fact, it will lead us to a safe zone to have things properly made. For me, I aim to challenge the experience and learn to unlearn, because creating new things is risky and dangerous. The methods should be something that has never been explored before. Although forgetting what I have learned is difficult and sounds contradictory, the way of thinking eventually leads me to a different perspective to create and free myself from the framework.
Perfect: What do you enjoy most about being creative in NYC? How has the city influenced your work?
Terrence Zhou: Being in NYC has exposed me to so many cultures. There is something unique and the quality of being a go getter among New Yorkers. I guess what deems to be impossible are all possible here if we truly believe in it. That is the magic of living in NYC.
Perfect: What can we hope to see next from Bad Binch TongTong?
Terrence Zhou: Bad binches have no plans. But let's stay tuned for surprises. I want to stay present and enjoy each moment instead of planning too far ahead.
