By Bethany Berkeley
Kori Chiang, born in Texas, infused her designs with a cosmopolitan spirit, inspired by four continents.
Her journey though not traditional is one that is inspiring. Beginning in her hometown Texas, where she received a Town and Country magazine for her 5th birthday, and continuing with Chiang studying finance, which then led to working in private equity. It wasn't until 2021 that TSYRK was conceived. A brand that feels ageless, transcending time and place, hovering amidst global inspirations.
TSYRK's creations are a tapestry of tailored sculptures, embracing feminine silhouettes adorned with whimsical, couture-like details. Their designs evoke a world of reverie, expressed through nostalgic colour pairings, trompe l'oeil illusions, unexpected details, and ingenious versatility. Chiang takes us through her journey letting the expressive way in which she designs her collections, emulate through her words.
Courtesy of TSYRK
Bethany- Talk me through your journey into the fashion industry. How did it begin?
Kori: My journey into the fashion industry is an unorthodox one. I developed a strong interest, to put it mildly, in fashion and art at a very young age. For my fifth birthday, my grandmother sent me a subscription to the fashion and lifestyle magazine Town & Country - an odd choice for a kid’s birthday gift, but maybe she knew what my future would be. I started getting my hands on any of the fashion publications that were available to me, and seeing those glamorous pages really sparked my imagination and interest in a world that took me far beyond my suburban childhood in Texas. My love for fashion and art was something I nourished on my own - it was always seen as a hobby and not something to take seriously as a profession.
I never went to art or design school and fell into studying finance, which led to working in private equity. I knew I never felt or would feel passionate about working in that industry, and I spent most of my time dreaming about doing something with more creative agency. It wasn’t until 2018 that I fully reflected on pursuing something that would be fulfilling, and decided to leave to figure out exactly what I wanted to do in a creative context. Over the next two years, I developed a vision of my design perspective and knew that I wanted to move directly to bringing to life the world that I had created in my mind and that I thought about constantly.
I decided to start TSYRK without having a formal background in fashion and design; I’ve never been one to follow rules well, but I think society, and specifically the fashion industry, I more and more embracing unconventional voices.
Bethany- What made you name your brand TSYRK? Is there a meaning behind it?
Kori: 'TSYRK’ is our interpretive spelling of the word ‘circus’ - phonetically, it translates to “circus” in several languages. For me, the circus is a magical place where the impossible becomes possible, and the harshness of reality fades away. Trompe l'oeil is omnipresent in the design philosophy of TSYRK - nothing is quite as it seems - and there is a sense of mischief and whimsicality. Rather than being a literal source of inspiration, the circus serves as a dream-like state where I go to create and transform. The essence of TSYRK is about returning to a sense of playfulness and optimism, and the idea of the circus really resonates with me in that way.
Courtesy of TSYRK
"Trompe l'oeil is omnipresent in the design philosophy of TSYRK - nothing is quite as it seems - and there is a sense of mischief and whimsicality."
Bethany- What do you think about the present fashion industry?
Kori: I think the fashion industry has a lot of issues to address and solve, in terms of finding a way to champion responsible consumption norms, production transparency, and prioritizing the safety of the environment. At the same time, now is a time when non-traditional voices are being accepted and embraced, and the previous exclusivity of the industry is making way for a more inclusive attitude.
I think there exists a palpable tension between the independent creators and innovators, and the mega-brand operations - between true creativity and commercialism at any cost, for which the breaking point is coming, in terms of what we as consumers deserve to have to feel satisfied. I think the fashion industry is a space with many contradictions - to create art and at the same time to fulfil a basic need - and will go through some significant and necessary changes in the coming years.
Bethany- What would you say plays a big part in your design process?
Kori: My design process is built around finding inspiration from locales I’ve spent time in, lived in, or have some connection to. I am most interested in finding a juxtaposition of old and new. There’s something about referencing the past and bringing it into the present that’s very satisfying for me. I am particularly influenced by Bauhaus and Modernist architecture, nostalgic everyday colour pairings, every-day objects of the past, and changing the concept of traditional, purpose-made garments.
Bethany- What inspired your most recent collection?
Kori: For our upcoming SS24 collection, I’ve expanded on the city of Hong Kong, the birthplace of my paternal grandmother, as a source of inspiration. The collection is a continuation of exploring how the juxtaposition of opposing concepts can harmoniously coexist, and result in an ironically playful mood. In the same way that Hong Kong is bursting at the seams with beauty and energy - with its mix of opposing influences - the new collection reflects the same ideas at its core while proposing a fresh interpretation. TSYRK SS24 plays with our continuing reference to a world of reverie, translating to nostalgic colour pairings, trompe l'oeil features, unexpected detailing, redesigned classics, and clever and unconventional versatility that shatters the idea of a conventional garment at first glance.
Regardless of where I draw my inspiration from, I’m always in search of what can project the mood of living in a magical dreamland - a sentiment of endless possibilities
Courtesy of TSYRK
"The collection is a continuation of exploring how the juxtaposition of opposing concepts can harmoniously coexist, and result in an ironically playful mood. In the same way that Hong Kong is bursting at the seams with beauty and energy"
Bethany- What part of the design and production process are your favourites?
Kori: The ideation process within the design phase is my favourite. I love to sit for hours and draw and experiment. I like to see as many iterations of an idea as I can think of, and the sheer amount of possibilities is always what excites and motivates me. This is the most creative part of the process and genuinely endorphin-producing! Within the development stage, my favourite part is the fittings. It's very satisfying to see the designs come to life, and the design process is as much present during this stage, as we make adjustments in real time.
Bethany- What struggles have you faced on your journey so far and how did you overcome them?
Kori: There is a constant tension between prioritizing creativity and prioritizing the commerciality of the brand. There always needs to exist a balance between the two in order to run a successful business. But it’s been important to me to maintain the design integrity, and thus the overarching core identity, of TSYRK as a luxury brand that makes beautiful pieces you cannot find anywhere else. We had some early rejections for being too specific and too focused on complicated design details that make our pieces at the price point they are, but I never saw the point of making more generic pieces when I think the world has plenty of that genre.
Staying true to the reasons that I started TSYRK in the first place has helped me keep on track and avoid spending resources on directions that aren’t for us, which can be a hard thing to stick to as a label that is just starting out.
Bethany- What advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time to the beginning of your journey?
Kori: I would remind myself that taking a slow and measured approach to building any brand is a normal and natural course to follow. We see a lot of brands that seemingly become overnight successes, but when there isn’t an institutional amount of funding behind the brand, the story is much more nuanced. The best piece of advice I’ve been given is to not listen too closely to the crowd of voices around you.
A lot of people will have opinions, but most won’t understand your vision or your mission – if you really want people to want to listen to what you’re saying, it’s crucial to stay authentic and true to yourself.
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