(c) the artist John Yuyi

WOULD YOU LIKE PEOPLE TO VIEW YOUR WORK AS MORE OF A REFLECTION ON YOUTH CULTURE OR A COMMENTARY?
I don't think about that too much.  I think when I create my work, I don't anticipate what people will see. I recently kind of found out that my work is like my dairy, so maybe I give people the vibe of youth culture. I don't really mind how they define the works.

DO YOU HAVE AN AFFINITY FOR ALL THESE LUXURY BRANDS, LOGOS, AND SOCIAL MEDIA OR AN AVERSION?
I think both because I'm a really contradictory person; I'm positive, but I'm depressed. I'm sensitive, but I'm super chill about somethings people can't be chill about. I love social media, I see the positive and beneficial side of it, but I also feel kidnapped by it. Sometimes I just want to delete every account. So I think all the brands, logos, and social media things for me, of course, I love it, I love those things people love, but at the same time I’m thinking about the contrasting side to this stuff. Sometimes it makes me feel excitement, sometimes it make me feel emptiness. I guess I am always like that. I always feel really bipolar: at either two extremes.

AS A FASHION DESIGN GRADUATE, WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING COMMISSIONED BY GUCCI FOR LE MARCHE DES MERVEILLES COLLECTION LAST YEAR?
It's the craziest thing; I never thought it would happen in my life. As a fashion design graduate in Taiwan, I thought the only relationship you could have with Gucci was to buy a product in store or maybe work with one during a magazine editorial shoot. But I never thought that I could work as the individual, John Yuyi, with [Gucci] HQ. The project is global, it's really insane. Some people say I am so easy to buy, I'm capitalism, but I'm fashion design majored, so tell me the reason why I'd say no to this dream project.

YOUR RESUME ALSO INCLUDES GRAPHIC DESIGN, PHOTOGRAPHY, STYLING, AND MODELLING. DO YOU EVER FEEL PRESSURE TO PICK ONE? OR DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK AS MORE OF A COLLECTIVE EFFORT?
I think nowadays, people all require multiple skills or multiple identities. Yes, I feel pressure to pick one because I'm not a professional full-time model, I'm not a professional full-time stylist, graphic designer, etc.  But I got different jobs doing different things, so I used to call myself a freelancer since I didn't know how to introduce myself. When I create my work, I’m doing a lot of different things, so I guess everything is involved a little bit.

DO YOU THINK ART AND FASHION CAN BE THE SAME THING?
I think art includes a lot of things, and fashion is art. It's definitelyart!!

YOU’VE REFERENCED HOKUSAI KATSUSHIKA IN YOUR 2016 WORKS: “MEGUMU'S BROWSER” AND “UKIYO-E.”  IS HE SOMEONE THAT INSPIRES YOU?
Yes! He is amazing and timeless. I definitelygot inspired by his work. One of my  favourite dresses has his art on it. But he’s not the only artist that has inspired my life theory.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SEX SELLS AND IS IT SOMETHING THAT YOU AGREE WITH? TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR “SKIN ON SKIN” PROJECT (2016), WAS YOUR INTENTION TO PORTRAY THE OVERSEXUALIZATION OF WOMEN?
No, I just wanted to play with a fake "skin on skin" cycle.  But a lot of people told me that they think it's a reflection of the objectification of a woman’s body.  I like that people have an unlimited imagination when it comes to what it means; it's the most interesting part for me. When I was at my solo show opening, one boy came up to me and told me his thoughts on "Julia's Twitter." He told me that her tongue, stuck out with a “Following” tattoo, indicated that she would do anything for a ‘follow.’ I was so surprised! I am so in love with people telling me how they see my work!

YOU’VE MENTIONED IN THE PAST THAT YOUR WORK HELPED YOU COPE WITH ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION. IS THIS SOMETHING YOU STILL STRUGGLE WITH TODAY?
Yes, I still do. Sometimes I feel better, but sometimes I feel that I’m getting worse. I work because I feel anxious, and when I work too much I feel stressed. When I finally can take a rest, I feel guilty for not working hard.  It’s kind of become a bad cycle for me.

WHAT WAS IT LIKE DOING THE LATEST CAMPAIGN FOR NIKE AIR MAX WITH LAUREN TSAI?
It's a celebration of Nike Air Max. Hypebeast found a few artists to do the artwork.  I'm glad I was chosen as one of the artists, but Lauren and I worked on the project individually, so I didn’t get a chance to work directly with her. But she's so pretty and talented all in one.  I'd like to work with more talented Asian women in different fields in the future!