A lover of fashion, sneakers and streetwear, Vivian Huang (a.k.a Cereal Artist) creates new and on-trend accessories from old and recycled materials. Vivian tells SCC about how she got interested in fashion, started her brand and where she’s taking it next.
“I’ve always dreamed about a career in fashion, but never knew exactly what I wanted to do. As I got older, one day I realised I need to just do it! So I quit my full time job and found a part time job so that I could start doing this and still pay my rent. I don’t have any background in design and I didn’t go to design school or anything, I just decided I was going to do it so I went and bought a sewing machine and learned how to sew on YouTube for a day or two.”
Vivian has only been sewing since September 2019, but already has a huge Instagram portfolio of pieces to be envious of. But how did she decide what she was going to make?
“I’ve always been a Nike girl, head to toe. But I realised that Nike don’t really make any dope bags or accessories, so I decided to start by making my own Nike bag.”
The fabric that Vivian uses in her accessories is a huge factor in what makes her pieces different and so sought after. Think neon plastic adorned with nylon straps and climbing clips.
“I didn’t wanna just make that first Nike bag out of regular fabric, so I went hunting for materials and just came across this colourful PVC which was exciting! I then used all these Nike price tags from clothing that I’d bought as the logo portion, so it’s recycling and also I’m secretly hoping I don’t get a cease and desist haha. I went ahead making my first bag and put it out there to see what people thought, and it just kept going from then on.”
So, what’s next for Cereal Artist?
“As a creative person, I get bored easily so I am constantly looking to create something new and innovative, with cool and different textures of fabrics or unconventional materials. It’s just makes it so much more fun and challenging! I really just want to keep creating and exploring new and cool art and stuff. Eventually maybe I’ll get the chance to work with other amazing artists and designers or even brands (like Nike!) to create even bigger and better creations.”
You can follow Vivian’s work on Instagram @cerealartist and on her website www.cereal-a.com
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