Interview with Pattern Maker/Designer Jeffrey Siu
JS: I am Jeffrey Siu, I am a maker and a young designer based in London.
JB: What makes you happy?
JS: Sharing good times and experiences with people, could be a bike ride, a collaboration or a simple lunch at the park in the sun, maybe with a few beers, these are all luxuries these days!
JB: How did you get started with tailoring?
JS: Just before I offend any tailoring experts, I actually know very little about tailoring. I experiment with pattern making and materials I am curious about, that started when I went to design school to study sportswear design.
JB: Who are some of your influencers?
JS: Szukalski, the artist in the documentary called “Struggle”, the MASH riders in San Francisco and Yohji Yamamoto, obvious but gold. My influencers are also the people who don’t believe me, they make me better.
JB: Please tell us a little bit more about our collab-cap
JS: Firstly, it is made of the amazing organic cotton fabric JECKYBENG has developed, as it is a natural material and it is shower resistant and light. The collab cap features different textures in black with a pop of the paracords. Constructed in a streamline process, nothing is overcomplicated, after a lot of experiments tweaking the shape and panelling.
JB: Is there a favorite spot/country and why?
JS: Yes! My favourite spot is Long Ke Beach in Sai Kung, Hong Kong. It is kind of a ritual to hike there and camp overnight whenever I go back. I was born and raised in Hong Kong so that is always my favourite escape from life in the UK and reconnecting with old friends.
JB: What projects are you currently working on?
JS: I am working on a backpack order, development for collaborations, and generally slowly progressing to sell multiples of the products I made with the “HandMadeGoods” tab.
JB: What do you do for a living?
JS: I am working in the design team of a cycling clothing brand at the moment. I also had worked at some smaller brands’ studios turning 2D ideas into 3D, making patterns, sewing.
JB: Where do you see yourself in five years?
JS: On some trails with a backpack in the middle of nowhere or in a design meeting, not really sure but probably will not be in London.
JB: Please tell us something about your home, London
JS: London is expensive like any other major cities, but worthwhile to me, it has a lot to learn from, many things going on all the time, very diverse and colourful, one thing doesn’t work, something else would come up.
JB: What does a typical day in the life of Jeffrey Siu look like?
JS: After lockdown, I just sew and make stuff all day pretty much everyday in my cave, hoping to get more hits amongst the misses. Maybe a casual bike ride before or after if I have spare time.
JB: What springs to mind for the following keywords?
Social Media — It’s really a love and hate, I would love to avoid it completely but kind of essential these days to promote my work.
Music — Quite like Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings lately.
Role Model — Daniel Wu, the actor. If you haven’t yet, you should check out his new modified S800!
Flow — Live in the moment.
Inspiration — Always be open minded.
Adventure — Hope we can fly again soon. Need to come to Nuremberg for a hike with you guys at some point!
