From drafting patterns to creating costumes, senior Joe Hsu uses fashion design as an outlet to connect to the various things he is passionate about.
Whether he is sewing together costumes for a production at Parkside Academy of Music & Dance or working on personal projects, there is always a reason for Hsu to be designing.
“It shows up in different parts of my life and also connects my different interests, and always inspires me to keep working. Something might come up and I could use my skills in that situation,” Hsu said.
Hsu’s interest began at a young age under his mother’s influence.
“She used to sew more casually, but when I was little, she was really into having my brother and I do crafts with her,” Hsu said. “Then when I was really young, she taught us to hand sew, and that was the start of it.”
When Hsu first started sewing, he took very open-ended classes that allowed him to choose his projects. Within these classes, he developed his skills by experimenting with different materials.
“I really wanted to work with stretch fabric and that was the first experimental step I took. Normally you’d start off with more basic fabrics like cotton or something that doesn’t stretch and is easier to work with,” Hsu said. “Stretch fabric let me play with the design as I learned techniques, and I had a lot of freedom with design at that point.”
Through teaching Hsu off and on over the years and having him as a student in her AP Art and Design class, Mrs. Jennifer Rodgers has been able to see the strengths of Hsu’s work firsthand.
“Joe always had this affinity for detail and craftsmanship, which, in fashion design, is hugely important,” Rodgers said. “I think it’s just part of who he is, having the patience for his work to exemplify this desire for things to be really well made.”
The need to refresh the beloved Snow costumes for Parkside Performing Arts Company’s production of The Nutcracker is one of the major projects that Hsu undertook at the studio.
“I asked the directors if they would be open to me trying to replicate a set of those costumes, which have three parts. I ended up recreating two or three parts of those costumes,” Hsu said.
When designing costumes, Hsu has to consider many factors, such as durability and alterations that he might have to make for different peoples’ sizes.
“It was fun thinking about the little functional things I could add, things that may make it easier for the dancers so they won’t have to pin certain parts and so they won’t have to be repaired in the future,” Hsu said.
Senior Michelle Ding, a fellow dancer at Parkside Academy, watched Hsu’s costumes glitter under the stage lights.
“The new costumes really captured the charm of the dance while also looking a lot more clean and well-fitted, and I think they really added a lot of magic to the scene,” Ding said.
She recognizes that making an entirely new set of Snow costumes is a massive task for Hsu, and she is grateful for all the time and effort he puts into their costumes.
“We’re super lucky to have somebody interested in helping out during hectic times before shows,” Ding said. “To this day, any time someone needs a pair of pants hemmed or a seam let out, we all know Joe will take care of it.”
