MODA Designer Profile: Ally Cong
Recently, I had the pleasure of getting to speak with Ally Cong about her design process and experiences in MODA. Ally is a third year in the College from the Bay Area, CA. She is an Econ/East Asian Languages and Civilizations double major, and also designed for MODA last year.
Why did you decide to become a designer for MODA last year? How have your designs and style changed since then?
I’ve always really liked looking at clothing. A big part of it is that there are a lot of barriers to high fashion for most people. A lot of high fashion is exclusive and expensive, but it doesn’t take much to be able to look at clothes online. I would also like to have clothes and not have to pay for them. The immediate reaction would just be– why don’t you make your own? I obviously don’t have the skillset to make the most complex clothes, but I still enjoy making clothing and experimenting with it.
In terms of my personal style, I think I’m open to wearing a lot of different things. It just so happened that my designs looked very thematic last year, but that is absolutely not who I am as a person. I am literally all over the place and I like it that way.
Where did you draw inspiration from for your collection this year?
As a third year, I see this year as more of an experimental phase for me, and a challenge to figure out how to make clothing in ways that are very rudimentary. I’m still brainstorming, but I’m really interested in alternative methods of creating clothes without a sewing machine. Especially with this year’s virtual environment and everything, I’ve been drawing my inspiration from that because I don’t have a sewing machine.
I’m thinking about creating more strange clothing. Knitting has been a really big thing recently for me. I knitted a sweater last year and really enjoyed it, and I think it was unique. I think knitting is the perfect alternative to sewing clothing, so that’s a big inspiration I’ve been looking at all year—I absolutely loved it. I’ve also been looking at really colorful and playful clothing, and am exploring super summery colors and textures for this year. It’ll be interesting to see what I can do without a sewing machine, but I have some ideas.
What are some of the most difficult and rewarding aspects of the process?
There’s such a unique satisfaction that you have when you finish making something that someone can actually wear. Last year, I was in such a rush to finish the sweater I knit that I didn’t realize how cute it would be, and I was just like “wow, I just made a sweater.”
A challenging part of the process is that there’s a lot of stuff that goes wrong all the time when you’re just learning. Because bodies are all very unique, you have to readjust and alter your clothes to fit your models. You need to tailor your clothes as well as possible so that your clothes look how you want them to look. It’s a time consuming and frustrating process, but ultimately is well worth it in the end.
How have the ways in which you design collections changed during the pandemic?
Because of COVID, everyone’s been browsing through social media sites while stuck inside. That’s a place where a lot of trends come into play. I do think that my idea of what I want to design has changed, but I actively try to avoid social media’s influence on my ideas. I want to make clothes that I will personally like forever, which is definitely hard because you can’t always tell what you’ll like in the future. I want to make something that I will wear and something that will be useful to me.
Do you see yourself continuing to design in the future?
Absolutely. I obviously don’t see myself as a super serious designer or anything, but I really appreciate MODA because it’s given me some of the most useful skills I’ve learned. My whole intention of joining MODA and becoming a designer has been fulfilled in that if I see something that I really like and it’s not too architecturally complex, I can understand how to replicate it and not have it look like a twelve year old did it. This helps when I buy clothes too. Generic sizings won’t fit perfectly, especially with fast fashion. Being able to tailor my own clothes so that I feel more confident in them and they are more flattering on me is a skill that I’ll always be able to use in the future.
All images via Ally Cong. Header graphic by Vivian Li.
