His name is Mingyang Zhang and to professionalize his passion for design and knitwear he took part to the CKD Master using the Harmony yarn from Tollegno 1900 for the closing show. A highly enriching experience for his career as he explains himself.
What pushed you to take part to the Academic Master in Creative Knitwear Design of Accademia Costume & Moda and Modateca Deanna?
I was advised to attend CKD Master by one of my school art directors where I graduated, after the one in San Francisco. Since I was initially studying fashion design concentrating in knitwear, I wanted to continue my path in this direction focusing on the more industrial side. Therefore, I flew to Italy to continue my training and my carrier.
What is the added value that you received by participating in the master?Â
There are tons of added values that taking part in the Master has conferred on my profession, such as deepening the basic knowledge of knitwear and being able to see professional with solid experience using industrial knitting machines.  Furthermore, during the courses, I was also able to explore different stitches, techniques, yarns, motifs as well as the industrial processes of the garments. But not only that, during the visits made to the mills I was able to acquire important information on washing and pre-shrinking, being able to verify them in practice.
To realize the closing show, you used Harmony by Tollegno 1900. Did you already know the company?Â
Yes, Tollegno 1900 visited our class, and I was lucky to be present. I studied on several yarn books before the meeting, so I was prepared on the company. When Tollegno 1900 presented us the 2023 AW collection, I was attracted by Harmony and Harmony NT because I immediately thought they were perfect for my collection.
Have the expectations you had regarding Harmony been confirmed?
Absolutely, especially because for my creations I needed a specific range of colours and a warm and soft hand feeling that Harmony immediately gave me.
Last but not least, the iconic Tollegno 1900 yarn adds a touch of intimacy to the collection…. Let’s imagine wearing it while sitting by the fireplace on a cold and snowy day.
Harmony NT has also responded to your needs….
Harmony NT is the ideal yarn for a felted sweater that has a strong connection with my collection, designed to represent the soft side of a strong woman. In the end I decided to use both Harmony and Harmony NT Â to create a balance of textures.
In practice, how did you use them?
I used Harmony in 3 of my garments, from 12 gauges pleated baggy pants to a 5 gauge layered cardigan. For the first outfit I chose to use the Fisherman rib to create a warm layer on the knitting, and thin pleats with stripes to increase the fluence of the look. For the second, instead, I used Harmony as a base, because it can be “drawn” with different techniques. Also, as part of the design, I used a mixed braid at the corner of the sweater for decorative purposes. For the last look, I worked with Harmony and Harmony NT to create a difference between loose and tight, using the first yarn in a big cardigan, and the second, felted, in the sweater and in the hood.
