Her love for Chinese culture spurred Ruixian to start Studio HHFZ, where she makes cheongsams relevant in the modern day. Her studio allows her to marry her love for fashion design and traditional culture, while helping customers overcome their insecurities and embrace body positivity.
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00:00It feels sad to me sometimes, like the skinniest lady, right, can feel that, oh, they are still bigger size and they can be smaller.
00:11Wah, I am so getting emotional now.
00:24Hi, my name is Rui Xian, I'm a dressmaker and the founder of Studio HHFZ.
00:29We've been running for about six years now.
00:32HHFZ is an abbreviation for Hui Huang Fang Zhen.
00:36So it literally means Mighty Fabric and Needle, but it's actually my parents' name.
00:42So the Huang is from my dad's name and the Fang is from my mom's name.
00:46And I like put them together, it's like a pun.
00:51I've been very in touch with my roots in a sense.
00:54I really like the Chinese culture.
00:56I also love vintage style.
00:58So I think it's sort of like, it just comes naturally to me.
01:03And as a Chinese, I think it's quite important to have a cheongsam at least in our wardrobe.
01:09Since young, I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer, but I didn't know which aspect in particular.
01:16I always like dressing up and then I really wanted to get into domestic poly, doing fashion design.
01:23Through that course, I realised that I really enjoy the process of dressmaking.
01:27Like making the thing from scratch, from like the ideation to the sewing, the hand stitching.
01:33So after I graduated, I started working for a few boutiques.
01:38At my last bridal shop company, I really fell in love with cheongsam.
01:42I think any woman who wears a cheongsam immediately has a very different aura and a whole persona.
01:50It's really about the clothes fitting to you instead of you fitting into the clothing.
01:56So actually when I started HHFZ, the focus was more on bridal cheongsams in particular.
02:02And I mean, for me, I still do the cutting and sewing on my own.
02:06So everything is bespoke, meaning everything is customised and measured and designed according to your style.
02:15So I think no two pieces are the same.
02:18Even if it's the same fabric, it will be like different details.
02:21Like it could be with sleeves, without sleeves and like different beads and buttons.
02:28Experimenting with the different fabrics is also our forte.
02:34Because we work with tweed, we work with jacquards.
02:36There are fabrics that are more modern.
02:42I was very nervous whether or not to quit my full-time job to pursue this.
02:48But I was thinking to myself, if I don't do it now, then when?
02:52You know, I don't think there will ever be a point where I'll be like,
02:55okay, I'm ready to start the business.
02:57And at that point, I feel a bit hesitant of my own work because I think of my age.
03:03I was 24 when I started, so I think people were a bit apprehensive of like,
03:07can this person deliver what they say they can do?
03:10The first piece that I made when I started HHFZ was for a client who made three pieces with me, wedding gown.
03:17And then it was a cheongsam and an evening outfit.
03:21She had a lot of confidence in me.
03:23So, I'm very thankful for her.
03:26The person who gave me the confidence to start out actually.
03:31This piece, it's very close to heart because this is my wedding outfit.
03:37Green is me and my husband's favourite colour.
03:40And basically, I used fresh water pearls and tassels.
03:45Actually, on the inside, I used shoulder padding to puff it up.
03:50So, something that I haven't done before.
03:53So, when I first started, the business was pretty slow, I would say.
03:57I think people will see it more as a piece for formal occasions.
04:01But personally, I really like to work with pieces that are more everyday wear.
04:05Because I know that these cheongsams, these pieces are really put into good use.
04:09And people feel confident, be it wearing to work or a presentation or a conference.
04:17So, we have experimented a lot with two-piece suits.
04:21Breaking the cheongsam silhouette into two pieces.
04:23Basically, a top and a skirt or a top and pants.
04:27And I think these pieces are generally more versatile to wear on a daily basis.
04:31What is the biggest challenge in managing expectations?
04:36I think the biggest challenge is managing expectations.
04:42I mean, talking about body image and...
04:46I think a lot of people have that mindset that,
04:50Oh, cheongsam has to be very tight-fitting.
04:52And I have to be very slim, very tall to fit a certain image that they have in their mind.
04:58So, I would say 95% or actually higher, 97% of women who come in,
05:08certainly have something that they are insecure about, like about their body.
05:12And some dressmakers or designers who are like,
05:17Oh, you cannot gain any more weight.
05:19But I want to sort of bring this whole image that they have.
05:25And it's all about embracing your body for what it is.
05:30And then when I see clients struggle with that,
05:36it's also like an internal battle.
05:39Naturally, I would want to correct them.
05:42But at the same time, I also want to do it at your comfort.
05:46Of course, on my part, I will suggest materials that wouldn't make you feel as insecure.
05:51Like for example, satin is quite unforgiving.
05:53It really accentuates every curve and every bulge you have.
05:58So, sometimes I have to see the person and I'll be like,
06:01Okay, if they are really that insecure, then maybe I will steer away from that.
06:05Or if let's say, I think this person can be pushed a little bit in terms of how they feel about their body,
06:10I might suggest like, Okay, maybe we can go with satin.
06:12But there are some tweaks or some linings that will make them feel a little bit more comfortable.
06:20It's a problem that I also struggle on my own
06:22because sometimes I do look at myself in the mirror and be like,
06:25Oh, I wish I could be skinnier.
06:28But when I actually see somebody like my client struggling with the problem also,
06:34it's really like a reminder to myself to just keep doing what I do
06:38and to change a little perspective at a time.
06:41Because we are bespoke, the opportunity to work with the different body shapes
06:44really gives me a better understanding of dressmaking.
06:49So, now when you think of a cheongsam,
06:51I hope that it's not just a very tight-fitting, body-hugging, silky kind of image that comes to your mind.
06:59It's really like endless possibilities and I want to bring that image that you have in your mind into reality.
07:08I do think that it's very hard to find seamstresses in Singapore.
07:11The seamstresses of the older generation, like in their 50s and 60s,
07:17once these seamstresses retire, there's like really no one else to do dressmaking in Singapore.
07:23It's sort of a reason why I wanted to start this business also because I feel like
07:27actually my team is quite young.
07:29I'm very fortunate to have found them.
07:32Yeah, and I think their mindset is quite like mine where we are really looking to level up our skills.
07:44I think the dressmaking trade will survive for a long time.
07:46People nowadays, we like things that are unique and it's more like catered to like our personal style and our personal needs.
07:52So, there's always going to be a demand.
07:57Now, in our society, especially in Singapore, we're all like very fast-paced.
08:02We're all about like efficiency.
08:04Clothes and food are like the easiest to get in touch with your roots.
08:16It's a dream of mine to have like a dessert stall and a dressmaking studio side by side.
08:21So, the idea is like when you come into fitting for your dress or like you make a dress
08:26and then you go over and you have a nice, very warm, hot dessert.
08:33So, that is why I also like started the Chinese desserts.
08:37My husband's the one like running the space.
08:41The name of the dessert stall is called Si Yuan.
08:43Basically, 饮水思源, the Chinese idiom, is to remember where the water we consume comes from.
08:51Remembering your roots.
08:54We serve traditional Chinese desserts with a little bit of twist.
08:58For me, I always love Chinese desserts and I think it's very hard to find like good quality ones,
09:04especially those that's hand-homemade and handmade from scratch.
09:10Say, almond paste.
09:11I think almond paste is a very like good example because most places,
09:15I think the shortcut is just to add like almond essence to get the almond taste.
09:18But for us, we do it from scratch.
09:21I think for both spaces, the dressmaking studio and also the cafe,
09:26I'm trying to go for a very slow-living kind of process, like really embracing the very little things.
09:33Like, for example, in the studio, we embrace the little details like the buttons that you choose,
09:39the colour of the lining and for the cafe, when people eat it,
09:45they feel the amount of work and effort that has been put into like a bowl of dessert.
09:54It's a very like slow life, slow sustainable life.
09:59Yeah, it's just like a dream.
10:02Five to ten years down the road, I mean, I hope to keep it still the same like that
10:06because people always ask me like,
10:08oh, if I want to like upscale my business, like employ more, do more.
10:12But to me, it's not about like the volume,
10:15but it's about the quality and the connection that I make with people.
10:19I do intend to do this as long as I can.
10:22Yeah.