《TAIPEI TIMES》 Taiwanese fashion designer featured at AltaRoma event

/ Staff writer, with CNA

Taiwanese designer John Zucca Cheng （鄭佳弘） last week showcased his fall/winter collection at the Rome Fashion Week, which ran from Wednesday to Friday.

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Models wearing Cheng’s creations took to the catwalk accompanied by songs from indigenous singer-songwriter Abao’s N1 compilation album that exclusively features indigenous artists.

Cheng said he was honored to bring his brand, John Zucca, which combines Taiwanese and Italian fashion aesthetics, to the catwalk, adding that his collection, titled Future Skin, aims to convey the idea of breaking with patriarchy, gender bias and hierarchy.

His creations were inspired by Frank Gehry, a Los Angeles-based modern architectural icon and celebrity who is best known for his curvaceous structures and deconstructivist style, Cheng said.

By integrating Gehry’s rigid structural designs and Taiwan’s cultural elements into his design, Cheng said he created 12 sets of clothes with unique contours, which challenge the traditional Italian classic style.

His creations also embrace sustainability by innovating on the basis of old clothes and using recycled materials, he added.

Cheng was the only non-Italian among four emerging designers invited to the fashion week, also known as AltaRoma, which was also attended by officials from Taiwan’s representative office in Italy.

Describing Italy as a global leader in fashion and AltaRoma as a cradle of fashion talent, Representative to Italy Lee Sing-ying （李新穎） said he was happy to see the fashion show go ahead, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lee also expressed his delight at seeing Cheng’s creations at the show, which he said introduced Taiwan’s fashion designs to the world.

He expressed the hope that more Taiwanese designers would bring their work to Italy to showcase Taiwan’s strength in fashion design.

The event was also attended by Silvia Venturini Fendi of the Italian fashion house Fendi, AltaRoma general manager Adriano Franchi and Italian singer Vergo, among others.

Teng Mei-jung （鄧美容）, head of the cultural division at the representative office, said that the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Economic Affairs have been trying to boost the local fashion industry by taking local brands international.

The government would encourage more emerging designers to engage in exchanges with fashion circles in Italy, Teng added.

AltaRoma, organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Rome and the Lazio Region and supported by the Italian Trade Agency and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to boost emerging talent and independent designers.

Cheng obtained a bachelor’s degree in fashion design from Shih Chien University in Taipei and a master’s degree in fashion at Istituto Marangoni in Milan, Italy.

He also studied at ISEM Fashion Business School at the University of Navarra in Madrid.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES