Janet Zheng

Bio

Men are often characterized as passive, grab-and-go shoppers when it comes to clothing. On a superficial level, then, designing menswear doesn’t have the challenge of women’s apparel: keeping up with the latest and frequently-evolving trends while always being a step ahead. Yet, menswear has far more restrictions, and this is where the challenge of putting together a line comes in. The challenge, as well, attracted New York designer Janet Zheng to menswear. In an interview over email, she writes, “Most designers immediately gravitate towards womenswear because of the freedom and flexibility to design and create just about anything; there are no rules or limitations. That's not the case with menswear. It's quite the opposite actually. It is about finding the balance between what's acceptable and what isn't while still being innovative and new that makes menswear even more intriguing to me. It's about understanding all the rules in order to work with them and break them.”



Graduating from Cornell University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in textile and apparel design, Zheng worked at Macy’s Merchandising Group, first in Ready to Wear and then moving on to men’s tailored clothing. After seven years, she decided to start designing her own menswear collection.



Inspired by Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemester, and Yohji Yamamoto, Zheng’s eponymous line is described by the designer as clean and modern, yet with an avant-garde edge: “It is clothing that a man should feel both comfortable and sexy in.”



Currently, she and her business partner are getting ready for Fashion Week with a Spring 2012 collection. While Zheng says that the new will have the same character as previous collections, lighter colors and an airy feel differentiate it from last season’s. About the Spring 2012 collection, she says, “I want to elicit a fresh and fun feeling from the wearer as well as the audience.”



In addition, Zheng plans to expand the sportswear end of her line in the future, particularly underwear, tailored clothing, and denim. She says, “I believe this is the right direction to take the line and build it into a complete lifestyle brand in the long run.”