This Taiwanese designer custom-made Taylor Swift’s ‘Era Tour’ gowns

2023-10-15

Taylor Swift wore more than 40 outfits during her recently sold-out "Era’s Tour." Did you know that three of her dresses were custom-made by a Taiwanese brand? FTV reporter Stephany Yang caught up with the brand’s founder, Nicole Chang, to discover the process of making the gowns.

Taylor Swift wore a gold evening dress to the opening night of “The Eras Tour.” Taiwanese designer Nicole Chang and her team handcrafted the dress using beading crystals and sequins. It took thousands of hours for the team to bead.

Nicole Chang
Founder and artistic director
We really wanted to show our brand’s strong suit, which I mentioned is the whole beading and embroidering design. Starting from there, we put a lot of crystal and detail into it. I think the hardest part is really working remotely and having them trust seeing all these things come to life just through photos and videos. We had to show them the finished gown. And then, we showed them the video. We did zoom. They were like they are not sure. They wanted to make changes. We did make some changes but when they received the gown, they were like "Wow, it is so pretty.”

The second dress designed by Chang and her team is this purple gown. The three-dimensional skirt was constructed using nearly 500 yards of imported tulle. Fabrics were also infused with glitter tulle to enhance the dreamy effect. The skirt of the haute couture dress was adorned with 3,000 rhinestones that were hot-fixed by the designers.

Nicole Chang
Founder and artistic director
The purple one was actualy glitter tulle that we customized for her. She wanted a gradient look. She wanted to go from light to dark purple. We had to pick out a glitter color to match with the tulle. And then, we sent it overseas to get pleated, to get dyed. We also added a lot of the crystals. The hot fixed crystals on the hem for her so when she went on stage, it was super, super shiny.

Swift wore a sky blue dress at the Los Angeles concert in August to echo her album cover for "1989.” The skirt has different shades of gradient sequins arranged in a streamlined design all over the skirt. After 2,100 hours of pure hand-sewing, the team created an effect of meteor trails flying through the sky.

Nicole Chang
Founder and artistic director
Everything is literally hand-drawn on patterns to mark out where every single sequin and every single crystal has to be. That is how we created the whole beading pattern. For the blue gown that she wore last, it probably took about three weeks to finish that whole beading pattern. Two years ago, we worked on a music video with her. We customized two gowns for her. One in ivory and one in red. After that project, Joseph, who is her stylist had a great time working with us. We really built that connection. We really built that trust. When she was starting her tour and planning everything, they reached out to us again and asked if we were interested in creating looks for her. We said, "Yes, of course, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." We started working together six months before her first tour.

Chang grew up in Taiwan and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in economics. After graduating, she decided to come back to Taiwan and start her own business with her sister in 2015. Their goal is to reinvent modern luxury bridal dresses by creating contemporary designs using couture sewing techniques.

Nicole Chang
Founder and artistic director
We first started by making our own gowns for events. We were both really interested in fashion. It was a discussion and passion project that we wanted to create our own brand. We really wanted to start a modern, young and fun bridal brand that is also luxurious at the same time because that was kind of what was missing in the Asian market. We were both very into fashion design. We were both very into details and embroidery, and all of those things. That was our strong suit. After COVID, we finally went into the U.S. market and the European market. It has been pretty great.

Before creating gowns for Taylor Swift, the brand had already made red-carpet gowns for several Hollywood stars such as Amanda Seyfried, Paris Hilton, Lady Gaga, and more.

Nicole Chang
Founder and artistic director
I guess my goal would be to have more retail locations in the states. That is a more realistic goal I would say. Otherwise, hopefully, I get to create more looks for artists that I like. We recently dressed Lady Gaga. It wasn’t a custom look but I was so happy. I always loved Beyonce. I am a huge fan.

Chang hopes to continue to create beautiful dresses for her patrons and introduce Taiwan to more people around the world.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

泰勒絲演唱會華美禮服三件來自台灣品牌

2023-10-15

美國歌手泰勒絲在“Eras Tour”世界巡迴演唱會上，穿了40多套服裝。你知道其中三件禮服是台灣品牌為她量身訂做的嗎？民視英語新聞記者楊怡安採訪品牌創始人Nicole Chang，一起來了解禮服的製作過程。

在巡迴演唱會“The Eras Tour”首場演出中，泰勒絲身上的亮片晚禮服，正是出自台灣設計師Nicole Chang與她的團隊之手，他們選用多種珠鑽亮片，耗費上千小時手工縫製。

[[創辦人Nicole Chang]]
"我們很想突顯自己的強項，就是整個串珠和刺繡設計。我們放了大量的水晶，還有各種細節在裡面。我認為最困難的部分是遠端工作，要讓他們信任從照片和影片看到的，就跟實體是一樣的。我們要向他們展示成品禮服，拍成影片給他們看，鏡頭會縮放。當時他們好像不太確定，想要修改，我們確實修改了，當他們收到禮服時，讚嘆地說，哇，太美了。”

第二套紫色漸層晚禮服，Nicole與團隊使用近500碼的高級進口薄紗，堆疊出立體裙廓，還特別製作帶有閃粉的面料，加強夢幻的舞台效果，最後由匠師手工燙製3千顆奢華水鑽點綴裙身。

[[創辦人Nicole Chang]]
"紫色這件其實是我們為她訂製的閃光薄紗。她想要看起來是漸層的，從淺紫色變成深紫色。我們選擇一種與薄紗相匹配的閃光顏色。然後，我們把它送到國外打褶、染色。我們還添加了很多晶體。她的下擺上有熱固定的水晶，所以當她走上舞台時，它非常非常閃亮。"

在八月的洛杉磯場，泰勒絲身著天藍色晚禮服，呼應她的《1989》專輯封面。不同深淺的漸層閃片，裙身以流線型排列設計，歷經2100小時的純手工縫製，打造出宛如一道道流星軌跡盛放天際的視覺效果。

[[創辦人Nicole Chang]]
"全部都是打版時手繪標出每一個亮片和每一個水晶的位置，這就是我們打造整個串珠圖案的方式。她最後穿的藍色禮服，可能需要大約三個星期，才能完成整個珠飾圖案。兩年前，我們曾因為一支MV和她合作過。我們為她訂製了兩件禮服。一件是象牙色，一件是紅色的。結束之後，她的造型師約瑟夫覺得跟我們合作很愉快，彼此之間確實建立了某種信任。當她開始為巡演籌備時，他們再次聯繫我們，並問我們是否有興趣為她設計造型。我們說，當然好，這是千載難逢的機會。我們在她第一次巡演前半年開始合作。"

Nicole Chang在台灣長大，在加州大學柏克萊分校讀的是經濟。畢業後，她在2015年回到台灣，與姊姊一起創業。他們的目標是以時裝縫紉技術創造當代設計，重塑現代奢華新娘禮服。

[[創辦人Nicole Chang]]
"我們一開始是針對不同活動製作禮服。我們對時尚都非常感興趣，而且在這塊充滿熱情，於是想成立自己的品牌。我們非常想創立一個現代、年輕、有趣、同時又奢華的婚紗品牌，因為這正是亞洲市場所缺少的。我們都熱愛時裝設計，非常喜歡服裝的細節和刺繡，所有的東西，這也是我們的強項。疫情過後，我們終於進入了美國和歐洲市場，這已經非常棒了。"

在為泰勒絲設計禮服之前，該品牌已經為阿曼達•塞佛瑞(Amanda Seyfried)、芭黎絲•希爾頓(Paris Hilton)、Lady Gaga等多位好萊塢明星製作了紅毯禮服。

[[創辦人Nicole Chang]]
"我想我的目標是在美國開更多店，這是一個更實際的目標。希望我能為我喜歡的藝人做造型。我們最近為Lady Gaga 設計了服裝，雖然不是訂製服，但我很高興。我一直很喜歡碧昂絲，我是超死忠的粉絲。"

Nicole希望持續設計華麗的禮服，並讓更多人認識台灣。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週日至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

The Taiwan Statebuilding Party nominates 3 candidates for at-large legislative seats

2023-10-15

VP Lai visits Kaohsiung’s Meinong to solicit votes for himself and DPP legislator

2023-10-15

China’s cement industry is facing layoffs amid a worsening real-estate crisis

Let’s now focus on China. With one Chinese real-estate company after another posting losses, the companies that supply that industry are also facing a downturn. Currently, an estimated 400,000 Chinese workers, including those in China’s cement sector, are facing unemployment. Cement companies in Guangdong and Jiangxi have already begun downsizing and are reducing production. Two analysts suggest the situation will only get worse, and will also impact cement firms in Taiwan.

A real-estate crisis in China has been causing bankruptcies and layoffs, and is now impacting the cement industry there. It is estimated that as many as 200,000 people in related industries in China will face unemployment in the next five years.

Chinese real-estate companies including China Evergrande and Country Garden have already laid off nearly 200,000 people, and demand in the domestic market is on a downward spiral. Now cement companies are also facing a crisis, and companies in several provinces are either reducing or suspending production. Those in Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces have begun streamlining personnel.

Chen Ping-chen
Real estate analyst
There is no demand in China right now for local infrastructure, or for industry facilities such as factories, offices, or commercial properties. Of course, such a situation will most strongly impact the demand for cement, steel, and raw materials for manufacturing.

Voice of Hsu Chin-huang
Financial analyst
Right now the information coming out of China suggests that there will be 400,000 layoffs. However, the real number is likely to be much greater than that. Taiwan will be affected too, because Taiwan Cement and Asia Cement have made investments in China.

Financial analyst Hsieh Chin-ho has previously warned that China’s cement industry would be among six industries impacted by that country’s real-estate crisis. With that crisis continuing to spiral out of control, China’s overall economic performance will inevitably worsen.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2023-10-15

Spotlight on National Geographic Taiwan photo Contest

The winners of this year’s National Geographic Photo Contest are out. This year’s competition focuses on Taiwan and features five entry categories. The winner of the "Ecological Sustainability" category is a 14-year-old student who took photos of spiders across Taiwan. FTV reporter Stephany Yang takes us to meet the winners.

The 2023 National Geographic Taiwan Photo Contest competition was divided into five categories: “People,” “Places,” “Nature,” “Ecological Sustainability,” and “Youth Group.” The winner of “Ecological Sustainability” is a 14-year-old Kuo Ting-chung who shot spiders around Taiwan.

Kuo Ting-chung
Winner
When a spider hatches its eggs, it first casts its web on the branches. The mother spider will protect the little spiders. I took this photo on Matsao’s Industry Road. I started taking photos when I was in second grade. There are fewer and fewer insects now. I think we should not litter, and we must protect the environment. I used to be able to capture photos of more insects.

The winner of the "People" category is Kuo Wei-chang, who shot vivid photos of people at the Yunlin Mazu Pilgrimage.

Kuo Wei-chang
Winner
The most important thing is to capture the moment when the firecrackers explode. You need a faster shutter speed to capture the explosion and the people’s expressions.

Award-winning National Geographic wildlife photographer Frans Lanting served as the competition’s judge.

Frans Lanting
National Geographic photographer
I was impressed by the entries. In particular, the virtuosity of the macro photographers. It is a special skill to recognize and capture the beauty and the intricacies of nature as it expresses itself on a macro level.

This year’s competition featured a total of 5,242 photo submissions by 1,640 photographers. Due to media reports about people profiting from taking photos of birds under unethical conditions, the 2023 competition suspended the acceptance of bird photography submissions.

Lee Yung-shih
National Geographic Taiwan
The number of entries has increased as well quality of the images. The level of the finalists is all very high. Another special feature is that this year, for the sake of the ethics of bird photography, we have suspended the acceptance of bird works. We hope that through this competition, we can remind our photographer friends who partake in nature photography to abide by the regulations and not to harm nature.

The National Geographic Taiwan Photo Contest is now in its seventh year. The competition aims to give talented photographers a stage to shine, and to encourage more people to care about the ecology and the environment.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2023-10-15

Poor air quality in western half of Taiwan proper to last until Tuesday

2023-10-15

Work starts on the last remaining section of the MRT Yellow Line in New Taipei

Welcome back to our show. The Taipei MRT continues to expand. After six rounds of open bidding for a project all fell through, work finally commenced on Sunday on a section of the MRT’s Yellow Line that will connect New Taipei’s Xinzhuang and Luzhou districts. That means that all of the northern sections of the line that fall within New Taipei’s borders are being worked on. New Taipei Deputy Mayor Chen Chun-ching and Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an attended the groundbreaking ceremony in Wugu and expressed well wishes to the workers.

Chen Chun-ching
New Taipei deputy mayor
I hope that work on this project will progress smoothly and safely, and I also hope it can be finished as soon as possible. These are the expectations we have. We are able to start work today only because of the help we have received from the Department of Rapid Transit Systems in communicating with the public. We also need to give our heartfelt thanks to all the public representatives including borough wardens and local residents.

Chiang Wan-an
Taipei mayor
Work has now started on all three sections of the Yellow Line’s northern half that fall within New Taipei. As I’ve told our city councilors and committee members, Taipei and New Taipei are a family – we don’t differentiate between each other. As long as a project benefits all of our cities’ residents, we will do our utmost to find a contractor.

With work starting on the northern half of New Taipei’s section of the Yellow Line, every part of the circular line in the city is accounted for. The 3.32 km section of the line will go from New Taipei Industrial Park Station, pass through Wugu and end in Luzhou, traversing three stations. When completed, the Yellow Line will bring Taipei and New Taipei closer together, and cut travel time between New Taipei Industrial Park and Taipei’s Shilin District down to just 20 minutes, with the Dazhi neighborhood just another 10-minute ride away.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2023-10-15

Vietnamese resident of Taipei charms customers with exquisite flower arrangements

A Vietnamese resident of Taipei is enthralling customers with her exquisite flower arrangements. Vo Huu Dong works as a senior flower arranger in a Taipei company, and has made arrangements for many luxury brands. Her incredible work ethic leads her to give her best for every single customer. She gave us a glimpse into her floral world.

Vo Huu Dong is greeted by her boss with the nickname “Ruru.” She’s been a professional flower arranger for 11 years, and is a senior designer here in the store, responsible for producing orders, arranging meeting spaces and flower arrangement education.

Vo Huu Dong
Vietnamese flower arranger
I quite like this work. It has a strong ritualistic feeling. We do Lunar New Year, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas, which is the biggest. My flower arrangements accompany customers on all kinds of important occasions.

Vo first started working in the flower atelier of a wedding banquet hall thanks to a recommendation from her husband. She also paid for her own flower arrangement classes and gradually worked her way up to producing luxury arrangements. Her solid skills as well as sensitive aesthetics make each one of her creations as impressive as it is delicate.

Chen Hui-ju
Fashion florist director
The flower arrangement classes in the luxury world love booking her, because her flowers are so soft and intricate, with many details layered together. So she’s really well suited to luxury bookings.

The day of the interview, Võ got a sudden order. She started the arrangement with roses, created a side with hydrangea, and finished it off with many small blossoms. The subtle weavings of different layers are all clear in her mind before they appear in her hands.

Vo Huu Dong
Vietnamese flower arranger
We have a huge number of orders, really very many. It can be tiring, but you learn faster, and you see lots of things. Customers have a wide variety of different requirements.

Vo says communication skills are very important for flower arrangers. The work needs to fit the needs of the customer or recipient. No matter how many orders come in, there’s never an excuse for carelessness. And luxury brand arrangements need even more thought, to find the essence of the brand.

Vo Huu Dong
Vietnamese flower arranger
I have to make all my arrangements excellent. I never hurry because there are lots of bookings. I want every order to go out beautiful. If a customer should complain and send it back, then it will take even more time, and impact my reputation and the reputation of the company.

Having worked in Taipei for 11 years, Vo has become a fashionable creative of the capital. She once considered going back to Vietnam to open her own business, but hasn’t made the move. She’s already at home in Taipei, with the air, the transport, and her daily life here. More than anything, she’s at home with her colleagues, who are like family.

This story was provided by the program "We Are Family"
Funded by New Immigrant Development Fund

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

2023-10-15

This Taiwanese designer custom-made Taylor Swift’s ‘Era Tour’ gowns