Momo Wang, born Wang Tianmo (Chinese: 王天墨; born 1987), is a Chinese fashion designer.[1]
Wang was raised in Jinzhou, Liaoning, China.[2][3] Her father is a calligrapher and artist and her mother was a journalist who enjoys making clothes.[4] As a child, most of Wang's clothes were made by her mother.[2] She was dedicated to her schoolwork.[2]
Wang attended Peking University and studied intercultural communication.[2] There, she learned about Peking opera, calligraphy, and traditional Chinese art.[4] In her second year of university, Wang rented a basement studio in Beijing and purchased a sewing machine.[2] She developed an interest in sewing, making items such as bags and skirts.[2]
After a professor suggested she study fashion design, she applied to Central Saint Martins without any formal training[5] and was accepted to the fashion print course.[2] Wang moved to London in 2007.[2] While studying at Saint Martins, Wang supported herself by "selling handmade brooches and accessories from a stall in Brick Lane."[2] In her first term at the school, she found the coursework difficult and failed her first two projects; however, she practiced over the summer and went on to "excel."[6] Wang graduated in June 2011.[2] Her graduating collection included "folky hand-crafted peasant costumes from around the world, a riotous blend of colour, print and texture for which she was awarded joint second place in the L'Oréal Professionel Young Talent Award."[2] The show was titled I Love My Print Room and earned Wang three awards from Saint Martins.[7]
In 2012, Wang established a personal studio called Mending Point in London.[7] The same year, Wang designed the 12-piece Third Hand UpCycle collection.[6] The collection was designed using materials purchased from secondhand markets in Jinzhou.[8] The inspiration for the collection came from the French philosopher Derrida[6] and his "third hand" concept.[9] Eco Fashion Talk characterized the collection as a "wonderful, brilliantly colored creative experimentation in repurposing found materials."[6]
In 2013, Wang launched an independent fashion label called Museum of Friendship.[10]
For her debut at Shanghai Fashion Week, Wang showcased a collection titled After School.[7] That's Shanghai described the collection as "Harajaku-meets-Saved by the Bell".[7]
Wang currently lives and works in Los Angeles.[2]