President Ma Ying-jeou met with Taiwanese-American fashion designer Jason Wu at the Presidential Office on the afternoon of October 7 and congratulated Mr. Wu on his outstanding achievements in the fashion world.
The president noted that while Mr. Wu is only 28 years old, he has already firmly established himself as a leading light in the world of fashion design. He designed the dress that US First Lady Michelle Obama wore at her husband's inauguration, and it is now in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. This year, Mr. Wu won the Swarovski Award for Womenswear by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the president noted, adding that Mr. Wu is indeed the pride of Taiwan.
President Ma remarked that Mr. Wu exhibited his talent for design at an early age, developing a love for Beijing opera and beginning to design clothes for dolls at the age of five. He moved to Canada at the age of nine and later in his youth went to Japan and Paris to study sculpture and design. Mr. Wu became the artistic director for Integrity Toys at the age of 18, after which he entered the Parsons School of Design. His work features the graceful and restrained style of the East, the president said, adding that he admires Mr. Wu's achievements.
The president said that Taiwan in recent years has stood out in the fields of industrial arts and fashion design. The nation's performance at last year's Nuremberg iENA International Exhibition, and this year's International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, Germany's red dot design awards, and Germany's iF design awards has been outstanding, he said. In addition, Taiwan's Johan Ku and Anna Hu have made names for themselves in the international fashion and jewelry design communities, he noted. Next year will be the centenary of the ROC, the president said, explaining that a major design exhibition will be held here at that time.
Mr. Wu expressed his appreciation to President Ma for taking time out of his schedule to meet him and added that as a Taiwanese he is delighted to be able to return to share the joy of his success. He attributed his success as the first Asian designer to win the Swarovski Award to the support and encouragement of his family. Mr. Wu said his mother was open-minded with her children and encouraged them to pursue their interests. She bought fashion magazines for him to read and helped to cultivate his talents in painting and design. He added that Taiwan already displays excellence in technology and cinema, and encouraged young people interested in design to broaden their exposure and to travel. He said they should look at areas outside their main interest as a means to trigger inspiration and creativity. Mr. Wu added that he hopes his visit to Taiwan will bring global attention to Taiwan's fashion world.
Also attending the meeting between Mr. Wu and President Ma was Deputy Secretary-General to the President Liu Bao-guey.