‘The Art Of Storytelling’ —YouYou Zhou

YouYou Zhou is a true visionary. From her formative years at university to her current roles as the Business Development Manager at Felipe Fiallo, Curator at Tutussie and Event Producer at Kei London, Her career has shown innovation, passion, and the power of imagination.

Zhou’s rise to prominence is highlighted by key moments, particularly, her project feature at the House of Istituto Marangoni, a collaboration with Vogue Italia, lauded as one of the best graduate projects, and, her campaign, “Colour Revivo” for 0kube which garnered praise, and graced the pages of seven esteemed magazines.

Before becoming an art director and brand consultant, YouYou had volunteered as a dresser at Stefano Pilati’s first show in Pitti with his brand Random Identities. She describes that moment as her entry into high fashion, “It was truly a learning experience for me, as I witnessed last minute styling changes and rigid catwalk trainings. I think the experience helped me in my current crisis management skills while producing a runaway/presentation.”

With years of experience, YouYou has mastered the ability to thrive in multiple roles at the same time, seamlessly shifting between business development, event production, brand consulting, and art direction. She credits her creative drive as the common thread that binds these different roles.

“Creativity is a bridge between industries. As a creative, we have the urge to innovate the industry with more mind-blowing ideas and concepts, which is probably what sets us apart from usual office jobs and what makes us multi-task often.”

YouYou’s career path has never been straight-forward. She transitioned from interior design and sustainable footwear to focus on art direction and fashion brand consultancy while in Italy. She worked as the Marketing Manager at Pulina Exclusive Interiors, and secured partnerships that propelled the company to new heights. One such partnership established Pulina as the sole interior design partner for a prestigious network of private clubs, while another, with ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove, launched them into the Singaporean market by making them the first Italian yacht interior designers in the country.

The art director previously worked with renowned Italian brands like Interstellar Dudes, who have collaborated with established names like American Designer, Prabal Gurung. Upon relocating to London, she now serves as a curator for Tutussie, giving her the opportunity to discover and showcase emerging creative talent, in a way she describes as thrilling.

Zhou also currently serves as the Business Development Manager at Felipe Fiallo, one of the first footwear brands focused on regenerating the Planet through sneakers culture and circularity. They are widely known for their innovative materials and “phygital” experiences which merges biology, regenerative materials (such as fungus, algae and crystals) and digital experiences (in the metaverse).

Just as YouYou has different passions and roles, she also has different inspirations for each one, She shares, “My biggest idols are Cho Gi-Seok, Guy Bourdin and Ann Demeuleemester. Cho Gi-Seok is probably my biggest influence branding wise, as he’s able to create astonishing conceptual work of art but also reach a viral crowd of aficionados. Guy Bourdin is my biggest influence in terms of art direction, as he was one of the first photographers who recreated symbolism and dystopic themes in such a fashionable way. Ann Demeulemeester is a major influence in my designing process, as her work introduced me to decontructivism, dualism and wabi-sabi, which are now very relevant in my works.”

While YouYou thrives as a stylist, curator, art director, and producer, She currently finds producing the most fulfilling, as it combines her networking skills with her art direction experience to create beautiful concepts. However, right now, she believes her work will always stand out from competitors because of her impeccable storytelling abilities.

“My ability to understand what a brand/concept needs, in order to be completely understood by the public–that is my superpower.”

When asked for her advice to aspiring creatives who might be interested in a career path similar to hers, she said, “Don’t be afraid to be seen as different. Sometimes the unknown route is not the most dangerous, but instead it opens more doors.”

With the launch of her own casting and branding agency on the horizon, YouYou wants to empower a new generation of creatives, and expand on the superpower of storytelling.

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Photographed by Noah Bakour

Written by Angel Joanne Okonkwo