BREAK THE MOLD
Photography by Jean Francois Verganti
A. A. SPECTRUM – IN CONVERSATION WITH THE FASHION BRAND’S CO-FOUNDER AND DESIGN DIRECTOR
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Redefining high-performance menswear through culture and design
China-born fashion brand A. A. Spectrum has carved a niche by blending bold aesthetics with technology. Co-founded by Amber Peng and Ying Zeng, the brand positions itself at the intersection of high fashion and functionality, challenging conventions and creating designs that resonate across cultures. With Kevin Tallon as Design Director, the team thrives on a collaborative ethos, drawing inspiration from their diverse cultural backgrounds to craft pieces that are innovative and timeless. A. A. Spectrum is still not a designer brand, but rather a niche brand.
We asked Ying Zeng and Kevin Tallon to share insights into their creative processes, their cultural influences, and the future of A. A. Spectrum.
Sina Braetz: What is your very personal vision for the future of high-performance menswear?
KT: Blending high fashion and technology seamlessly, I mean we don’t want to look like someone coming down from a ski trip, but we want to benefit from what technologies the sportswear world has brought us. Our core consumers want to stand out, be bold and colorful, stylish and protected from the elements.
Ying: Agree with Kevin’s opinion.
Beijing is the birthplace of your brand – describe to us how it influences the brand’s vision and designs.
KT: I lived for ten years in Beijing and have been connected to this city since 2007, it’s a big part of my life. I have many fond memories of this city, its people and the transformation it went through. I was always fascinated by crossing and blending cultural boundaries; bringing my Western design values and aesthetics to infuse them with Beijing’s scale, architecture, rawness and the way locals dress and express their relation to fashion.
Ying: For us, Beijing represents more than just a city—it embodies our culture and history. The creation of our brand stemmed largely from the demands of our work. My partner and I often travel across the globe for inspiration, connecting with people from different countries and experiencing diverse cultures. We realized that while people from various cultural backgrounds can be vastly different, there are always commonalities that unite them. This insight led us to the idea of “it is all about spectrum,” which inspired the name of our brand—an abbreviation of this very phrase. Our team is also made up of individuals from different cultural backgrounds and countries, which reflects our belief in integrating cross-cultural elements into our designs. Through our work, we aim to express everyone’s unique attitude towards their lifestyle.
“Westerners tend to bunch up Chinese culture in a one-size-fits-all fortune cookie”–Kevin Tallon
What do you appreciate and value most about Beijing and Chinese culture? How are you trying to bring these elements to Europe and the States?
KT: First and foremost, the fact that Chinese culture is vast and regional, westerners tend to bunch up Chinese culture in a one-size-fits-all fortune cookie. Each season we develop into our designs a part of Chinese culture that we as a design team want to bring forward. There is also an important translation part to “westernize” our designs and make them more relatable to our audience in Europe and the States.
You are already working with ethically sourced down and ultralight 3M Thinsulate Insulation materials. How do you try to elaborate on the brand’s sustainability core in the near future even more?
KT: It’s an important part of our mission, for a while now we only use 100% recycled polyester lining, we source materials with recycled content, although the price can still be an issue. But one of our strongest points with the amazing atelier set up in Beijing is that we make to order, avoiding unwanted inventory and potential waste. As recycled materials become more readily available, we intend to use them more in our collections.
Do you care about trends at all?
KT: To some extent yes, but more as a feedback loop: If we think up a theme and see that it’s already out there, we know we are too late and move on to the next idea. I personally love developing timeless pieces that can still feel relevant after several seasons such as the CYBEREN jacket which was first designed for AW21 and is still highly sought after.
YING: Since our brand is positioned as a fashion brand, we pay attention to trends. However, we focus even more on exploring how to incorporate interesting elements from both Eastern and Western cultures into our clothing designs.
What has inspired you most lately–not only in fashion?
KT: Movie: The Substance. Youtube: Martijn Doolaard and his house renovation project. Music: HiTech–the new sound of Detroit. So familiar, yet so unheard of.
YING: The lines of Chinese pavilions and terraces and the shapes of Western castles are so different, but they’re both stunning in their own unique way, shaped by their own cultures.
How do you aim to bridge the gap between culture and design in your brand?
KT: It’s the hardest part of the job! Full of pitfalls, clichés and shortcuts. My mantra is: Culture is a manifestation of human social behavior, designing is a personal endeavor, a constantly evolving skill. Bridging both is a daily practice.
YING: It’s definitely challenging, especially since our team is made up of people from such different cultural backgrounds. But I think it’s all about communication—really listening to everyone’s perspective and valuing each team member’s opinion. I believe that once the team can break out of their own cultural frameworks, they’ll naturally start to understand each other better. At the end of the day, mutual understanding is the foundation of both culture and design.
“Our cross-cultural relationship brings a uniquely positive and inclusive collaborative point of view in a world full of algorithmic rage, populism and fear politics”–Kevin Tallon
How do you usually work on a collection?
KT: We start by never forgetting that people buy clothes, not designs. We kick off with a theme that constantly evolves in parallel to the development of the design, we stay open-minded, curious, reflective, and ultra flexible. The journey from the initial idea to the final sample is the most interesting part. As a design director, my job is to set the tone, stimulate the designers, push them to be the most creative, review, review, review, and keep an eye on the big picture.
What are your main goals/plans for next year?
KT: A. A. Spectrum is about people (the Ren symbol of our logo is the Chinese character for people). With so many years of experience in the fashion business, I came to realize that the most important thing is to surround yourself with people who share the same values. Our cross-cultural relationship brings a uniquely positive and inclusive collaborative point of view in a world full of algorithmic rage, populism and fear politics. For the upcoming year, we intend to design collections that are more outstanding and unique, reflecting our audience’s need to stand out and be seen as positive agents of change.
YING: Next year’s goals will be pretty “standard.” We’ll continue to push ourselves, break through the limitations that each person’s culture and experiences bring, and make sure that this “process of breaking through” is better integrated into our designs.
