Artist Spotlight: Lilian Tsang
Can you tell us how your journey with embroidery began, and what first drew you to the medium?
Actually, I studied fashion design at university and became a fashion designer after graduation. While working as a fashion designer, I got the opportunity to create costumes for various singers and dancers, which was a completely different field from commercial fashion. When crafting stage outfits, I gained in-depth exposure to haute couture embroidery, and I was utterly captivated by all kinds of beading and embroidery techniques.
Was there a specific moment when embroidery shifted from a personal interest into something you wanted to pursue more seriously?
After finishing my advanced training at École Lesage in France and returning to Hong Kong, I struggled to find a suitable studio or brand to apply to. That was when I decided to launch my own embroidery studio with my friend, so we could create exactly what we envisioned.
How would you describe your approach to embroidery today, both technically and creatively?
I never limited myself in creatively from the start. I usually draw inspiration from everyday life: the silhouettes of my houseplants, patterns I encounter abroad while travelling, and natural lines I spot in landscapes when hiking. Afterwards, I figure out how to weave those shapes and lines into my embroidery, as well as which stitching techniques suit them best.
What influences or experiences have shaped your aesthetic and the way you think about embroidery as a practice?
My experience working as a fashion designer has influenced me tremendously. Back then, I realised embroidery holds endless creative possibilities. It is not restricted to threads, beads or sequins — practically any material can be incorporated.
I also learned that over-polished perfection does not equal the best design. Sometimes the raw, organic traces left behind during the creative process bring out a unique, alternative kind of beauty.
What led you to start YLY Studio, and what did you hope to create through it that felt different from your individual work?
After graduating from École Lesage, I returned to Hong Kong and considered which studio or brand I wanted to work for. Soon I realised there were no existing local platforms that aligned with my ideals, so I decided to set up YLY Studio to freely realise my own creative vision.
I wouldn’t say the studio’s output differs from my personal creative works. Instead, the studio opens up brand-new avenues and possibilities to further evolve my individual embroidery creations.
How did your partnership with Matt Hui Yip Long come about, and how do your roles complement each other within the studio?
My business partner Matt and I graduated from the same university and even worked at the same fashion company after graduation.
After that, Matt continued his Master’s degree in womenswear design, while I chose to further my professional training at École Lesage, focusing exclusively on advanced couture embroidery.
Many years later, we reunited in Hong Kong. At that time, both of us were feeling uncertain about our career paths and were unsure which company could truly match our creative values.
Out of this shared hesitation and similar artistic vision, we decided to start our own studio together.
We have always maintained a clear creative division: Matt focuses on womenswear and fashion design, while I lead all the embroidery creation and artistic detailing. Together, we build works that combine refined fashion aesthetics with intricate couture embroidery craftsmanship.
You are based in Hong Kong. How does that environment influence your work, and do you find that your audience or students extend internationally?
Hong Kong is an international city, where we are exposed to diverse cultures from an early age. That explains why our embroidery works incorporate elements from all around the world. We have Western Art Nouveau styles, Japanese Daruma motifs, as well as local Hong Kong lion dance patterns.
Thanks to the internet, creators like us can gain recognition globally. Most of our students are locals from Hong Kong, yet we also have learners coming from Taiwan, Singapore, France, Japan and the United States.
YLY Studio offers workshops. What motivated you to open that part of your practice, and what do you hope participants gain from the experience?
I’m eager to share this beautiful craft with others. Hong Kong is such a fast-paced city where people rarely get a chance to slow down. Most people assume finishing an entire embroidered piece is extremely challenging. Through step-by-step teaching, I hope to show everyone that anyone is capable of creating their own embroidery with their own hands.
This pushes me to view embroidery not only as an artistic creation, but also a soothing slow craft for busy people. I adopt progressive, beginner-friendly teaching methods, hoping to deliver the calm and joy of hand stitching to everyone.
How do you balance your personal artistic voice with the collaborative and evolving nature of running a studio?
I don’t really make a deliberate effort to separate or balance my personal artistic ideas from the studio’s collaborative creations, because the studio works are essentially built around my own creative vision at their core.
If I had to pinpoint where the difference and balance lie, it would come down to practical constraints. When I work on purely personal pieces, I rarely worry about costs — I can freely use any beads, threads or embellishments I fancy without holding back. However, projects for the studio require careful planning. I have to factor in material expenses and production lead time, which means I need to put more thought into rationalising my designs to make them feasible.
Looking ahead, how do you envision the future of your practice, both for yourself and for YLY Studio?
Since I mainly run workshops and teaching classes right now, I hope to create more of my own original artworks and take part in various art fairs in the future.
As for my studio, I aim to develop it into a comprehensive craft school. It will not only centre on embroidery, but also cover other traditional handcraft techniques such as bobbin lace and knitting. I want students to freely incorporate all the skills they learn into their own creative pieces.
Follow along:
T • (+852) 6578 1211 (Hong Kong)
IG • YLYstudio / YLYstudio_workshop
