Saikhantsetseg Tserendorj is a fashion designer and fashion illustrator from Mongolia. She is currently living in New York. She came to the USA after high school to become a Fashion designer and graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with an Associate in Fashion Design and a Bachelors in Technical Design.
Saikhantsetseg has loved drawing ever since she was a child. During high-school, she realized she loved drawing people and fashion more than still objects and landscapes. She loves designing one of a kind dresses with interesting cutouts and details. She’s been focusing on working as a fashion illustrator at the moment.
Saikhantsetseg describes her style as free, expressive and one of a kind. Her favorite mediums are pen, markers and watercolor.
IN CONVERSATION WITH SAIKHANTSETSEG TSERENDORJ
Describe yourself as creative and when was your first approach to fashion?
I have loved drawing ever since I was a child. Either it was drawing, painting or creating cute figurines with clay. Then I went to a high school which specialized in Art. I learned a lot about the fundamentals of drawing, painting and illustrating there. And right before I graduated high school I decided to pursue a career in the fashion industry because it felt like a fun and creative career to have. If I describe myself as creative I would say I’m spontaneous, expressive and unique.
What is the most challenging side of being a fashion illustrator?
The most challenging side of being a fashion illustrator is to combine the creative side to the business side. Pricing my work, having confidence at selling a service I provide, and learning how to market myself have been challenging.
How do you manage to connect with potential customers and what kind of actions are you taking for this? Do you have any brand you would like to collaborate with?
Social media is such a powerful tool. Just by posting my works and optimizing my bio, mentioning where I’m located, and linking my email to my profile I had potential clients, brands and companies reach out to me for work and collaborations. I landed in many freelancing opportunities because of instagram. Yes, I have many brands I really want to collaborate with such as Vogue, Urban outfitters, Starbuck, Target, Macy’s, Papyrus, Sephora, Zimmerman, Alexander Mcqueen, YSL, Chanel, Burberry, and Prada.
Would you like to collaborate or be part of any fashion week or fashion shows in New York, Milan or Paris?
In the future, I would love to hold my own fashion shows in New York, Milan and Paris.
What do you think about the opportunity of selling your pieces online nowadays? What about digital fashion and Web3.0?
I think it’s an amazing opportunity for artists and creatives to be able to sell their works online directly to buyers and collectors and skip the middleman. And nowadays with the power of the internet you could reach tens of thousands of potential audiences who would be a perfect fit and interested in your works. It’s such an amazing time.
Web 3.0 is already doubling or tripling the opportunities that Web 2.0 gave to artists and creators if they use it right and to their advantage. Decentralization, eliminating banks and governments from the game is just huge and brilliant! And the fact that the smart contract can let the artists and creators set up a fee for royalties without an expiration date is another amazing perk that Web 3.0 allows. This honestly feels like a God sent technology to artists and creatives.
Being a creative in such a difficult industry, what are the challenges that a fashion illustrator can face?
I don’t think the fashion industry is that difficult. Of course it has its challenges but so do many other industries. Some challenges I’ve come across are to become visible in the industry and keep creating even if nobody cares about it, also defining a target market, marketing myself and my service and products to my ideal audience etc.
If you could choose to live in a different city, which would it be?
I want to live in Los Angeles and Paris.
What would you write in a letter to your future self?
Believe in yourself and your gifts. You have these gifts, skills and talents for a reason. Use them with pride and don’t be afraid to promote and talk about it. Also love yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, give yourself some grace and be kind to yourself. Focus on the opportunities not the obstacles. And remember no pain no gain. Don’t run and hide when things are hard if there is a lot of resistance, lean into it. It’s a sign that it’s the most important thing you must do to go to the next level. Also you can do hard things. You’re strong and capable.
Find more of her work at www.inkfizz.com or @inkfizz
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