常以家庭和女兒為先的Shermin，是PLUIE et PLUIE的創作人，Pluie是法文「雨」的意思，「雨和雨」來自她的中文名字「雪雯」上的兩點雨。
曾留學法國，於巴黎的Atelier Chardon Savard修讀時裝設計，和Académie Internationale de Coupe de Paris主修樣板製作，被問到平常最喜歡留意哪類型的設計或品牌，她靦腆地回:「Dior和Alexander McQueen的couture。」
這問題勾起了她在McQueen當實習生的美好回憶，當時是McQueen離世前的時間，最後也有隨整個團隊一起出席他的喪禮。
「那時是暑假，膽粗粗地在網上搜尋實習的機會，很幸運地被Alexander McQueen取錄了，到他們的刺繡部門工作，有機會參與季度發佈的幕後製作，摸到很亮麗的布料、鈕呀線呀！親眼看見師傅兩下手勢就用真布做起樣板來試身，然後把自己有份設計的刺繡圖案放上去，真是令我最大開眼界！雖然每天工作十多小時，一回到辦房就根據系列的主題和要求位置，不停地在牛油紙上畫畫擦擦，但當看見自己的設計成為作品的一部分，親手製作的蝴蝶伏在模特兒身上走上天橋，真的很開心！」
説著説著，也令我憶起從前在歐洲公幹的日子，想起在古建築裡被咖啡的香氣和皮鞋踢躂著木樓梯的聲音包圍，享受各人對美感和高雅的執著，我們都談得心花怒放。
Shermin, who always puts her family and daughter first, is the creator of PLUIE et PLUIE. “Pluie” is French for “rain”. “Rain and rain” comes from the two raindrops in the Chinese characters of her name “雪雯”.
She pursued her studies in France previously, studying fashion design at Atelier Chardon Savard in Paris and specialising in patternmaking at the Académie Internationale de Coupe de Paris. When asked what kinds of designs and brands she likes to follow, she answered shyly, “Couture by Dior and Alexander McQueen.”
The question evoked fond memories of her internship at McQueen, at a time before McQueen passed away. Later, she would also attend his funeral with the entire team.
“It was the summer holidays back then. I mustered enough courage to look for internship opportunities online and was very lucky to be accepted by Alexander McQueen to work for their embroidery department. I had the chance to participate in the behind-the-scenes production of their seasonal launch and got to lay my hands on such lush fabric, buttons and yarn! To see patternmakers readily using actual fabric to create patterns for fitting, and to put embroidery patterns that I took part in designing on them, was most eye-opening for me. Although I worked for more than 10 hours every day, and as soon as I was back in the studio, I would be drawing and making erasure on tracing paper according to the collection’s themes and required placements, to see my own design forming part of the works and the butterfly I made by hand laying on the model’s body as she walked the runway, I was really happy!”
As we were talking, I also recalled my work trips in Europe, the aroma of coffee and the sound of leather shoes tapping on wooden stairs surrounding me in an old building. As we chatted away, relishing in each others’ commitment to aesthetics and elegance, our hearts bloomed.
晚上待女兒睡著了，有時拿出畫簿畫畫，有時就拿出針線做刺繡，喜歡做什麼就做什麼是很舒服的，當然趕工時就另作別話，有時在用色上也能看得出來。
At night, as soon as her daughter has fallen asleep, she would sometimes take out a sketchbook to draw, or take out her threads and needles to do embroidery. It is so soothing to do as one pleases, but of course racing against deadlines is another case, as reflected sometimes by the use of colours.
你有沒有從針黹中學習到什麼？
她回：「就算你想得多完美都好，做出來，原來效果不如想像；相反有時就算覺得前面有多難看也好，如果你選擇繼續走下去，也可能有些美麗的東西在後頭！
例如我試過做一條魚，重複做了4次都做不到想要的效果，想放棄又和自己說『不緊要，做下去吧！』最後出來的效果又不錯喎！」
大學讀社工，發現自己不太懂得收放別人的情感，知道自己不適合，反而因為要上莊，加入不同的學會，有時要幫忙車縫，發現很好玩，再加上之後讀了半年夜校，確定自己喜歡時裝，而且最投入是製作的部分，於是就隻身飛往巴黎。
「我相信，一件剪裁好的衣服，什麼身形穿也會好看；我覺得現在開始多了人想買少一點買好一點，我也很想擁有一件我真心喜歡的，舒服得穿破了也會修補繼續穿的衣物。」
Have you learned anything from sewing?
She replied, “No matter how perfect you conjure something up to be, when you make it, eh! The outcome never ends up as you imagined it; On the contrary, sometimes as unsightly as a path might look before you, if you resolve to carry on, something beautiful might just be awaiting!”
“For example, I tried to make a fish one time, but after four attempts, I was still unable to achieve the effect I wanted. During the fourth attempt, I had been wanting to give up, but I also said to myself, ‘Never mind, just carry on!’ In the end, the outcome was not too bad!”
During her social work studies in university, she found that she was not very capable of containing others’ feelings and knew that social work was not for her. On the other hand, in order to run for leadership roles in clubs, she joined different clubs and helped out with sewing and stitching work sometimes, which she found to be very fun. After studying at an evening school for half a year, she confirmed her interest in fashion, of which she was most engaged in the production aspect, and thus flew herself to Paris.
“I believe that with a well-tailored piece of clothing, any body type would look good in it. I think that nowadays more people are looking to make less but better purchases. I also want to own a piece of clothing that I genuinely like, that feels so comfortable that even when it wears out, I would repair it in order to go on wearing it.”
