New York-Trained Designer Returned To Beijing In 2007#
She may be young, but Beijing-based fashion designer
Liu Lu#
(刘璐) has quickly made waves in the Chinese fashion world since completing her studies at New York's Parsons School of Design in 2006. Launching her own labels after returning to the Chinese capital -- first the eponymous Lu12.28 then, more recently,
Luvon#
-- Liu Lu's designs, with equal inspiration from New York and Beijing, look to highlight a Chinese sense of beauty, aimed at the modern and cosmopolitan Chinese woman.
Highlighted this spring in Hong Huang's WWD "ChinaFile" column, earlier this year Liu worked with the New York-based Chinese photographer
Quentin Shih#
(Jing Daily interview) on a Lolita-inspired photoshoot of Luvon's 2012 spring-summer collection, saying her new collection “investigates the increasing popularity of Lolitas in modern China.”
Recently, Liu spoke to China's ELLEShop about her fashion philosophy and the future of her label (translation by Jing Daily team):
E: How do you interpret and define fashion?
Liu Lu
: I think fashion is an attitude towards life. This differs from person to person, as does their own definition of quality of life, so creating a fashion brand is a unique process for everyone.
E: Are you a big online shopper?
LL
: Actually I'm rarely online, so I don't really shop online.
E: What do you hope to do with your label, Luvon, in the future?
LL
: In addition to design, I hope Luvon will be known for its spiritual depth -- I want it to be an independent designer brand that embodies the good of humanity. So basically not confining the label to the material level, and ultimately leading people to explore the inner world of independent designer brands.
Though her name has yet to make as much of a splash outside of China as Uma Wang or Xander Zhou, and her brand Luvon is still new to the scene, Liu Lu is hard at work making a name for herself in Beijing and Shanghai. Recently, the Chinese news portal 163 took a trip to Liu Lu's Beijing studio, which -- with its pure white walls and hardwood floors -- could easily pass for a showroom in New York, Paris or London.
