How Robert Wun’s gender-bending couture wins the A-list

Welcome to The Luxury Minute by Jing Daily, where we take you inside the boardroom for unfiltered conversations with C-suite executives and creatives shaping fashion and beauty across global markets. In our latest episode, we speak with leading Hong Kong-born London-based couturier Robert Wun, founder of his eponymous label. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon. Many emerging designers head straight for the wholesale, ready-to-wear business model after graduating. Yet in doing so, they overlook the stability and creativity possible in couture — that is what leading couturier Robert Wun leaned into post-2020, recognizing his talent for story-building, and exquisite made-to-order pieces, completely abandoning wholesale around five years ago. Discovered by Joyce Boutique shortly after sharing his graduate collection online, Wun initially launched a ready-to-wear label in 2014, navigating the more conventional wholesale model. But like many independent designers, he found its constraints limiting and financially impossible — and during the pandemic, he pivoted decisively toward one-off, made-to-order pieces with couture-level pricing, a move that would come to shape the trajectory of his brand. It was not until 2023 that he was invited onto the prestigious Paris Haute Couture Week calendar. Over the past decade, Wun’s gender-bending style has attracted a strong A-list clientele and emerged as a defining force in the future of couture. Many know Wun for his dramatic "bleeding love" bridal look, his rosy butterfly ensemble for Ariana Grande, and tennis player Naomi Osaka’s recent viral jellyfish look at the 2026 Australian Open. However, over on Xiaohongshu (also known as Rednote), it is his cinematic masterpiece collections that are the reason for his virality among fashion fans. Put simply, unlike many luxury brands in 2026, his designs break through the social media noise louder than celebrity endorsement. In Jing Daily’s conversation, the founder breaks down his reasoning for leaving wholesale behind, as well as being transparent about the current state of fashion, from celebrity culture to mass market collaboration strategies. Jing Daily: Was couture always a business model you had in mind when studying at London College of Fashion? Robert Wun: No. I think, first of all, there are many different business models for designers. There is no one way to run a business, especially with today's landscape. Even if you have zero in your account, you can do B2C. I didn't even make a planned choice when I moved away from wholesale four or five years ago now. Instead of thinking what buyers want, I started to think what would consumers want? So then I really just went into exactly what I love to do. Then we suddenly gained traction from clients wanting custom orders, so it opened the door to a more feasible business model of made-to-measure, custom orders, and not wholesale. JD: Your first couture show was built around the theme of fear. Like imitated wine stains, accidents or a jacket splashed in “snow” that's actually diamonds. Why is challenging perfection so important to you? RW: Well prior to that, my work has always been very much about precision and I always wanted to create something that has no raw edge. I love when things are very controlled and precise. [For the first couture show] I had never put a collection together in such a short amount of time. There was so much known so I had to go for it and embrace all this insecurity and start thinking about what does control mean to me and what is already out there? Why do they need someone new to go into the calendar? So I imagined all these people wearing white coats with globes, touching a precious garment to protect them, worries that something so expensive and time-consuming could get damaged. And I wanted to turn that fear into something beautiful. JD: You've worked with famous clients all over the world, from Adele to Cardi B — is there a common thread that runs between all of your clients? RW: I think they enjoy that it could be anything with Robert. Our biggest market is America and our second is China, then the Middle East. But no matter whether I do a custom design for an artist or client, it is like giving a second life to the original design. I think the Adele rainfall gown is the best example. You know, I first presented on the runway as a rain raincoat and with an umbrella, and then it went to Adele Las Vegas residency. It became a rainfall gown, and she had the set of Set Fire To The Rain with actual rain coming down as well. I think it is the magic of it all. JD: Did you always want to do brand collaborations? RW: I love doing different things as I think it's an exam as to whether you're a good designer or not. You can't be a good designer if you're only good at one thing, you should be able to explore different aspects of design. Raf Simons, for example, studied furniture designs and then he came a designer, and then you can literally see the world building aspect of it from the way that he curates things because his narrative is not only limited to clothing. I think the perception of what a designer should be or what they can do is a very good testimony to see how big their world is and how far their imagination is. It all contributes to their core business. People buy into you because of the language and the world that you're building. Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon.

How Robert Wun’s gender-bending couture wins the A-list

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag

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How Robert Wun’s gender-bending couture wins the A-list

How Bottega Veneta weaved China’s forever it bag