@charles___lu
Ontario, Canada
What is the desired impact or message you aim to convey through your garments?
First and foremost, my garments always need to connect with the viewer on a very emotional level. I always want my designs to hold strength and reveal a powerful energy through the wearer. My designs have always equally served as a form of protection and projection of inner power. In my work, I often highlight the feminine form whilst always juxtaposing this with a masculine energy. People who gravitate toward my work often do so because they relate to the lines in my work, feeling both minimalist and maximalist. I believe the basic motif of ‘the line’ is an essential starting point to any piece. My work often uses very little embellishment, and solely relies on lines and seams to express my thoughts. Each design is a journal entry into my life, an exact moment of how I feel, and a snapshot of where I am. I don’t believe in trends. I believe in timeless expressions because feeling powerful should not be fleeting.
If you were to collaborate with a musician or band to create a fashion collection, who would it be, and what would your collection include?
Cher. She has really been such a pioneer when it comes to fearlessly expressing herself through fashion as an extension of her music. Her career has spanned so many decades, with such a distinct look and feel for each phase of her life. When I was younger, I was in awe of what she and Bob Mackie were able to come up with. I remember scouring the early days of Google trying to find archival footage and absorb as much as I could. I would love to collaborate with Bob Mackie as well, referencing the most iconic pieces while infusing my masculine hard edge and linear design. I would use oversized leather jackets, cut outs, oversized fur vests, metals, and beading, but in a more contemporary fashion. I would restrict color but highlight so many details and reference points, from sailor hats and oversized vests to fringe dresses made with chainmail. I would mix all of this to play on Cher’s powerful energy.
What is the most peculiar or unexpected source of inspiration you’ve ever had for a design, and how did it influence your creative process?
Most of my reference points stem from a personal call-to-action. When I lived in Dubai, I was only designing elaborate, feminine evening gowns. I have never touched anything else since before my university days. I always felt only a fraction of myself was being expressed. When I was on Next in Fashion, I was pushed beyond my comfort zone and it forced me to ask myself some difficult questions, primarily being, what I wanted to be as a fashion designer and if my designs aligned with who I was. My latest collection’s starting point was a direct response to me being turned away from a bar in Dubai. I was wearing tailored shorts. Every woman in there had exposed legs, but it was considered informal for me. I thought it was so ridiculous because I literally design gowns full of beading and intricate cuts specifically produced for lavish affairs, but I was being turned away for missing two feet of fabric. This situation really made me rethink what the idea of formal and socially acceptable clothing was. In my collection, I reimagined sweatshirts as couture garments and reworked deconstructing fleece with corsetry. I cut puffer jackets and hoodies with 1950s volumes. All models wore baseball caps. I took what was common and informal and made it beyond the norm.
If you had to pick one fashion trend from history to make a comeback, which one would it be and why?
Trends are cyclical and though I have an idea where fashion heads, I am not led by or understand things that are too trendy. It’s not a trend, but one thing I miss and long for in fashion is the process of getting tailored clothes made and altered. There was more care for design and a higher appreciation of clothing. My work may not resonate with those who wear exclusively suits, but I apprenticed at a local suit shop when I was 16 and the process of creating one-of-a-kind items and having that relationship with an appreciative client is like nothing else. Fit and proportions are so important that fashion as a whole gets lost sometimes in the humanization behind it. Fashion moves so fast and I like to slow down to appreciate the seams.
If you could design an outfit that embodies a specific emotion, which emotion would it be and how would you express it through your design?
The emotion I would probably choose is fear. I think this emotion is so powerful in the way it can hold us back. It has so much power, but only as much as we give it. Fear can be stifling and constricting. It restricts us from breathing and handcuffs us from the next moment. I would probably represent this through being constricted through corset and lacing and heavier materials like black molded leather or metal. I would only represent this emotion if I could find a release from it. The back would probably be light, white, and airy. Themes of darkness and lightness, as well as black and white, are constant themes in my work. I’m more informally known as “Panda” as a nickname to my close ones for this reason.
If you had to choose one unconventional material to work with for an entire collection, what would it be and why?
Metal. If I had a second option, it would be glass. I have always been attracted to structure and creating things without the limitations of a fabric weave. Metal and glass are very representative of hardness, light, and structure. They are key design beliefs that I instill in my work. Metal has a feeling of being forever, and something that can transcend time. Glass feels pure and like water, something that is essential for life. These two elements together feel like immortality. I have no interest in immortality as the whole purpose of living is that we know there is an end.
