Text by Flora Wong
Photography Saga Sigurdardottir Styling Anna Trevelyan
Creating huge foam neckpieces in glittering silver paired with lame bodycon catsuits, graduate Yvonne Lau has dared to reach dazzling brave heights in her work. Inspired by avant-garde designers like Maison Martin Margiela, Comme des Garcons and strong female icons, her graduate collection suggests an affinity with exaggerated dramatics.
How old are you?
Yvonne Lau: 22
How long have you been designing?
Yvonne Lau: Ever since I was a kid I've been drawing a lot. I made paper dolls and little outfits.I even drew little comic/manga strips, like a picture storyboard.
Where are you based?
Yvonne Lau: London
How would you describe your own style?
Yvonne Lau: Simple and bold shapes, but exaggerated by different materials to create big structures. I try to keep my designs very futuristic and modern in terms of the colour and materials I use. I tend to have a robotic theme to my current and previous collections.
Who would you like to collaborate with?
Yvonne Lau: Hussein Chalayan.
Who do you have in mind when you design?
Yvonne Lau: Usually strong and powerful woman. I keep changing my muse. It depends on the mood of the collection I'm designing for at that particular moment. Previous muses includes Grace Jones, Björk, Devon Aoki and Mika Nakashima.
What inspires you at the moment?
Yvonne Lau: Since I'm abroad and away from London right now, so it's a very nice contrast to meet people with a different culture and lifestyle. I know this sounds really broad, but my trip to Thailand really made me understand that I'm very lucky to be who I am.
Who are your favorite designers and why?
Yvonne Lau: Hussein Chalayan, he's so creative. I love how he uses innovative materials and how he uses technology in his designs. There's always something really unique and inspiring about his collections. Also Comme des Garçons, their clothing is very avant-garde. I love how their pieces are usually very simple in terms of the shape, or even basic pieces like a shirt, but with a quirky twist. I also like Maison Martin Margiela, and the newer designers like Gareth Pugh. There's too many to list! I just love designs that are not really practical to be worn, and is more of a show piece.
Were you interested in fashion while growing up?
Yvonne Lau: I was always interested in Art and Design. I loved drawing and I explored different areas of art and design. I started to discover my passion for fashion when I in my teens.
I guess my oldest brother influenced me too, as he did Fashion Design as well. Both my brothers drew a lot of comic/manga, so I guess that made an impact on my design path when I was younger.
What are the difficulties faced being a designer today?
Yvonne Lau: There are a lot of up and coming strong graduates/designers (as well as the ones that are already out there), and we really need to be strong and creative about your ideas to stand out from the crowd. Fashion is tough. You need to keep the press amused.
If you weren't designing, what would you be doing?
Yvonne Lau: I guess fashion styling or marketing. I did want to become an animator at one point.
What are your plans for the future?
Yvonne Lau: Enjoy life. Be creative and inspire others.
Can we buy your collection?
Yvonne Lau: It is available to order it from me.
E-mail: yvonne_vonvon@hotmail.com
© by DazedDigital
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