Wearable culture

China-born designer to make his debut at Paris fashion week

Chinese beauties at Paris Fashion Week

The dark-brown gown, with rough material, looks like a withered tree. But when a woman puts it on, it wraps around the wearer and shows her curves.

The inspiration comes from a line in a poem written by Ma Zhiyuan in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

The poet started with "withered vine, old tree and a crow in the dawn", using several objects to describe a lonely scene.

When the designer was studying abroad in France, he was homesick. He remembered this poem and decided to visualize it in his creations. He used silk, scraps and leather to create this gown.

Fashion critic Ao Ran comments: "Though many designers try to use traditional Chinese elements, they fail to capture the essentials. But Lawrence Xu did it with his understanding, experience and knowledge. More importantly, he interprets it in a modern way."

The prominent Chinese elements in his creation also won the recognition of actress Fan Bingbing who says the reason she chooses Xu as her designer is "to tell the world: I am not from South Korea, nor Japan. I am an actress from China".

After graduating from the Central Academy of Craft Art (now the Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University), the designer started his career in 1993. He first designed garments for the theater. Some celebrities heard of him and asked him to design dresses.

Now, in his late 30s, Xu runs his label under his own name with a small design team. Unlike other brands, he does not have a sales or marketing department. With his reputation spreading in the fashion world, he's never worried about cash flow. His customers come in droves.

When asked about his consumers, Xu says they are "extremely rich or come from good backgrounds".

He is currently filling 30 orders, and each is priced at 300,000 yuan ($65,000).

Xu harbors another dream. He is now developing his own home deco brand.

"In the future, I want to build a Lawrence Kingdom, where consumers can find an alluring lifestyle. I will not only focus on haute couture in garments, but also interior design, jewelry and accessories - of course, with Chinese style," he says.