TI: What sparked your love of fashion?
LL: It was an unconscious thing. When I was at school, my mother bought me very boring, conservative clothes. One day, I borrowed my aunt’s jacket, and the sleeves were too tight. I unpicked and adjusted them, wearing it with one of my dad’s shirts. That was my first experience of playing around with a garment and seeing what I could do with it. It had raw edges – very ‘Comme des Garçons’. At the time, everybody laughed, asking, ‘You can’t afford a new jacket?’.

Was that the moment you decided to study fashion?
No. I grew up in China in Sichuan, where I studied graphic design, before moving to Japan to study animation. On my campus, the animation department was next to fashion, so I’d walk past beautiful garments every day, thinking how fun it looked. So, I told my mum I was becoming a designer instead and applied to London College of Fashion. To my surprise, I was accepted.

Who or what do you think is stylish?
My grandma. Not because she has countless [fashion] pieces, but because she makes her own clothes and embroiders them. Even her innersoles are embroidered! When I began studying fashion, I learned about [Thierry] Mugler and [Alexander] McQueen and realised my passion was similarly focused on craftsmanship and textiles.

What inspires you?
Everything. I pick up inspiration everywhere, I never stop. I might look at a leaf and scan it to make prints. A chunk of cheese can be an inspiration, it depends how you see it!

Is that how you hope people view your work, as something to treasure?
Yes. In Paris [when studying embroidery] I worked on a piece of embroidery, created by hand. I was told, ‘Make sure the threads underneath are beautifully lined up before sewing it up.’ Confused, I asked, ‘Why? It’s covered anyway.’ My mentor explained, ‘Years later, somebody will wear this and the first layer may have worn through, so the second will show. This way, it will still be beautiful.’ That’s the essence of what I do.

How do you incorporate art into your work?
I’m currently working on a project linking art with fashion and invited ballet dancers to my showroom. I said to the first, ‘Dance with paint and leave a trail while you move.’ At first, she found it difficult, but the more she went into the movement, the more she freed herself. Haute couture is not about expensive fabrics or how much you spend, it’s about the creation. It should be an irreplaceable piece of art.

You said she felt free – is that how you hope people wearing your designs feel?
Yes. We have lots of rules put onto us about what we should wear. Couture is not about wearing brands. It’s about walking into a room and people saying, ‘You look beautiful’, instead of ‘The Gucci looks good on you’. It should be part of you and a representation of who you really are.

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