Wendy Yu MAINLAND CHINA

To Wendy Yu, style is about individuality. “Whether it’s a dress or a pair of shoes, make it your own,” the young fashion maverick says, “and really have the confidence to be yourself.”

Sensible words. At 27, Wendy knows exactly what she wants.

Born in Zhejiang province, the daughter of Mengtian Group founder Jingyuan Yu, Wendy developed a penchant for couture while attending boarding school in the UK, and later honed it by studying fashion management at the London College of Fashion and interning at Vogue China.

Her acquaintance with the sector’s upper echelons both as a student and young professional spurred her to launch in 2015 her own endeavour, venture capital company Yu Capital, to support high-potential, high-growth fashion, lifestyle and technology enterprises. Over the past two years, the company has invested in the likes of fashion brand Mary Katrantzou and Tujia, the Chinese equivalent of Airbnb, and granted Wendy plenty of visibility in the industry. “Wendy is a pioneer, both in style and business,” says Shangliu Tatler editor-in-chief Paris Kuo. “She’s driven in everything she does and sets her mind to, while always staying glamorous. That, to us, is the essence of style.”

Such determination extends to her philanthropic work as well. A patron of the arts, Wendy is a founding member of the V&A Museum Young Patrons’ Circle and a supporter of cultural organisations such as the British Museum, the Design Museum and the National Portrait Gallery, and her philanthropic interests include amfar, the Naked Heart Foundation and the British Fashion Trust.

Photography Li Haiyan Styling

Teresa Tsai Hair and make-up Da Bao Location Yihe Mansions This page, opposite and opening spread: Clothes are Wendy’s own; jewellery by Garrard