ELLE FASHION
In conversation with Fashion Crossover London Designer: Qiqi Zhang & Su Yang from LaFACADE
“LaFACADE captures the essence of who we are; simple components that build up people’s identity and make up the human facade.”
From classmates to lovers, to successful business partners. Womenswear designer Qiqi Zhang and menswear designer Su Yang, join hands, or should we say needles, for the launch of their luxury handbag label LaFACADE. Strongly rooted in cultural identity, LaFACADE seeks to bridge the gap between East and West with their vividly coloured designs.
While we both have our foundations in design, our different pathways allow us to offer contrasting perspectives when it comes to the design of our final product. Much like us, the LaFACADE handbags perfectly harmonise feminine and masculine aesthetics. Our SS20 collection ‘Dreams in Melancholy’ was inspired by Sarah Bahban’s photographyproject ‘Dear Love’, where she captures a man’s emotion through the softness of her feminine lens.
We both have an Eastern background but were formed at a Western institution. This caused an inevitable mix of styles, but more importantly culture. Culture is the most powerful representative of your unique identity and it is what differentiates, as well as brings us closer together. With LaFACADE we represent different cultures and root these in a historical understanding. During a trip to Kyoto, we experienced the famous Gion Festival, which left a lasting impression on us.
The carnival parade demonstrated a wonderful mix of traditional and contemporary lifestyles. This inspired us to fuse Western street style with traditional Japanese design. Every designer’s approach is different, we always look for a muse and then challenge ourselves to tell his or her story through a visual language, in this case, handbags. Whether something has a Western or Eastern background, the root is always the cultural and historical value it carries. ‘The Facade’ was the central theme for Su Yang’s menswear collection. It explores how people dress and use this as an effective way of communicating who they are or would like to be. LaFACADE captures the essence of who we are; simple components that build up people’s identity and make up the human facade.
I have been showcasing my work through the Graduate Talent Programme for the past two years and have received amazing press results. Together with Fashion Crossover London I built out a strong network of stylists, photographers and models. I believe that now we are ready for the next step, and together with the help of Fashion Crossover London we will gain the relevant exposure for our handbags! Fashion Crossover London Founder & Managing Director: Since Wang Editor: Lupe Baeyens Ad Production: Xavier Tan Jiang Hoe Bag Collection: LaFACADE