What if one visits a place and the impression is deeply etched in one's memory? For Peter Lau, his trip to Beijing in 1992 opened up a new horizon and he discovered for himself a purpose in design.
The fashion designer was in Beijing to showcase his collection at the China International Fashion Festival. "The trip was organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and that was my first visit to Beijing," Lau recalled sitting at his boutique shop on Wellington Street, Central. "The show was very different from what I am doing now. The clothes were all designed in western style."
Fashion designer Peter Lau at his boutique store in Central. Edmond Tang
It was a Tuesday morning. Two mannequins, dressed in Lau's beautiful drapes, were standing behind the glass doors. Looking from where we sat - a small office room right behind the showroom, the feminine contours of the mannequins were cast against the shop signs on the opposite side of the street. The combination of the ethereal and the mundane created a strong sense of surrealism. "It's difficult to describe my feeling," said the 52-year-old designer.
At that time, Beijing streets were swarmed with people sporting Mao suits. The dominant color in the capital was grey and deep blue, which was in sharp contrast to Hong Kong. But for the designer, the experience was more than just a glimpse into the fashion backwaters.
"The fabrics they used to make clothes with, the way they accessorized their outfits - all looked outdated. But at the same time, I found these people very authentic. There was a down-to-earth side to the way they dressed themselves and the way they went about their businesses moved me," Lau said, wearing a cotton shirt, denim jacket and plain jeans.
Three years after that trip, Lau showcased his first China-inspired collection for Spring/Summer 2005. "It was pretty strong, with all those Chinese elements. I wanted to send a message that this was going to be a directional change for me," he said.
The interior of the showroom contrasts with the street-side scene. Edmond Tang
But Lau was neither the first nor the last Hong Kong designer to adopt the Chinese theme. In fact, the "East meets West" style has been in existence for more than two decades. And Lau was well aware of it from the beginning.
"All the designers who ever fashioned the 'East meets West' look seemed to have done it within a certain delineated area. What they did basically was to concoct a style using Chinese color and pattern, with a little bit of western cutting thrown in for good measure. By the time I started, I wanted to break the boundaries and make something that had never been done before," he said.
The idea was to take the Chinese cheongsam as prototype, and to revolutionize the look by expanding its vocabulary. Whatever the result, Lau wanted to make sure that it's rooted in his design soul.
"I am not interested in doing additions - taking something from everything and adding them up together. That would be the easy way out. But it can never give you the kind of excitement that comes from expressing the depth of your mind."
Over the years, Lau has developed his own unmistakable personal style. The color palette is vivid, comprising mainly hot pink, turquoise green, sky blue and nude hues. The designs are whimsical and full of surprises: frothy lace sprouts out of the sleeve of a coat, ostrich feather peaks from underneath the short hemline of a skirt.
Lau, who studied textile technology at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, shows a unique sensitivity when dealing with fabrics. He himself designs the flower patterns on cotton fabric. He also had the delicate lace shipped from Italy and intricate brocade done by skilled artisans in Shanghai.
An outfit from Lau's collection for fall/winter 2008. Courtesy of Peter Lau
Lau's signature image is a girl in tight bodices and high-rise skirt gathered on both sides to reveal maximum leg. The look is completed by the knee-height stockings, high-heels and a touch of fur at the shoulder or around the neck. This combination has been described by fashion reviewers as sexy, playful, or even raunchy and erotic. To Lau, as long as hemlines are concerned "no short is too short", his design is purely feminine.
Lau, however, said, "sexiness is not the right word to summarize my design. Femininity is." He also added: "My designs are the embodiment of my own reflections of womanhood. They are emotional pieces, so they can't be shallow or vulgar."
Maybe it's Lau's habit to "take things to extremes". When he looked for inspiration to convey the joy of youth, he looked, not to a 16-year-old, but to a one-year-old. The hemline of the mini-shirt is sewn together at one point to resemble baby's diaper. "It's loose-fitting and comfortable," said Lau. "After all you cannot possibly be younger than a new-born."
Unlike a typical high-profile fashion designer, Lau is plainly dressed, with no dark glasses. In 1996, there was a controversy, when he designed a collection titled "Neo-Punk in China". Models wore red satin skirts screen-printed with yellow stars resembling China's National Flag. The Trade Development Council initially had some reservations about showing the designs in Beijing. But after Lau insisted, the show went on, not only in Beijing, but also in a number of other Chinese cities.
"It was before the 1997 handover, there was considerable uncertainly about the future of Hong Kong. The National Flag as a potent symbol of Chinese sovereignty had been viewed by many people with mixed feelings," Lau recalled, explaining his motive behind the show. "I wanted to soften the impact the flag had on people's mind by incorporating it into my very feminine designs. I wanted to make the image softer, warmer."
Talking about his inspiration for pink stockings, Lau said he had first spotted a pair of pink stockings worn by a mainland teenager two decades ago in Hong Kong. "I have an emotional attachment to pink stockings used in fashion shows. They remind me of the people who don't have money to buy expensive clothing, but who exude vitality and vibrancy," he said.
