Wearable culture

A common thread runs across designer Lawrence Xu's haute couture dresses and gowns - Chinese style. He shares his inspiration with Gan Tian.

When Chinese actor Liao Fan, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Actor in the film Black Coal, Thin Ice, walked the red carpet at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival on Feb 15, fashionistas praised his taste: He chose a formal black suit with a leather collar and matched it with a small brooch of two delicate peonies in white and purple.

Fashion watchers also remember diva Fan Bingbing's "dragon robe" on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival in 2010, which caused a big stir in the press.

But few know the designer behind these creations - Xu Jianshu.

"I wish to stay behind-the-scenes. The most beautiful things, eventually, are not designers, but garments themselves," the designer says.

Known as Lawrence Xu in the fashion world, the designer is one of the first Chinese to make it to the Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture. In January, he held a show at the Emperor Hotel in Beijing.

Xu displayed 22 creations at the show, all haute couture dresses and gowns. The designer is known for his use of traditional Chinese elements on modern garments. For the famous "dragon robe" worn by Fan, he created two dragons with crashing waves on the hem in shining yellow - this was once the pattern and color that only emperors in ancient China could use.

In his show in Paris, Xu skillfully surprised the fashion fraternity with his iconic style.

He not only used silk and embroidery to add a rich Chinese flavor but also put ink-and-wash paintings and calligraphy on the train of a gown. The garments on display featured patterns of cranes, twisting tree branches, birds and blossoming peonies.

Xu admits he had been preparing for the show for at least two years. He decided to bring it to Beijing after a friend asked him to "bring this Chinese show back to China".

"I am fascinated with Chinese culture. When I read an ancient Chinese poem or look at some ink-and-wash Chinese paintings, I wonder if they could be trendy. They are breathtakingly beautiful," Xu says.

One of his iconic creations is an evening dress named "withered vine and old tree".

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.

Contact the writer at gantian@chinadaily.com.cn.