Supermodel style, just like me

Model Lu Yan has launched her own fashion label, with simple designs that reflect her personal tastes. Sun Yuanqing reports.

As one of the first Chinese models to make it on international runways, Lu Yan is more than just a pretty face.

Walking with a boyish swagger and speaking with directness that could be mistaken for arrogance, Lu has a personality just as impressive as her face.

Nearly two years after she became a mother, the 32-year-old supermodel has returned to the fashion scene, this time as a designer.

Her brand Comme Moi, French for "like me", unveiled its fall/winter 2014 collection at its debut show in Beijing on July 1. The 50-look collection, featuring structured woolen coats, fishtail skirts and printed sweaters, is a reflection of the supermodel's own wardrobe, a mix of simplicity, elegance, power and sportiness.

Lu poured some champagne for the models before they strode down the catwalk to enhance their confidence.

Sitting in the front row were some of the most important names in Chinese fashion: actress Zhang Ziyi, stylist Li Dongtian, Elle China's chief editor Xiao Xue and chief editor of Harper's Bazaar China Su Mang. All have been Lu's friends for more than a decade and have witnessed how hard she has worked for the show - scouting material markets and consulting with garment factories all over the world.

The collection received much acclaim from critics and fashionistas for its wearability and strong personal style.

"It's modern sport chic coupled with some retro feminine appeal. The accessories are very imaginative. It will sell very well," fashion critic Lin Jian posted on his micro blog after the show.

Having modeled for almost all the big names including Dior, Lanvin and Alexander McQueen, Lu is confident about how to dress young, chic metropolitan women like herself.

"I have worn so many designers that I know what materials and shapes fit the wearers best. Because I'm not a trained designer, I think more from the wearer's point of view," Lu says.

While she says the shortage of systematic design training might result in a lack of a strong motif in her collection, Lu has her own way of working.

Lu's work usually starts in the material market, where she gets her inspiration by observing different materials.

"Compared to a trained designer, I might not have a very clear concept from the very start. I usually start from a very small thing that intrigues me and gradually develop it into an entire collection."

Lu has recruited a 16-person design team. The main ideas are her own and the team supports her with more detailed work like drawing and making patterns.

Although the debut received much acclaim, some critics have said the collection borrows styles from other high fashion labels. But Lu is not easily intimated by criticism.

"I have been involved in controversy since I was a model. Time will tell who is right and who is not. I didn't pay attention to the critics when I was a model, and I certainly won't as a designer. Whatever they like to say, say it," she says.

Born in rural Jiangxi province, Lu grew up in a mining area where her parents worked. At 18, Lu took part in a modeling competition in Beijing and then stayed on in the city to pursue a career as a model. She was soon discovered by renowned stylist Li Dongtian and photographer Feng Hai for her unconventional look, which caused much debate about beauty in China at the time. Lu later went to Paris and New York to expand her modeling career and study the fashion business.

Now a career woman, a mother and a wife, Lu says her child is her biggest comfort while her French husband a "steady career adviser".

Unlike other designers' labels, Lu didn't want to name the brand after herself because she wants people to "buy the clothes because of the design, rather than my name tag".

The spring/summer 2014 collection, which was the first collection of Comme Moi, hit the stores without the prelude of a fashion show or publicity, but it sold out within days. Orders of this season's collection doubled from last season.

The spring/summer collection was priced at 1,000 yuan ($162) to more than 4,000 yuan while the prices of the winter collection are yet to be released. The collection will be available in 10 stores in 10 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu.

Lu says she will consider opening independent stores when the time is right. But she says having her clothes in multi-brand stores is currently the best way to sell her product as she is still learning about the business.

"I don't have the ambition for hundreds of stores. I will be very happy if we can have 10 independent stores in three to five years. I hope it's a brand that can last over time, a brand that is cherished for its brand value rather than how much it sells."

Contact the writer at sunyuanqing@chinadaily.com.cn