China Fashion Week finished yesterday: I loved the rich palette of iconic designer Mark Cheung’s creations, Qi Gang's romanticised haute couture and Zhang Zhaoda’s luxurious designs decorated with layers of ruffles. Yet for today I’d like to introduce you a young Shangai-based Chinese designer, Lu Kun. 
Between the 1920s and the ‘30s, Shanghai was one of the most prosperous and cosmopolitan cities of East Asia, a centre of business and pleasure, with thousands of bars, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, cabarets and dance halls. Exotic and erotic, dubbed the “Paris of the East”, Shanghai boasted some of the most fashionable women, among them actresses, divas and wives of ministers. 
Taking inspiration from those years, young designer Lu Kun has launched in the last few years a feminine, sensual and elegant style, becoming the favourite of Chinese celebrities, movie stars and Shanghainese socialites. Located in Shanghai’s Huangpu district, Lu Kun’s studio – featuring the designer’s offices, showroom and sample room – incorporates many elements from 1920s Shanghai. It’s in this environment, surrounded by Art Deco and Chinese-style furniture that he designed, that Lu Kun creates his unique haute couture and prêt-à-porter collections. 
When did you decide you wanted to become a fashion designer?
I actually became a fashion designer almost by accident. I studied oil and water painting since I was 4 years old and always wanted to be a painter. At 16 I tried getting into art school but the school was full and they asked me to wait a few years. My mother suggested I tried fashion design as she saw it as a mix of art and practicality. Once I started fashion design, though, I got hooked.
Is your style influenced by the Shanghai lifestyle?
Absolutely. It’s at the centre of my all designs that is why I call my style Shanghai-chic. The city used to be very glamorous, wealthy and decadent in the ‘20s and ‘30s and the atmospheres of those years are coming back. There are a large number of events in Shanghai where people need to dress up. When I design I think about my clients attending one of these events and I want them to make a strong positive impression. 
A while back you were dubbed “the young Galliano of China”: do you feel flattered or annoyed by this comparison?
I’m flattered when people compare me to famous designers like Galliano, but I personally feel different from him and from all the others I have been compared to. I want people to see the real me and recognise my style.
What inspired your latest collection?
The convergence of Greek and Chinese fashion elements. Both the Chinese and Greek philosophies are very ancient and different, but I fused them together as I want people to see the two cultures dialoguing one with the other.
Can you tell us more about the fashion scene in Shanghai?
The fashion scene in Shanghai changes constantly and at a very fast rate. More and more fashion designers are coming from all over China or are returning from their studies in foreign countries and opening stores or studios in Shanghai. This makes it really exciting but challenging. The majority of them design more commercial, urban, casual or experimental garments. Very few are as crazy as me and work on high-end prêt-à-porter or haute couture. A recent development is that many fashion experts - stylists, photographers, graphic artists, hair stylists and make-up artists - from Western fashion capitals are moving to Shanghai. 
How difficult is it for a young Chinese designer to fight back the Western stereotype of China being seen as a country that produces poor quality goods?
Very difficult. Local fashion designers live in a completely paradoxical world that makes it hard for us to support ourselves financially and grow. Chinese people with money mainly spend it on foreign brands, especially Italian and French, buying very few things produced by local brands even if the quality of the foreign brands is inferior to what we can provide. In addition to this, there is no financial support structure for local designers neither from the government nor from the local investors. Furthermore, we have the foreign brands constantly stating that local designers copy them, though this is not entirely true, local designers take indeed pride in being innovative and creating their own signature style. To top it all off, local garment manufacturers and fabric manufacturers don’t like to work with local designers because they prefer working for companies with large volumes. All these aspects put us in a very tough position and this is why many local designers with great ideas give up on their career and end up working for big companies. 
Are your creations entirely made in China?
I create the patterns for all designs myself and have a group of tailors who work for me and create the samples. For the mass production I work with two Chinese and one Japanese manufacturers. The fabrics I use come from Italy, France, Japan, India and China. The textiles manufacturing in China has improved dramatically in the last few years.
Who are your favourite designers?
Elsa Schiaparelli, Karl Lagerfeld, Alber Elbaz, Vivienne Westwood, Viktor & Rolf, Gianni Versace, Rei Kawakubo, Gianfranco Ferrè and Tom Ford. From this list, though, Elsa Schiaparelli is the one I admire the most.
And who are your favourite Chinese designers?
It depends on the category. For Chinese-influenced fashion I would say Ma Ke (Beijing), for more experimental or deconstructed fashion Zhang Da (Shanghai). 
What are you working on at present?
I’m currently working on my Spring-Summer 2009 collection as well as my Fall-Winter Haute Couture 2008 Collection. Here in China we present the couture collections in-season so I always end up doing two collections, for two different seasons, simultaneously. One cool side project I’m working on is designing uniforms for 5-star hotels and very high-end restaurants.
All the images taken from Lu Kun’s past collections.
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