yang du: the chinese fashion designer loves owls and crocodiles

yang du’s A/W 12-3 show at paris fashion week, as part of the on/off showcase

dalian-born fashion designer yang du’s, collections mostly involve patchwork, cashmere knitwear, and silk prints.her patchwork dresses are influenced by marionettes and the old-fashioned ways of making those wooden puppets.after all, designing is about storytelling: tigers and giraffes mingle with owls and flamingos, swans and crocodiles. accessories feature giant paneled backpacks with hippo’s head or an owl’s body.

coming from china’s north-east coast – dalian (a town with an annual fashion event) – when yang du was 17, she left home and moved tobeijing, and studied at tsinghua university in beijing. she launched her own brand in 2009 after completing an MA degree in fashion design at central saint martins (CSM). she first made experience working under john galliano, dior, and vivienne westwood.after being selected for british fashion council’s NewGen initiative (for the support of exceptional talent), her label got 20 stockists worldwideand entered to selfridges. her unique designs gathered a good celebrity following with the likes of alexa chung, paloma faith and daisy lowe counted amongst her fans. yang du works and lives in london.