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Katie Lau

When and why did you decide to become a fashion designer? 
I started drawing in elementary school. I had a good teacher who taught me some great techniques. I also liked wearing clothes that made me stand apart from the others. When I was  15, I decided I wanted to combine fashion and drawing. Being a fashion designer seemed like a natural choice for me. 
You studied at Bunka College where you decided to start your own label, Undercover. What type of clothes did you want to create? 
I liked punk and avant garde and wanted to  mix them into fashion. My greatest influence was Vivienne Westwood. When I saw the clothes she designed for the Sex Pistols [his favourite band] I was blown away.  
Describe your aesthetic 
I think beauty is not just about looking beautiful. There's also a dark side to everything. It can be beautiful but also ugly and poisonous. I am attracted to the dark side because I fell in love with punk as a teenager. I was influenced by the  anti-authority and anti-establishment sentiments of the punk philosophy.
Your work has been described  as avant-garde. How would you  describe it? 
It's not just avant-garde, it's also chic and elegant. It's hard to categorise my work because it embodies everything I have experienced. I have many boxes in my mind that store different themes. Every season I decide on a theme and then draw  inspiration from these boxes. It's like cooking a meal with spices.
What type of person do you appeal to?
People with money and a rebel spirit, especially those who think and feel the way I do. I've noticed some of my customers are  fans of my style and they want to master the same look. In Japan, most of my customers are young, in their 20s, but my clothes tend to appeal to older people abroad. Usually people like to just check out my clothes because it's a challenge for them to wear such rebellious designs. But since I introduced more feminine and sexy elements,  adults find my clothes more wearable.  
What are you trying to create?
I thought I could change the government with fashion but I changed my mind because I find it difficult to mix fashion with politics. Now I want to design clothes that can change people's minds. For example, I want them to feel different after trying on one of my jackets. I am not just a fashion designer. I want to express how I feel and think not just through fashion. That's why I am also a painter and sculptor. Fashion design is just a part of my life. 
You were once in a band and also worked as a DJ. Does music inspire your designs? 
Definitely. I am interested in typical German rock 'n' roll, but I don't  pay much attention to the specific qualities of the music. Sometimes first impressions do the trick for me. I prefer to turn the music off when I work. Anything from politics to movies can inspire me. It can be anything from daily life. 
You've launched a menswear line. What can you tell us about it?
The menswear range is small. I just design what I want to wear, not dressy clothes. I will present my first menswear collection in a runway show in  Florence this June. 
Why did you showcase your spring/summer collection with a series of photos by Katsuhide Morimoto, featuring the specially created Grace doll?  
I have been making puppets for many years and wanted to make something bigger to incorporate my other ideas. These dolls became part of a new way of presenting my designs.  
In the photos, I wanted to show a fantasy world where the essence of daily life is explored artistically. Grace is a species of fluffy, strange-looking creatures that have to be kept away from humans [who wear his designs in the photos]. 
I want to explore themes like coexistence, interpersonal relationships and distance. It took us about a year to finish the photo shoot. I wanted the photos to have an authentic feel so everything is real, including the sets, accessories and dolls. 
The Grace photo exhibition is on until May 19 at Joyce, Queen's Rd Central, tel: 2810 1120



Q&A: Jun Takahashi