Romeo and Juliet changed her life: qipao designer on ballet dreams, her Qipology brand
- Julie Liu, founder of contemporary qipao brand Qipology, was triggered to become a fashion designer by watching ballet when she was 10
The ballet Romeo and Juliet (composed in 1935 and first performed in 1938), one of the seminal works of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, sets Shakespeare’s story of doomed lovers from opposing clans to a modern soundtrack that includes every emotion from romance to drama to humour.
I learned ballet for 14 years, from when I was four to when I went to university. Ballet was a huge part of my childhood and adolescent life – we’re talking going to practice four times a week. I actually wanted to be a ballerina when I was a child.
I was born in the United States, raised in Hong Kong and went to university in the UK, and we also used to go there on holiday. The first ballet I ever watched was Romeo and Juliet in London. It was produced by the Royal Ballet. I was around 10.
Obviously I didn’t really understand the story at that age, but I loved the outfits, the elegance, the music, the feeling when you go in there and everyone seems so serious – and I was in awe of how the dancers were on the stage.
