A study trip from Beijing's Tsinghua University to Paris, France, just before Christmas 2001, proved to be a life-changing experience for Yang Du. Browsing in the brightly decorated fashion stores and vintage boutiques awoke a cathartic desire in the art student to link her art with fashion.
'I hadn't thought about fashion before that moment,' recalls Du. 'There was no designer fashion industry in China at that time.'
Nine years older and living in London, Du has developed a cult following for her surreal, attention-grabbing knitwear, T-shirts and dresses, which appeal to those who take a witty approach to their clothing. Fans include Canto-pop star Sammi Cheng Sau-man and British singer-songwriter Paloma Faith - both known for eccentric tastes in fashion. Now Du's unique design narrative is about to be stocked in her homeland and Hong Kong for the first time, and she is pleased to be one of the first Western-trained but 'made in China' designers to achieve that.
That journey started in 2002, when Du packed her portfolio and, speaking barely a word of English, went to see the head of London's Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design's master's degree courses.
'That was scary,' she says.
She was accepted on the four-year fashion course, which she combined with valuable work experience with John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood and Giles Deacon.
