By Chiara Sassu Chiara’s Coffee Table
Young, witty and beautiful, Christine Lau is the the queen of independent fashion in China. Her fashion empire Chictopia is renowned for it’s quirky yet elegant prints and bold shapes. With a celebrity fan base, Christine has developed a label which attracts a star- studded front row, has a team of 20 trust-worthy collaborators, and flagships stores in both Beijing and Shanghai. Her designs can also be found in the finest international boutiques.
Born in Beijing but raised in Hong Kong, Christine was a playful but reserved child. She feels her most prominent characteristic throughout her childhood though, and to some extent today, was curiosity. She used to climb the walls of mansions close to her school to visit their hidden gardens, and was attracted by everything inaccessible, secretive and mysterious. She claims this love and curiosity for the unknown was the driving force which encouraged Christine into taking the huge leap and enrolling at London’s famous Central Saint Martins’ fashion school. It was here in the UK she felt completely free to express herself; encouraged by the tutors to be open minded and develop her own style, Christine finished the course with very clear ideas about her future and a more educated passion for fashion.
After graduating, she worked as a freelance textile designer in London, but she still wanting to improve her technique, she moved back to China. In 2009 after almost a year, Christine felt confident enough to launch her own label, Chicktopia. Whilst she has certainly never looked back, life for any fledgling designer is never easy and for Christine this was no exception. She had to do everything by herself from the designing to the promotion and sales. Even on the toughest of days however she knew she would eventually make it, and this gave her the strength to keep going.
Chicktopia’s philosophy is to create cutting edge elegance alongside originality. This unmissable feature in Lau’s designs was ever present atthe recent launch of Chictopia’s 2016 spring/summer collection, which was received before a delighted audience in the art district of Beijing.Emphasising the lively and fun Chicktopia brand, combined with an ultra feminine style; flowers were everywhere adorning dresses, bathing suits, hair clips, and sandals.
