Reminiscent of a girl’s most playfully adorable
childhood dresses, it’s easy to get lost in the dreamy creations of Meihui
Liu—Victorian lace, frilly edges, and reconstructed romance. The Taiwan-born
designer created Victim Fashion Street in 2000 from her love for vintage and
crafty ability to produce hand sewn pieces. After attending fashion school in
Paris, Meihui came to London in 2001 and opened her shop on Fashion Street,
right off of Brick Lane. Since then, Victim Fashion Street has been on the
catwalks of off-schedule London Fashion Week shows, drawing the attention of
buyers from New York, Berlin, Hong Kong, Japan, and France. Meihui created two
separate customized ranges for high-street retailer TopShop, was selected to
participate in the promotion of British fashion in China, and constructed an
exhibition inspired by childhood memories of playing dress up. After moving
from Fashion Street to the West End, Meihui took a break from the busy fashion
industry to have her daughter, Freya. Spending the last two years only catering
to her usual clients, Meihui is now back, reinvigorated and ready to continue
her commitment to eco-fashion, sustainability, and creative upcycling. After
debuting at London Fashion Week’s Estethica, I had the chance to chat with her
to find out what direction she’s heading in.
Krystle: It must be great to be back! How
was your first time showcasing at London Fashion Week? What did you do to
prepare?
Meihui: It was a very good experience. I
knew two months before, that I was accepted, so I spent lots of time in my
studio preparing. I went through so many of my leftover pieces in my studio and
searched for new fabrics that were left over in factories, and vintage items to
create lots of one-off pieces and accessories.
Krystle: Did you create a line specifically
for autumn/winter?
Meihui: I’ve never gone by seasons for my
collections. I know a few designers like that. We don’t let seasons and trends
define our designs.
Krystle: How did buyers and press receive
you at the event?
Meihui: I had many direct customers looking
for items for themselves, not necessarily huge store orders. I had a lot of
interest from press. It’s better for press to see my collections at the
exhibition than on the catwalk—there they can touch the clothes and learn more
about them, instead of seeing them for 15 minutes on the runway.
Krystle: So, where do you go from here?
What’s your inspiration moving forward?
Meihui: The fabric I find is my
inspiration. I never read fashion magazines, and I don’t let others influence
me. Recycled vintage fabric is the part I love. I love its originality. I don’t
like to make something that is the same as other people. It’s also really
important for me to have things made in the UK, to support local small
factories.
Krystle: How does your daughter inspire
you?
Meihui: I always wanted to have a daughter,
so before I gave birth, I started to collect pieces and couldn't wait to make
things for her. Since she was born, I’ve only made recycled, organic cotton
dresses for her and the rest out of simple cloth to wear around the house or to
sleep.
Lots of people ask me to make baby
collections but I don't have much time, so apart for making dresses for her, I
don't think I will make a children’s collection.
Krystle: How would you describe your latest
collections, and what can we expect to see in 2012?
Meihui: My latest collections, apart
from some pieces (the dark antique lace crochet dress and vintage scarf,
and the vintage union jack dress) have a very
strong look. Everything is like fairy tale meets punk and
Goth style. And for 2012, I will keep working on my
fashion, art and textile fairy tale project.
