The name of Laraine Yu’s brand Mankind on Stage says it all.

Unlike most designers, the former Vogue China editor, who’s also one of the country’s top stylists, launched the label during New York Fashion Week without any intention of being picked up by retailers. She’d rather see her clothes underneath the spotlights at a sold-out concert or in front of paparazzi flashbulbs on the red carpet — all the better to watch them transform.

In her spring 2027 collection, light plays a crucial role as photochromic paint is applied to molded plaster lilies and peonies, going from all white to the most delicate shades of pastel. Call it magic, call it science. Yu called it “The Sun Brings Life.”

“I was inspired by flowers and their incredible vitality and resilience,” she said. “I admire how they can take root in the most unexpected places, breaking through rocks. There’s something so powerful about that determination to bloom.”

Yu certainly doesn’t design for wallflowers, which is why she’s sidestepping the masses to target A-list names that she feels can handle their theatricality. “For me, seeing one extraordinary person wearing something I’ve created is more meaningful than selling hundreds of the same piece,” she explained.

Of course, creativity is useless without financial support to back it up. Acknowledging that, Yu said she plans to build Mankind on Stage through custom work, adding that she doesn’t want commercial expectations interfering with her freedom to experiment.

Although the overwhelming majority of her debut collection is white, Yu scoffed when asked if she’d like to try her hand at bridal.

Source link