While the spring 2024 collection continues the exploration of Asian attitudes in the West that designer Hung La built into his brand Lu’u Dan since its inception 18 months ago, he’s also becoming wary of having his work pigeonholed.
“This collection more than most was touching on a realness,” he said. So here was an ode to the invisible man — not the superhero kind but the handyman, the painter, the “working class dude” that “has no shine, has no love worldwide but is a good one.”
Cue hardy paint-splattered boilersuits, trucker sweaters, oversize zippered hoodies, patchworked or acid-faded trousers, pieces that felt like they’d seen better days but would keep going regardless. They paired nicely with the denim, faux leather and printed shirts that have emerged as the brand’s bedrock — for men and women, newly introduced in stores for fall.
This is where La doubled down, pushing the envelope further with showpieces such as a snazzy yellow biker with black and red accents; a flowing plaid-printed silk duster shirt; a full-on leopard suit, or leather chaps made of studded leather strips connected together with metal rings thrown over snow-wash denims.
But if you still want to read his work through the lens of his Asian roots, that’s fine by him, too, especially since many of his cuts continue to be rooted in a wide range of sartorial traditions, from the wide trousers of Japanese workmen with their lantern-shape bottom to a stylized Tibetan tiger print.
The idea that people, of any gender and ethnicity, can connect with their “inner sheisty Asian dude” makes La smile, especially after seeing the likes of Billie Eilish and Arnold Schwarzenegger in his designs. “The clothes are speaking to people in a new way, which is really exciting.”
Source: WWD