When I visited Ryan Lo's studio earlier this week, it was like landing head-first into an ultra-kawaii toy store. He has collected an incredible assortment of trinkets—from naked Barbie dolls and tiaras to endless pieces of Japanese candy wrappers. I understood pretty quickly that his number one snack is Pocky—a delicious flavor-coated biscuit in the form of a stick. But among all the toys, magazines, and candy wrappers were the frills and fabrics. His clothing seemed to be a reimagining of all his cute and colorful inspirations that sat in collages on his bookshelves. When I asked about his inspirations (namely for his Wild West-themed Fall/Winter 2014 show), he mentioned movies from Kill Bill, The Addams Family, and Pocahontas to a quote from Crazy, Stupid, Love. This combination of movie genres may seem random, yes. But according to Ryan, that's the whole point of it. The randomness is what makes it fun.
Shop all Ryan Lo HERE
ELOISE MORAN: Describe the Ryan Lo girl.
RYAN LO: I think she's the perfect combination of sexy and cute. There are four categories: smart, funny, sexy, or cute. So definitely, sexy and cute.
Your Spring/Summer 2014 collection is all kinds of cotton candy and kawaii. What were your main inspirations behind the collection?
The idea was girls preparing themselves to be perfect housewives and building a fantasy home sweet home for themselves.
You just celebrated your first independent presentation outside of Fashion East. What was different about it?
I'm more independent right now. I do a lot of things myself. There's slightly more freedom, but a bit more pressure. It's good to have moved on.
I loved the Wild West theme for FW14. What started that idea?
You're going to laugh at me. I get really confused with Native American and western American. At first, I started with Pocahontas, but then I slowly moved into the idea of Thanksgiving. An Addams Family Thanksgiving. Where the cowgirl thing came in, I have no idea. Everything comes spontaneously. Maybe even a bit of Kill Bill, I don't know? There's a lot of randomness.
Did you watch any movies to inspire the collection?
I watched Kill Bill, Back to the Future, and a bit of Pocahontas.
It was your first sneaker collaboration with SWEAR. What made you want to collaborate?
Last season, I customized Converses for the show. They approached me because they really liked the idea of collaborating.
Can you tell me about your T-shirts?
I'm really obsessed with a Japanese snack called Pocky. I'm really into Japanese packaging, candy, biscuits, animals, and picnic checks.
Where do you see Ryan Lo heading in the future?
We're definitely going to do accessories, shoes, and bags. No menswear yet, I'd rather do childrenswear first! It would be perfect, everyone tells me I should do it. Little prom dresses!
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Ryan Lo. Photography by Jodie Herbage
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Good enough to eat! Some ultra-pretty pieces from Ryan Lo Spring/Summer 2014
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All the frilly details
Shop all Ryan Lo HERE
ELOISE MORAN: Describe the Ryan Lo girl.
RYAN LO: I think she's the perfect combination of sexy and cute. There are four categories: smart, funny, sexy, or cute. So definitely, sexy and cute.
Your Spring/Summer 2014 collection is all kinds of cotton candy and kawaii. What were your main inspirations behind the collection?
The idea was girls preparing themselves to be perfect housewives and building a fantasy home sweet home for themselves.
You just celebrated your first independent presentation outside of Fashion East. What was different about it?
I'm more independent right now. I do a lot of things myself. There's slightly more freedom, but a bit more pressure. It's good to have moved on.
I loved the Wild West theme for FW14. What started that idea?
You're going to laugh at me. I get really confused with Native American and western American. At first, I started with Pocahontas, but then I slowly moved into the idea of Thanksgiving. An Addams Family Thanksgiving. Where the cowgirl thing came in, I have no idea. Everything comes spontaneously. Maybe even a bit of Kill Bill, I don't know? There's a lot of randomness.
Did you watch any movies to inspire the collection?
I watched Kill Bill, Back to the Future, and a bit of Pocahontas.
It was your first sneaker collaboration with SWEAR. What made you want to collaborate?
Last season, I customized Converses for the show. They approached me because they really liked the idea of collaborating.
Can you tell me about your T-shirts?
I'm really obsessed with a Japanese snack called Pocky. I'm really into Japanese packaging, candy, biscuits, animals, and picnic checks.
Where do you see Ryan Lo heading in the future?
We're definitely going to do accessories, shoes, and bags. No menswear yet, I'd rather do childrenswear first! It would be perfect, everyone tells me I should do it. Little prom dresses!
Ryan Lo. Photography by Jodie Herbage
Good enough to eat! Some ultra-pretty pieces from Ryan Lo Spring/Summer 2014
All the frilly details