By Kai Curry
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The models flitted like butterflies across the runway to an exciting techno beat. This was the public introduction of METAMORPHOSIS: SECOND NATURE by local designer, Luly Yang. Held at the grand Fairmont Olympic Hotel on Nov. 5 in Seattle, the show highlighted and featured Yang’s new collection, which she will showcase at her new Kirkland design space, The Monarch.
Luly Yang leads the way in the METAMORPHOSIS: SECOND NATURE runway show finale Nov. 5. (Photo provided by Why For Good)
“The Monarch is one of a kind because Kirkland is one of a kind,” said Yang, who has nicknamed this new space her “lake house,” as compared to her location in downtown Seattle. At The Monarch, Yang will house this new collection, home goods, and even customizable pet items.
“It’s in my couture DNA that I want to create things that people can make their own,” Yang said, be that embroidery on a jacket or crystals on a scarf. She wants everything to be “high touch and experiential.” Her philosophy already is and has been that the clothing she designs should be like a “second skin,” thus part of the meaning behind the name of the new collection.
Photo provided by Why For Good
“Design should be second nature to the human being,” Yang told the Northwest Asian Weekly. She has what she would call a very “human-centric” philosophy. She is also very inspired by Mother Nature, be that gorgeous flora of Kirkland or fauna such as the Monarch butterfly. “I take color and inspiration from nature and textures from nature and the way they evolve through the seasons and the way the colors change.” This was very evident in the METAMORPHOSIS runway show, where textures and prints were reminiscent of butterfly patterns, a big cat’s patterned coat, or a snakeskin. A total of 60 ready-to-wear pieces by Yang were shown that evening, featuring silk and cashmere, loungewear and career wear, suits and wedding dresses.
Another influence that showed out on the runway was Yang’s own Taiwanese and Japanese heritage. Men’s suit jackets were embellished with glittering Asian designs or knot-style buttons. Women’s dresses featured flowering vines such as ones that might be found on an orchid or a cherry tree; or a sash in the back that resembled the obi from a kimono. Not every design included all of these, yet every design included something that was 100% Luly Yang.
Photo provided by Why For Good
“I take a lot of inspiration from my heritage and my family,” said Yang, whose parents, husband, and son attended the show. What a lot of people don’t know is that Yang spent the first two years of her life in Tokyo. Her parents were educated in Japan, where her father studied engineering, prior to their moving to South Taiwan. When Yang was still a young girl, the family relocated again, this time to Bellevue. She eventually attended the University of Washington, where she studied graphic design, a subject of expertise that has helped her greatly in subsequent projects.
“I didn’t know what graphic design was until my father told me when I was in high school,” Yang shared. She already knew she was interested in fashion. Yet her father gave her good advice when he steered her towards what he considered a career where his daughter could do well in terms of finance and networking. “I loved the program and I love graphic design,” Yang said. The day Yang spoke to the Northwest Asian Weekly, she was setting up the METAMORPHOSIS show at the Fairmont. “[Graphic design] helps me every day,” she said. It was inevitable, though, that Yang would transition to her true love, fashion, in short time. Yang retold the story to a rapt audience at the fireside chat that took place after the runway show.
In 1999, Yang was working at an architecture firm in Seattle when she was invited, along with several other graphic designers, to participate in a fundraiser for “Art with Heart.” Opportunity and inspiration struck. She decided to make a dress. Not just any dress. Her most iconic dress—the Monarch butterfly dress. “I’ve always loved what Monarchs meant and their beautiful colors. The pattern [on their wings] is gorgeous.” Yang took the colors and pattern of a Monarch butterfly and blew it up in scale, then had it printed. From there, she made two dresses. One was the Monarch and the other one was a silver and black dress that no one has ever seen. “It’s in my closet,” Yang laughed. The result of that project was that Yang fell in love with dressing the human form. She decided then and there to start her own studio.
Twenty years ago, Yang held her first full runway show at the Fairmont. The show on Nov. 5 was a triumphant return to the venue, and a successful launching of her new collection. In 2005, Yang had another show, at the W Hotel, for a collection called “Butterfly Effect.” She told the Northwest Asian Weekly how much meaning the butterfly, and the caterpillar, hold for her: “The butterfly is short-lived. It doesn’t live very long.” Considering how long the cocoon stage lasts, the butterfly stage is a brief burst of life. And yet, the butterfly is strong, Yang said. The balance of strength and beauty is something she strives for in her life and in her design. “The butterfly effect, to me, meant that even when you’re really tiny, you can do something very small on this side of the world, and it can affect a lot of change on the other side.” Yang herself has consistently made a difference. The show on Nov. 5 benefitted Seattle Children’s Hospital.
“I have to thank my mother for encouraging me to go into art and design,” Yang said. Every day after school, she explained, she and her mother would go back home, have a snack, and sit down at a special art table. Not only was it a chance to bond, but it also fostered a lifelong love of art in Yang. Both of her mom’s parents were also creative. Her grandfather was an architect who blended European, American, and Asian or Japanese architecture together, while her grandmother designed and made her own dresses, including for the kids. Her grandmother taught Yang how to sew. Yang herself made all of the designs for the new Kirkland building, The Monarch. “It’s the hardest project I’ve ever done,” she said. When asked what her favorite project has been so far, Yang cheerfully answered, “My current project’s always my favorite project.”
A lot of people ask Yang, why doesn’t she move to a fashion hub like Los Angeles or New York? Her answer is always, “I prefer to stay here because it feels right.”
Kai can be reached at newstips@nwasianweekly.com.
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