LỰU ĐẠN is pleased to announce the release of its third collection which will feature 24 looks and be available tentaively in November 2022. The collection will be available DTC and at select global retailers including SSENSE, H. Lorenzo, Addition Adelaide, SND, amongst others.
He’s not the hero in any story but his own. People talk, they say things… about the way he moves through the shadows, about how he doesn’t doesn’t sleep, doesn’t dream, closing his eyes only before pulling the trigger – taking life while giving it back. They paint pictures with these murmurs creating legend around his being, he becomes storied, a fictionalized enigma with a blackened heart, a villain to romanticize. You’re drawn to him, his slickness, and though his hands aren’t clean, it doesn’t mean that he himself isn’t pure, isn’t capable of love and being loved – he’s the one we all love to hate. Good cop, bad cop, hero, villain – there is no story without him.
For LỰU ĐẠN’s third collection, Hung La opens an investigation of his own, seeking to uncover the nuances of existing villainous archetypes while reframing them through the brand’s compounded lens.
LỰU ĐẠN
Examining archetypes of figures like the tormented detective, the suave mobster, the nocturnal, techno-entranced raver, and the motorcycle gang member, the wide ranging collection brings new depth to existing tropes, freeing the LỰU ĐẠN man from cliche and stereotype. Vanilla hued, Miami Vice exaggerated blazers sit alongside the brand’s signature Bontan sweatpants; full-leather looks juxtapose recycled polyester tracksuits; whilst hand-painted insignias transcend branding to become a statement of identity.
Research for both the collection and the campaign drew on characters both real and fictional. La found himself drawn to the story of the actor Yusaka Matsuda, who starred in the 80s cult-Japanese detective show Detective Story. A Korean living in Japan, he was targeted for his differences and became a gangster as a result – a life mirroring characters he had portrayed on screen. A burning question at the heart of the brand is what it means to be “an outsider at home.” In this case the lines between good and evil become ever-blurred as we question whether or not figures like Yusaka are “wrong” for taking a stand. When does self-defense become transgressive? How does a villain become a hero, and vice versa? Perhaps it is simply a matter of whose turf he stands on.
The campaign, shot by Fumi Homma, mines the potential for evolution and the multifaceted nature of the LỰU ĐẠN man. Shot in an abandoned and neglected space, varying levels of light sketch out the characters dwelling in the sunshine, the stairwell, and the underbelly. Slouching knit and baggy denim tap the rebelliousness of youth, whilst structured, dynamic trenches and precise tailoring reaffirm that looks can indeed kill. The end result is an eschewing of all limits and expectations; the need for space where Asian identity can exist is met by simply taking it.
ABOUT LỰU ĐẠN
Designer menswear label, LỰU ĐẠN is the personal oeuvre of Hung La, co-founder of luxury label Kwaidan Editions. Referring to a Dangerous Man in Vietnamese, LỰU ĐẠN is a collectively realized dream anchored by the shared experiences of Asian men, unfettered by one-dimensional tropes and expectation. Yielding new depth and unalloyed visibility for Asian masculinity, the LỰU ĐẠN man embraces his heritage and finds pride in his identity in a way that feels defiant and provocative. He uses his voice to build bridges between the interiority of his world and the larger, global community and encourages others to do the same. Utilizing rich, sonorous color palettes, reminiscent prints and silhouettes that evoke tribute by breathing modernity into tradition, LỰU ĐẠN traces stitches back to lineage. Aesthetics become linguistic and LỰU ĐẠN becomes an exemplary brand that pushes fashion’s boundaries, becoming solely defined by those whose backs it adorns. @luudan_official | luu-dan.com
ABOUT HUNG LA
Hung La is a first generation Vietnamese American living in London. His pursuit of fashion design led him to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Upon graduating, La landed a role at Balenciaga under Nicolas Ghesquière. Later on, La joined Phoebe Philo at Céline. In 2016, La and his partner, Léa Dickely founded the luxury womenswear label, Kwaidan Editions.
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With love,
FWO
