Robert Wun Creates Fantastical Designs for Lady Gaga and Lizzo

The vogue designer Robert Wun produced one of his very first collections from his bed room in London’s Brixton community. Five a long time later, he has turned his eponymous label from a six-glimpse graduate undertaking at the London University of Fashion into a boundary-breaking model, and a favourite of musicians like Girl Gaga, Lizzo, and Doja Cat. Presently, the designer, who was born in England, elevated in Hong Kong, and returned to London for faculty, is the matter of an exhibition at the SCAD FASH Museum of Style and Film in Atlanta. Titled Between Fact and Fantasy, the clearly show attributes over 40 garments curated from Wun’s archive, runway presentations, and celebrity commissions. Despite all the buzz encompassing him, when it will come to Wun’s basis, he speaks fondly of his really first fashion inspirations: a mate from church and the magazines strewn close to the salon the place his mom received her hair finished. “I don’t forget the initially title that definitely caught my interest was Alexander McQueen, 1 of his menswear collections in just one of those journals,” he says. “It built me notice I could keep in mind a designer’s identify. I was only 11 decades old, but I still bear in mind that pretty vividly.”

Down below, Wun discusses what it usually takes to make a celebrity’s customized trend seem in a lot less than 3 months, how to keep targeted on developing your manufacturer, and why he stans Adele in Schiaparelli, just like you.

Explain to me about dressing Lizzo and Woman Gaga—how did you occur up with the seems to be, and what touches did you include to make them really custom?

When we design and style for celebs, it is incredibly quick because we know specifically what we want to do—obviously, we examine what they’ve worn just before, and work carefully with their stylists. They often have a concept when it arrives to their internet marketing, and that’s why they buy custom. The timing is generally tight, two or 3 weeks, but we make it get the job done.

We created Lizzo’s white look when her tune with Cardi B, “Rumors,” 1st came out. Her stylist, Jason Rembert, has been a really sort supporter of my get the job done for a very long time now—he’s often putting me on the radar and onto the pulling lists. He gave me this prospect to customise anything for Lizzo the glance was encouraged by Greek goddesses. They required a thing white. We started off proposing feelings, exchanging thoughts more than Instagram and developing on initial bullet points. The appear just worked for her—especially with Gaga as very well. They are two gals who are just unapologetic and they individual it. We did a next personalized seem for Lizzo, and I consider she’s likely to don it soon. It is anything gold.

What is the major message that you want to tell by your exhibition at SCAD?

When the exhibition director Rafael Gomes and I were chatting about what the exhibition name need to be, all the names we had been proposing and throwing on the table have been about factors in between—artificial and mother nature, the natural and organic and the inorganic. It is all about discovering the harmony amongst two extremes. We ended up between truth and fantasy. I believe a message that we were being fixated on was the plan of finding the balance in between the two extremes, since that is how I tactic fashion as well. I really do not see style as just manner. For me, it’s constantly about combining fashion with some thing that is wholly not about style. Something in mother nature, one thing about science fiction, a little something about artwork, a thing otherworldly. That is the concept I want to mail: trend can be much more than just clothes. It can be something imaginative, it can be a little something suitable, and what it implies to human identification and culture at that time.

Describe your personal design in three text.

When it will come to dressing, I enjoy some thing that’s at ease, strong, and quiet. I like to be muted.

What ended up you sporting yesterday and why did you make a decision to dress in it?

It is fucking freezing suitable now in London, so I found an outdated coat and warmed up a huge black scarf I acquired from my mom—it’s fundamentally a sofa throw, but I use it as a scarf. It’s humongous, I can wrap my complete head up in it. I threw it in the dryer so it was incredibly hot when I left the residence. I set a pair of blue jeans on too, due to the fact I typically wear denims to go to do the job there are so quite a few needles and scissors and shit everywhere you go. I wore my Camper boots, for the reason that they’re purposeful, relaxed, and quick to get the job done in.

What was your model like as a teen?

It was rebellious—that’s the term to use. I was pretty unique and flamboyant back again then. I went to a boys’ university as properly, so people today preferred to beat the shit out of me, because I was so dressed up. I’d commonly go thrift buying, due to the fact, you know, you’re broke when you’re a child, so you are employing pocket revenue to purchase pretty inexpensive shit. I’d acquire dresses at the thrift keep and began using oil-based mostly paints to attract styles on major of trousers, jumpsuits, or even on my boots. I was extra.

What is the most prized possession in your closet?

Ideal now, it’s a major that my initial assistant, Loko Yu, designed for me. Now, she’s the head of style and design at Saloni London, but we graduated together and she aided me build my brand at the extremely commencing. Her styles abilities are otherworldly. I’ve under no circumstances fulfilled another person that can style a pattern in her thoughts the way she does. On my 18th birthday, she manufactured me a t-shirt out of black cotton twill—but it was slash in a way which is hardly ever been finished before. There are no seams—it’s 1 piece, slice exactly like a t-shirt. She even went to a rubber store to print her title on a piece of rubber to warm melt it at the again. I dangle that leading in my closet just after all these several years, because it is so special for me.

Do you try to remember your 1st big fashion order?

That would be a Givenchy prime from Riccardo Tisci’s time [at the house]. It was an embroidered top that I bought from a Xmas sale in Selfridges. It was 200 quid, initially 800 kilos. I under no circumstances wore it as soon as, but I was obsessed with Tisci’s heavenly design and style at Givenchy—what he designed for those haute couture collections. It was the 1st and only time I at any time bought a piece of clothing out of admiration for another designer.

Do you have a favourite style instant from pop lifestyle?

There are so lots of. I feel currently, however, it’s Adele’s opera appears to be whilst putting on Schiaparelli at “Adele: One Evening Only.” I imagine Daniel Roseberry with Adele and Schiaparelli is timeless, common, feminine—it’s just her. And it’s so higher-finish because of the way Daniel cuts people robes with all the taffeta. I consider that is legendary, in my personalized opinion—especially with the Jupiter strategy at the observatory. It is a black dress, which is what Adele is generally in—but it’s so substantially a lot more than a black dress.

What is the finest vogue idea you have picked up, no matter if in the studio or on set?

Time management can lift your job by miles. As a designer, I constantly have pretty straight deadlines doing the job with my crew simply because I want points to be executed properly. I want to see progress every week.

Do you have a most important vogue regret?

I feel my greatest fashion regret would be like each and every other youthful designer’s: striving to impress individuals you really do not even know when you are to start with beginning out. They will never hold a candle to you in your daily life, but you really feel like you will need them in buy to get someplace. Then, basically, you recognize you do not have to have any individual. It is gorgeous when somebody appreciates your work and decides to assist you—be grateful and focus on people great folks. But never emphasis on people who are not essentially terrible persons, but they’re just not part of your journey. Do not waste your energy on points that aren’t intended to transpire. Just operate on yourself—be fantastic at your craft, be pretty great at it. Go so major that they can not dismiss you.