We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Wenjue Lu a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Wenjue thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

Established in 2020 as a response to the chaotic pace of contemporary existence, Studio Wenjüe Lu aims to capture the imagination of the creative world with a commitment to slowness and a profound interplay of diverse artistic expressions.

The designers/artists, both born in 1998 in China, share an unwavering dedication to challenging the norms of the fashion industry. Lulu, a Parsons School of Design fashion design graduate, and Michael, with a background in media and culture from NYU, united to establish Studio Wenjüe Lu as a reaction to wastefulness and unethical practices in fashion. This creative rebellion extends to combatting commercialization, elitism, and profit-driven art through a thoughtful approach to fashion design and art.

Wenjue, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Background: Studio Wenjüe Lu is a multi-disciplinary venture co-founded by Lulu(Wenjue Lu) and Michael(Chufeng Fang) in 2020. The studio emerged as a response to the relentless pace of modern life, seeking to infuse a sense of “slowness” and authenticity into the creative realm.

Studio Wenjüe Lu is defined by the constant, ongoing exploration of Slowness and its multitude of manifestations.
Both the show and the collection are driven by one of the qualities of Slowness – “Neitherness”: The tendency to escape a singular definition, natural or man-made, earthly or cosmic, the eradication of “Eitherness”. The act of defining “Neitherness” is a betrayal of “Neitherness” itself.

“NEITHER” is not a word we adopted to be catchy, it’s a disruptive stance we take against a world overly obsessed with labeling and hashtagging, it’s an unbounded realm for creativity we hope to carve out in this world alongside like-minded creatives. “NEITHER” represents the unstable, untouchable, undefinable energies that permeate the Wenjüe Lu Universe. “NEITHER” is our distress signal to all “Neitherers” roaming in this world, haunted by the gravity of accumulated possessions and unchecked power, unwilling to be defined yet incapable of defying.

To us, garments are sculptures that directly interact with human bodies. With Collection 2023, we continue to explore the symbiotic call-and-responses between the human body and the garment as a sculptural medium.

Founders: Lulu Wenjue Lu and Michael Chufeng Fang
Wenjue Lu(b. 1998) was born in Beijing, China, a fashion design graduate from Parsons School of Design. Chufeng Fang(b. 1998) was born in Jieyang, China, with a background in media, culture, and communication from NYU. With a deep-rooted desire for change, together, they initiated the studio in response to the wastefulness and unethical practices prevalent in the fashion industry as well as to the commercialization of creativity, elitism, and the prioritization of profit over artistic integrity in the world of art. An open exploration to slow down the world through artistic expression

Philosophy: Embracing “Slowness” and Authenticity
At the core of Studio Wenjüe Lu’s ethos is the concept of “Slowness”, which challenges the fast-paced, disposable nature of modern consumerism by infusing intention and meaning into every creation. Rejecting the transient nature of trends, the studio emphasizes longevity, sustainability, and communal individuality. Their philosophy is deeply influenced by Taoist principles, emphasizing harmony, balance, and the interconnectedness of all things.

Studio Wenjüe Lu is a reaction against the breakneck speed of contemporary society. Lulu’s background in fashion design has provided a unique perspective in conjunction with Michael’s background in media and cultural studies. Driven by unnamable urges, they try to deconstruct the notion of fashion as a fleeting trend. In their own words: “We do not practice fashion, we wish to separate garment from its current mode of definition, to distinguish between art and commodity, to inject a sense of slowness in an ever-accelerating world. We make one collection a year. From every beginning of January, to its corresponding end in December, together each piece born in between becomes the collection. We do not try to predict trends; we take all the time we need to realize each work of art; we try to move continuously with the passing time and truth; an eternal companionship between garment and body actualized.” The studio seeks to dismantle the constructs of transient fashion by emphasizing craftsmanship and individuality over conformity. Beyond fashion, there is art, and beyond art, a certain slowness.

Multidisciplinary Exploration

The studio functions as a dynamic platform that seamlessly weaves various artistic mediums into a cohesive narrative. It serves as a visual language, a platform to tell stories, convey statements, and reveal personal truths. Wenjüe Lu and Chufeng Fang envision art as a multisensory experience, where soft sculptures, garments, fiber art, poetry, and installations merge to create thought-provoking dialogues.

Embracing Handcraftsmanship

An unwavering dedication to hands-on design and craft defines Studio Wenjüe Lu. The duo champions the revival of hand-weaving and traditional folk craftsmanship, accentuating the beauty of naturally-colored fibers in their unaltered form. This commitment to preserving heritage while infusing their unique perspective on life creates a compelling synergy in their creations. Rooted in the belief that folk represents the essence of culture and community, Featured in their first annual collection “Collection 2022” is the Dong Muslin, unbleached and undyed cotton hand-spun and hand-woven by Dong women of Eastern Guizhou, Western Hunan, and Northern Guangxi, China. These indigenous artisans have upheld a lineage of fabric-weaving that transcends mere functionality, embodying a living tradition woven into the fabric of life itself. As the world undergoes rapid urbanization and shifting notions of beauty, Studio Wenjüe Lu endeavors to translate these stories of resilience into contemporary creations that disrupt conventions, and echo a connection to history and culture, subverting notions of commercialized perfection for a celebration of uniqueness and vitality. This ethos extends beyond aesthetics—it embraces imperfections as inherent beauty, rendering their garments not just as clothing but as vessels of narrative, human spirit, and heritage. In a realm where overproduction and materialism thrive, Studio Wenjüe Lu’s work serves as an ode to the unfiltered, genuine, and timeless expressions of human creativity and folk craftsmanship.

Taoist Influences

Wenjüe Lu and Chufeng Fang draw inspiration from Taoist principles, embracing the notion of harmony, balance, and interconnectedness. Their artworks reflect a profound respect for nature and humanity’s place within it. The Taoist worldview is the guiding force behind their pursuit of a slower, more deliberate yet organic approach to creativity.
“The works produced through our bodies are a result of letting go. We’re repelled by a vision: A giant, constantly spinning wheel that we called world, fueled by lives strolling through a linear production of history, obsessed with acceleration and accumulation. Kaleidoscopic madnesses. As two human beings, like everyone else, we are inevitably governed by this unbearable thing called ego, so unbearable it dissolves all the desire for us to work as one entity, but to work as none: the bodies as the vehicle and minds as the filter, we lend ourselves to poetry and dreamscapes, we work to carve out a space of Tao, where “Heaven’s Will and Human Affairs Are One”(天人合一). This alternative world, in which human is no longer at the center, also possess the mundane, the fragmentary, and a newfound slowness. This world can, at the same time but not all at once, be hopeful, dreadful, dreamy, haunting, mesmerizing, bleak, deceitful, or sobering”
–
Wenjue Lu & Chufeng Fang

Not Color, Naturalness as a Language:

In Studio Wenjüe Lu’s artistic lexicon, the choice of exclusively natural-colored fibers for their annual garment collection transcends the definition of color itself; it emerges as a profound language—a potent communicator of multifaceted narratives. This selection of unbleached, undyed materials, such as cotton, silk, and linen, encapsulates more than hue—it embodies naturalness, a quality that operates as a vehicle of nuanced expression. This language serves as a dialectic bridge, oscillating between the realms of Taoist harmony, where the touch of chemical-free, off-white cotton interfaces with human skin in its purest form, and an alternate perspective, one that confronts the superficiality of a world awash in synthetic hues—a commentary on the illusion of prosperity. This dichotomy—a stark contrast between absolutes—represents a voyage through the boundless expanse of this infinite “Neither Space” between 1 and 0, A and B, Ying and Yang, within where dualities and oppositions intertwine and converge. Within this language lies a deeper dimension—a reflection of Studio Wenjüe Lu’s intricate journey: the displacement and entanglement rising from the complex identities of the two co-founders of the studio as two Chinese in New York City, but still nowhere feels like home; an alternative, metaphysical dimension, therefore, demanded its existence between the two and the rest of the universe, a metaphysical plane that defies traditional boundaries, an alternative existence nestled in the space between, offering solace and resonance to all who traverse it.

Lifelong Mending Initiative

Studio Wenjüe Lu’s ethos extends beyond artistic expression and into responsible consumerism. Their Lifelong Mending Initiative encourages wearers to cultivate enduring relationships with their garments. Damaged Wenjüe Lu creations are rejuvenated through a journey of care and renewal. The initiative invites you to participate actively in each garment’s evolving narrative—whenever damage occurs, your could return your piece to the studio for mending after an approval process, for life. This process represents a metamorphosis, aligning with our belief that every garment embodies an enduring companionship between the wearer and art. The result is an exclusive, renewed possession that carries the marks of shared experiences. This initiative represents a departure from the disposable nature of fast fashion, emphasizing care, attachment, and sustainability, and the total de-commodification of garments away from the definition of “fashionable products” towards a standalone, living piece of art.

Beyond Boundaries

Studio Wenjüe Lu envisions a future where their art transcends boundaries, fostering connections and conversations across diverse communities. With a commitment to community engagement through workshops and gatherings, the studio is actively shaping a space where creativity flourishes and meaningful dialogues thrive.

Studio Wenjüe Lu’s innovative fusion of art, fashion, and philosophy is a testament to the power of thoughtful expression in a world racing towards progress. Through their creations, they invite viewers to step into a world of “neither,” where the duality of concepts dissolves, leaving room for new interpretations, connections, and transformative experiences.

About ‘NEITHER’:

Studio Wenjüe Lu was birthed out of necessity when it landed in the contemporary creative landscape, navigating the uncharted territory between the worlds of fine art and fashion while deliberately shunning confinement within either. This audacious positioning arises from a keen awareness of the prevailing socio-political and economic currents that have infiltrated both realms with the contagion of materialism, consumerism, artificially generated trends, and power-driven aesthetics. In this age of vulnerability to post-capitalistic forces, Studio Wenjüe Lu finds its profound raison d’être—to carve out a space within the interstices, where the confines of convention and the restraints of the status quo can be questioned and ultimately transcended. The studio’s purpose is nothing short of crafting an alternative nexus, a liminal realm that stands in stark contrast to the dominating machine, a space where the relentless pursuit of hope intertwines with the tangible embodiment of a different, more deliberate reality. As Studio Wenjüe Lu boldly undertakes the journey of deconstruction and creation, it invites audiences to join them in exploring the potency of ‘NEITHER’—an assertion of nonconformity, integrity, and authenticity, unburdened by the limitations of traditional confines.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

In our view, the society should allow more breathing room for everyone, a chance to slow down from the endless acceleration, we’re plagued by the excessive need and want to be ever more efficient, at the cost of a mass population with a visibly shortened attention span, we’re at a critical point at which 15 seconds are considered a long time for message to be conveyed, it is jarring and terrifying to us. Without slowness, we’re deprived of our innate capability to be sensible and emotional, we are crippled by the lack of time, patience, and an environment free of psychological white noises. Give us the time we deserve to appreciate life and every single object animating it.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

We strive to bring out a certain “Neitherness” in people through our works and messaging. We believe that within everyone, there exists an innate naivete for the unknown, either outward to the world or inward to the self, there will always be more room for exploration, and the ever-expandable-ness of this “Neitherness” in combination with the sense of slowness renders our creative journey a lifelong one.

Contact Info:

• Website: wenjuelu.com
• Instagram: @wenjuelu
• Linkedin: wenjuelu
• Yelp: Wenjüe Lu

Image Credits
Jordie Hennigar – @jordiehennigar Vanessa Le Yanran Xiong