Liquid Architecture
Trang Chau, the designer behind L.A. indie label Le Sang des Betes, makes the kind of architectural, Japanese-inspired clothes that come off as a far pricier than they actually are.
A self-professed fan of avant-garde art, literature and film (the label is named after an obscure 1940s French film), the 31-year-old may still be hovering just below the radar, but has consistently turned out elegant, sculptural collections since launching the line in 2008.
This Saturday, the SoCal native — who, no surprise, studied sculpture at Otis College — will be showing her Fall 2010 collection of dresses and separates as a part of the BoxEight lineup of presentations. The collection is full of the fluid shapes and complex tailoring we've come to expect from Chau, but also boasts a new softness, courtesy of silk knits: "My favorite material to work with right now."
We caught up with the designer as she was prepping for the big show.
WINGIN' IT: A bat-winged dress for Fall 2010.
Style Section L.A.: You studied fine art in school. How did you get going in fashion?
Trang Chau: I never studied fashion — well, I took a semester of fashion. But even when I was doing sculptural work, I was using a lot of garment-based concepts. Everything had to do with the body and clothes and architecture. It was sort of a natural evolution into fashion after that.
You're showing at BoxEight this season — where designers will be producing photo shoots using their own collections. Why did this format appeal to you?
It’s their twist on the runway show. And I thought it was different. I did Gen Art's New Garde show two season ago, and we did an unconventional show there, as well, where I collaborated with a set designer and models walked out on to the set. This is in the same vein. It's really unconventional.
CHIC COLUMN: An artsy-dressy look, LSDB-style.
What inspirations do you find always creep into your designs?
It’s a little bit of everything. But I love film and architecture and natural spaces.
What other designers do you dig?
I love menswear designers. I love Raf Simons, Rick Owens. I love Bless, this design house in Paris that does wearable pieces, but with a mix of wearable pieces of art. Cosmic Wonder in Japan is in the same realm. They do very highly conceptual things.
BOXED IN: The minidress goes artsy.
Tell me about the Fall collection.
It's called Holding Pattern, and was really inspired by the patterns of planes that are about to land — they follow a pattern. I took the actual patterns and incorporated them into my designs. I’m really into doing interesting backs — so there's something interesting when you turn around. The first few collections were a lot more hard in the edges, and there was more conventional structure and armature to the pieces. For this collection, I utilized drape to create structure, instead of using wovens.
What's your take on how L.A. fashion has evolved as of late?
I honestly think there’s this whole hidden, indie designer scene that's happening. For me, it’s positive. I wanted to start it here, I felt like there needed to be more [brands] here. But eventually...I will move to New York. But it’s good place to start.
GREAT DRAPE: A fall coat gets a dramatic, draped back.
Le Sang des Betes is priced from $70 to $700, and is sold at the Echo Park Independent Co-Op (E.P.I.C.).