Designer Hung La is fascinated by characters—often of the underworld variety, and always with a tinge of darkness. His brand, Lu’u Dan, is a way to, he says, inject an “Asian flavor” into the fashion scene, and he uses it as a vehicle to reframe conversations around not just streetwear and luxury fashion, but also the way in which Asian identity exists within it.
For spring 2027, his 11th season, he felt the urge to connect back to the brand’s foundations, in part as a response to his father’s recent passing. “There’s a more somber tone,” he said. Miles Davis and Tupac served as touchstones, as did the movie Ichi the Killer and the Japanese actor Takeshi Kitano. Instead of the bombast and pugnacity of recent seasons, there was a restrained, mournful story here, told through the hulking, take-up-space shapes and a keen eye for subtly luxe fabrics.
Before Lu’u Dan, La worked at Balenciaga and Celine, alongside Demna, Michael Rider, and Matthieu Blazy, in tailoring and leather. You could see that training here, with the exploded silhouettes that felt forceful and bold without losing control, as on a suit in nutty brown with its extended shoulder line and soupy, pleated pants. A pony hair coat in dark merlot, meanwhile, was paired with a matching shirt and tie, both crafted from leather, the pants trimmer and with a slight ’70s flare (and bravado). A striped, wide-cut polo and draped trousers continued that swaggering mobster feel, but with a younger, cooler touch.
A pants-and-trousers set in burgundy velvet pushed this exercise to its fullest potential—voluminous, luxurious, unexpected, and with an unmistakable whiff of foreboding. Rounding out the collection were more casual, athletic pieces, like track jackets, sweatpants, flowing shorts that hit well past the knee, plus roomy denim and Japanese horror film graphics on sheer tops and T-shirts. In the front of the showroom, La had a vest festooned with watches as embellishment, as an example of exclusive items he makes for VIPs.
Speaking of VIPs, La had a big viral hit earlier this year when Justin Bieber wore his clothes (and then stripped them off) for a much-talked-about Coachella performance. He saw a 14,000% increase in traffic because of it. Usually, he throws a festive event during fashion week, but this time decided to take a pause, proving that, sometimes, a grounded moment of reflection can yield powerful results.
