In his first standalone collection since making his debut with London talent incubator Fashion East, Chinese-American designer and Central Saint Martins graduate Chet Lo says, “With my work, I’ve always been about spontaneous, fun themes, but this time I wanted to explore ideas of peace and serenity.” Since I was raised a Buddhist and spent a lot of my early years attending temples, I wanted to include that experience into my art because it is about honouring my heritage.
The main source of Lo’s inspiration was an old folktale about the Buddha being besieged by Mara (the king of demons) while meditating beneath a tree the night before he obtained enlightenment. The Buddha transformed these arrows into flowers, causing them to fall carelessly at his feet as Mara and his army of demons launched arrows. It’s the one story that has, since I was a child, really struck a chord with me, and it inspired me to write this book.
