Julian Louie

New York City, USA

www.julianlouie.com

Julian Louie completed his studies in architecture at Cooper Union before interning at Calvin Klein, where designer Francisco Costa recognized Julian's innate talent and unique approach to fashion, and selected him for Italian Vogue's sponsored Protégé Project. The venture showed his designs in Florence, Tokyo, and Sydney, and brought him much acclaim. Originally from Santa Cruz, California, Julian combined elements of California surf culture with an architectural discipline to bring fresh ideas to high-end womenswear. In this project, Julian used Swarovski crystal and ultra-suede detailing to create an elegant t-shirt necklace. By reducing the t-shirt itself to a more bare form, Julian emphasized the embellishments, turning an ultimate basic into its antithesis.