Written by Alyssa Zhang

She took me by surprise as she said hello. The cafe she had picked was small. Busy. Her hair was short and black, cut right above her shoulders. The ribbon tied around her neck matched the red blazer she wore, flitting with the breeze as she held out her hand. 

Lauren Rose Wan is a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology and the designer of Painting the Roses Red, a gorgeous evening piece that is just as elegant as it is whimsical. It features three layers of draping—the cream bodice falls over the red, dipping just below the sternum and rising again to each collarbone. The overskirt shocks with its bright rouge, the puffs resembling a rose. The black striped fabric runs the dress to floor length, completing the card deck colour lineup. The dress takes inspiration from the old fairytale, Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, emulating the mystique of the Queen of Hearts while maintaining the mad beauty of its garden parties. 

These red petals aren’t the only roses in New York’s garden. Wan grew up in the heart of Toronto, attending the St. Clements school, where she was originally encouraged to pursue sciences, like her two older sisters. 

“I never really thought of fashion as a real possibility. I didn’t even start seriously sewing until I attended the Parson’s summer program my junior year,” she said. 

“And how was that?” I asked, expecting stories of glamour and drama—the quintessential NYC experience. 

“I wasn’t really out much. When I was in the studio, I forgot that I was in New York. I forgot New York existed. I feel like everyone was just there to do what they loved—to create. It wasn’t about the parties or the excitement of the city, it was about fashion. It always was.” She spoke with a soft cadence that is difficult to describe, serving as a testament to her genuinity. 

“It inspired me to apply to FIT.” 

“And once you got there? Was Painting the Roses Red the first project you worked on?” I asked. 

Wan had previously worked on Runway 27, FIT’s annual fashion show, creating a whimsical upcycled design. The show was centered around a theme of “SYNERGY,” where each of the four segments of the show represented one of the elements—tranquil & serenity (water), inferno & passion (fire), resilience & empowerment (earth), and delight & gentle (air). The theme pays homage to the different elements that work together to create irreplicable art, representing photographers, designers, and stylists alike. 

In Wan’s case, she created a design to represent tranquility and serenity, or water. The dress featured a gorgeous ivory overskirt and a rich blue train, using over 30 yards of boning in both to create a flowing effect.

“My favourite part was seeing the model go down the runway. She carried it so well—the design really looks different when it’s brought to life like that. I loved how the stylists brought everything together, from the blue eyeliner and neck scarf to the seashell earrings, everything just fell into place.” She said. 

“Overall, I hope I achieved the vision of a tranquil and serene realm. The production describes tranquility as finding a balance of inner enthusiasm and composed demeanor, which is something I strive to express in my designs and myself.” Wan continued. 

“And what else do you strive to express?” I prompted. 

Wan’s largest influences in the fashion industry stems largely from other Asian designers as she digs back into her roots, striving to provide more representation within the fashion industry. 

“I love Simone Rocha’s design style, where it’s very much about contrasting, playful, but still intellectual fashions” She said.  Simone Rocha is an Irish-Cantonese designer who grew up in Dublin, known for her unapologetically feminine, modern, and romantic pieces. “Miss Sohee, the Korean designer, takes a lot of inspiration from the 19th century, particularly with her embellishments and inspiration from the ocean and wooden fans.” Wan continued. “I really loved Sandy Liang’s debut collection that took inspiration from Chinatown grandmas, where she took the old styles of plaid and quilted jackets and recycled them into designs that were hyper-feminine, but still nostalgic.” 

“In the fashion industry, I don’t think there’s enough representation in Asian design. So many iconic designers don’t get recognition where it’s due.” Strangely enough, the fashion industry has frequently borrowed designs from the Asian community, often without permission. For instance, designs inspired by Chinese qipaos, Japanese kimonos, or Indian saris have been widely popularized by non-Asian designers, but the originators or influences behind these trends are rarely acknowledged. 

“It’s hard to see myself in the place I want to be without the role models who look like me.” She said. 

But with Painting the Roses Red, I’m doubtful that we won’t see Wan on the big screen.