Chris Liu (right) and Hungarian designer Tibor Matyas are the co-founders of Chris & Tibor brand. Prvovided to China Daily

In London's East End, Chris Liu and his business partner aim to create a brand synonymous with cool and dynamic men's fashion

Chris Liu has made his home in London living and working in one of the city's trendiest districts, his creative influences hark back to China, in particular people in an army troupe that his set-designer father was attached to.

The young Liu traveled all over the country during the 1970s with a People's Liberation Army theatrical ensemble. Members were allowed access to imported fashion and lifestyle magazines, which gave the impressionable youngster a glimpse into a whole new colorful world.

"The troupe had very creative and artistic people," recalls Liu, 43. "I was very privileged to have that kind of exposure; not many people did in those days. I was always surrounded by music, I still know all the songs. It also meant I lived all over China: I was born in Urumqi.

"I get my creative and design side from my father, and my organized side from my mother who was a professor of mathematics. I think both my parents are happy that I have found success in design."

Liu trained and worked in New Zealand, Hong Kong and latterly London, where he had a spell with the renowned Burberry brand. It was at the British fashion house where he met Tibor Matyas, a Hungarian who is also a design consultant; the pair hatched a plan to launch their own label, Chris & Tibor.

Initially the focus was on promoting Liu's high-end dresses worn by, among others, diminutive Australian pop star Kylie Minogue, but more recently the Chris & Tibor brand began to focus on menswear and accessories, in particular classy bags for discerning executives who want an item that is fashionable as well as functional.

"Our products are aimed at dynamic, professional men who put excellent quality above all else, quality of design and quality of materials," Liu says. "The Chris & Tibor brand is based on this ethos."

One of its recently launched brands is Golden Lane, which focuses on women's accessories, and are described as having a very British sensibility. In fact Liu is a dedicated Anglophile, making the most of both work and leisure opportunities in his adopted country.

"We have been based in London, individually and then as a design team, for about more than a decade now and can't imagine being anywhere else. There is a life and spirit to London that you don't find anywhere else. This of course applies to the fashion industry, but equally is evident just walking down the street. Specifically the Dalston bag was named after the area that our studio is based in.

"Italian Vogue proclaimed Dalston the 'coolest place in Britain'. It isn't actually glamorous, compared to its neighbors; it's really rather shabby and it's noisy, too. But it was always attracted an arty crowd.

"At night time, some of the coolest kids in London come out to play, giving the area the hip vibe it's now famous for. We also have hip British designers Christopher Kane, Mario Schwab and J. W. Anderson as neighbors, so the creative atmosphere is right here, and it is a really buzzing place."

Liu can also turn his hand to more formal projects. Some years ago, during a state visit by former president Hu Jintao, he was asked to put on a show at the London College of Fashion for Hu's wife Liu Yongqing.

Other visitors from China, friends and family or professional contacts take advantage of Liu's encyclopedic knowledge of London, particularly its vibrant fashion and arts and culture.

"I like galleries and theaters and I am really interested in upcoming British contemporary artists' work. I am currently collecting Stuart Semple's work. He is going to be the next Damien Hirst, or at least David Hockney.

"I also love both classic and modern Chinese art. I am a modest collector of Chinese antiques, especially Chinese antique vases, and I make a point of going to sales at Sotheby's."

If the business continues to expand at its current rate, the designer will be able to continue adding to that collection of antiques. Among the celebrities who have been seen using Chris & Tibor items are soccer superstar David Beckham and rapper Kanye West. The bags have been featured as must-have accessories in trendy magazines including GQ, Vogue, Esquire, Vanity Fair, i-D, and Dazed and Confused.

Currently the Chris & Tibor brand is available in more than 20 countries.

The newly-launched Golden Lane brand, named after a street in central London, is also enjoying healthy sales. With two collections a year for each brand, the pressure is on for Liu and his partner to come up with more and more novel designs.

"It sounds like a cliche, but we try to take inspiration from everything," Liu says. "The need for practicality in our creations is inspired by our day-to-day lives; those moments when you find yourself struggling with something that should be simple. We try to apply that in our design process.

"Working at Burberry earlier was invaluable experience. You learn about quality and finishing. It is completely different from high street fashion. Having said that, I believe there is nothing wrong with having a commercial eye alongside creativity. We want to create collections with international relevance and appeal.

"We are now launching a retail space in London with the full men's accessory range from bags, shoes to other categories."

For China Daily

(China Daily 04/26/2013 page28)