Victim by Mei Hui Liu

Back in 2000 Mei Hui landed in London with a second-hand sewing machine and a penchant for intricate antique fabrics. Originally from Taiwan, she attended art school in Paris before becoming a prominent face on the East London Fashion scene.

Attention first swung Mei Hui’s way when she opened a shop in September 2001 with business partner – William MacCormac. Appropriately situated on Fashion Street, E1, the aptly named ‘Victim’ shop attracted collaborators and arty types galore. In amongst Mei Hui’s custom-made pieces you would find antique décor, recycled finds and a variety of works from local artists and photographers.

Mei Hui’s signature line explored her love of antique fabrics. She devised a cut and paste technique and would inject a touch of the raw and the urban into her romantic, delicate threads. Her second line, simply called Victim, meanwhile, consists of more commercial basics such as denim jeans, A-line skirts and printed t-shirts.

             

With the rise of customization and vintage shopping it wasn’t long before the likes of Top Shop knocked at Mei Hui’s door. In 2002 she created a customized range – ‘My Secret’ for their Bazaar department and the line completely sold out.

Her name has also been getting around on the international circuit. Mei Hui showed her spring/summer 2003 collection in Shanghai as part of an initiative to promote British fashion design to the Chinese market. She has also ended up on the invitation list to the prestigious GWAND competition in Switzerland. Stockists wise Victim has a strong Japanese following as well as customers in France, Greece, Germany, Hong Kong and the Middle East.

With the Fashion Street shop now closed, Victim is returning to its unique one-off roots and moving away from the rigorous prêt-a-porter cycle. A regular name on the off-schedule calendar Victim this season showed in the intimate surroundings of The Fox Club on Clarges Street, Mayfair. 

                 

For Spring/Summer 2005 Mei Hui draws heavily on the theme of “Marriage Quotidian” – where a wedding dress is worn through-out the first year of marriage. Taking the ‘make-do-and-mend’ approach – wedding and party frocks go through Victim’s creative transformations giving them daily wear appeal. Ruffles, trimmings, embroidery, fringing, raw edges and appliqué – feature along side an urban uniform of jeans, tees and customised tops.

Mei Hui is inspired and influenced by people, her friends and her travels, which is a theme she uses in her latest project.  Selected to take part in Absolute Label 2005, Victim is creating 200 limited edition bags that feature personal snap-shots taken of Mei Hui by a variety of friends and photographers. A satire of small-time fame, the co-branded bags will then be distributed to a range of international players.

               

For more information or contact details on Victim by Mei Hui Liu visit:

www.meihui.co.uk

By JoJo Iles