Ryan Lo an interns view- complete with pictures!

Mood Board a/w 2016
All photographs my own

The Ryan Lo a/w 2016 collection was based on China, a very kitsch stereotypical China. I feel fine saying that since he said it. I think this collection really put Ryan in the limelight of LFW, especially being on the first day. When I mentioned that I was interning there a lot of people hadn't really heard of him, or if they had, they thought he was a very new designer, but he has actually been around for a few years now and been creating some really nice collections as well may I say. 

With it being my first internship, I was very nervous beginning work at Ryan Lo. You don't want to do anything wrong, but that didn't stop me. Let me set the scene in the studio; without the stuff it's a very clean studio, but as it is, it's a candy coloured delight with rails of clothing from past collections and touches of Hello Kitty hiding in the corners and on the walls. And of course a very pink haired (VERY PINK) Ryan in the middle. Each day, no one was on time, so instead of bracing the cold we would all meet in a nifty little coffee shop/ hairdressers. We had a lot of Chinese takeaway and listened to our fair share of Little Mix, Madonna and Mulan on repeat. One day we were all very star struck (aside from Ryan and Sue the studio manager) when Susie Bubble just strolls into the studio, trying on the clothes and talking to Ryan about daily life. 

Ryan playing dress up in the studio

First Week

The first week was very quiet, just four of us and Ryan. I think Ryan Lo Studio was a great place to start as I was given a very close, hands on experience. We got to work on showpieces, which became very precious to us. First, the originals, was the Purple Butterfly Dress and the peach Cherry Blossom Felt Dress. The rest of the showpieces stemmed from there. We used a textured tulle fabric to create scallops and ruffles that were then hand sewn onto the garment, larger scallops were made into roses which added volume and depth to the garment, and made it really princessy. 

The way Ryan works is very experimental. He doesn't make sketches or designs, he drapes, uses imagery and creates samples and works from there. He would give us a technique to do and then we would make variations in different fabrics and sizes to see what works best with the collection. I like this way of working as I find that when I create designs it always changes when I get to the production stage anyway. In uni we are given 100 designs to do straight off, and I feel that this pressure leaves little room for experimentation. Just seeing the way he works encourages me to have faith in my own way of working. That there are no right or wrong answers. 

Small tulle scallops

First trial hair accessory

Part 2

The rest of the internship seemed to merge together, it all went so quickly and everyday it felt like there was never enough time in the day. However the collection was slowly coming together. We made two variations of the cherry blossom dress in a pastel pink and red felt fabric.  We then began work on the Blue Butterfly Dress. My tasks during this time included; cutting out the fabrics- it was important that the pattern was in the correct pattern placement, tracing patterns (a lot) and appliqueing white flowers onto the dresses. 

the original cherry blossom dress

The dresses were a work in progress and changes were continuously being made, so there was a lot of tracing, adapting patterns and re-cutting. I was also given the task of making hairclips, I was given boxes upon boxes of beads to work with so you could imagine I went on a few tangents with it. After a lot of experimenting we came up with a little pompom of sequins- made by layering sequins facing each other into little loops that then become a 3D ball. 

final hair clips

Another thing I learnt from Ryan, which I'm guessing a lot of interns learn, is that consistency is key, he is very experimental but also knows how to refine his ideas and make something commercial. Interning also gives you the opportunity to refine the skills you already have, it is more important to get it right when doing it for someone else but this in turn makes you better skilled.

First Fitting

Everything really came together on the first fitting, the stylist Victoria Young and her team came to the studio. All of the clothing from the factory arrived but Ryan was really unhappy. Up until this point he had been stressed about it all. However everything changed once it was put on the model. It all just worked and the atmosphere in the studio completely changed. I realised how important styling can be to transform a collection. It's the little details that make the difference. It's what we're selling; a look, a persona, that not a girl not yet a woman look. 

Some of the factory pieces didn't get included in the final show as they just didn't quite go with the rest of the looks. Different pieces were added such as a satin shift dress. They used the lining intended for the Cherry Blossom dresses to test it, and so we made two more satin dresses with that pattern (argh!!) They tested the cherry blossom coat, then Victoria realised that it could work well inside out, the quilted lining then became the outside. 

fitting polaroids

before the looks were created

Ryan and Interns fitting dress with Victoria

official Ryan Lo Jewellery

Show

Nearing towards the show everything paced up, more interns joined us to help and we stayed later nights. I'd have full days of just cutting satin, or a full day of just hair clips and pompoms.  This was all happening whilst the models were being cast and fittings being finalised with hair and make-up. Ryan hired an extra seamstress to assist and his mother was also there helping out. I find his mother delightful and it is really nice seeing her support, which she does every season. 

Backstage at the show, it was the biggest backstage I had ever been in at Brewer Street car park. Very organised with allocated spaces for everyone, hair and makeup at the back, a little station for steamers, clothing, models and dressers in the middle and photographers everywhere! When we got there our first job was to sew some roses on a skirt, we got it done just before show time. Sue had organised all the dressers for the show, we were then free to take photos and helped touch up the garments before they left for the catwalk. It was an amazing feeling after the show and I wanted to start all over again (maybe in a few months eyy) Well done Ryan!!