Introducing Chet Lo: The Boundary-Breaking Knitwear Designer

Were it not for a fortunate twist of fate, Chet Lo’s futuristic spiky knits might never have seen the light of day. ‘I was always adamant about not having my own brand,’ says the London-based, Asian-American designer, whose work is now loved by Michaela Coel, SZA and Doja Cat. ‘I just wanted to make money, chill out and not have too many responsibilities. But then I accidentally blew up overnight.’

Having graduated from Central Saint Martins with a specialisation in knitwear, Lo began working on a line of jumpers from his East London warehouse. It was 2020, during lockdown, and fellow graduates and friends Harris Reed and Pablo Rousson encouraged him to put them online.

Courtesy Chet Lo

‘I needed to make rent, so I posted the jumpers on my Instagram, expecting to maybe get a couple of DMs,’ he says. ‘When I saw my phone going crazy, I thought, “Oh f**k, something’s gone horribly wrong.”’ Dazed had reposted the photos, sparking an influx of orders that far outnumbered what Lo had produced.

The pieces had captured the zeitgeist: bright, fun, sexy, light-hearted and a bit nostalgic. They also showcased immense talent, breaking the boundaries of traditional knitwear with their 3D textured spikes – Lo’s signature design feature, inspired by the spiny Asian durian fruit and the punky jewellery of the Noughties.

View full post on Instagram

In his bodycon, brightly coloured designs, being the centre of attention is guaranteed, and everyone from Machine Gun Kelly to Lizzo is a fan. ‘The person I design for doesn’t care about social norms,’ says Lo. ‘They’re free; they can walk into any party and know that they’re the best-dressed there. They have main character energy.’

Lo is about to enjoy his own ‘main character’ moment, as he shows at London Fashion Week under his own name for the first time this season. But while previous collections took inspiration from ‘an alien pool party on Mars’ and ‘a mountainside rave in a jacuzzi with snow bunnies’, SS23 will be focused on something a little more down to earth: his childhood.

Filippo Fior//LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT

Chet Lo AW22 show at Fashion East

‘My new collection is a lot more personal, inspired by how I grew up,’ he explains. ‘I felt very different to the other kids growing up in New York, but only now do I realise that my unique heritage is the best part of who I am.’

This article appeared in the October 2022 issue of ELLE UK.