FINALISTS OF THE 2018 LVMH PRIZE

KWAIDAN EDITIONSby LEA DICKELY & HUNG LA

London-based designers Léa Dickely and Hung La founded Kwaidan Editions in 2016. The pair first met at the Antwerp Royal Academy in 2004 where they forged their partnership. Focusing on singularity, mood and distinctiveness, each Kwaidan Editions collection serves as a concise and confident statement.
Native of the Alsatian region of France, Dickely launched her career as a print and textile designer. Preferring the freedom outside traditional fashion structures, she developed a strong roster of clients including Rick Owens.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese-American La gained experience as a Womenswear designer in Houses such as Celine and Balenciaga.
Kwaidan Editions refer to a 1965 movie by Masaki Kobayashi and book by Lafcadio Hearn of the same name. “Kwaidan” translates as “strange stories” from Japanese.
The brand conjures up the uncanny, the eerie feeling experienced when the common place turns unfamiliar and unknown. Kwaidan Editions reinterprets ghosts of the past leading to collections that describe the present time we live in.