Her ability to combine city-life pragmatism and laidback LA cool has garnered Jade Lai a bicoastal fan base — Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine, Lena Dunham and Alexa Chung to name a few. The creative director of Creatures of Comfort defines her design philosophy, as told to Justine Lee
Photo courtesy of Jade Lai
I’m originally from Hong Kong and I used to think of myself as such a diehard Hong Kong girl until I moved to Seattle and Los Angeles for school when I was 13. You could say that fashion is in my blood. My mum’s side of the family has been in textiles for generations and my father had a clothing chain when I was growing up, so I guess it came very natural to me.
Despite always having a passion for styling and clothes, I thought of myself as more of an artist. I went to Otis in Los Angeles for studio arts but eventually graduated with a concentration in architecture. After college, I worked in Los Angeles and a bit in Shanghai on movie sets and production, but eventually found my way back home to Hong Kong. I spent a year at Esprit gaining insight to the business of making clothes.
Photo courtesy of Creatures of Comfort
I started Creatures of Comfort when I moved back to Los Angeles in 2005. It really started as a project for me to meet interesting, creative and like-minded individuals. I met many of my best friends through starting this brand and opening our LA and New York stores. The Creatures of Comfort aesthetic is simple yet stylish, ease over fuss. I like things that are minimalistic and modern but with a quirky sensibility. There’s something incredibly attractive about someone who is confident, and confidence usually springs from comfort—so I guess that’s where the name of the brand started.
Most days you will find me in a white shirt, vintage denim and a pair of Vans. I will never part with my collection of vintage jeans—that or my collection of vintage dresses passed down to me by my mother; they’re among my prized possessions.
Photo courtesy of Creatures of Comfort
My favourite fashion book is Issey Miyake by Irving Penn and the best fashion film ever made is probably Unzipped, a 1995 documentary directed by Douglas Keeve that follows Issac Mizrahi around as he plans and shows his autumn/winter 1994 collection. Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Linda Evangelista make appearances.
Online is my go-to platform for all fashion news. I’ve been following German-born fashion designer Susanne Deeken on Instagram for some time and I love her feed (@susannedeeken). If I could travel back in time, I would definitely like to revisit the swinging sixties. But then again, I would rather time travel to the future and see what’s next.
Creatures of Comfort is exclusively available at Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.