The name of Laraine Yu’s brand Mankind on Stage says it all.
Unlike most designers, the former Vogue China editor, who’s also one of the country’s top stylists, launched the label during New York Fashion Week without any intention of being picked up by retailers. She’d rather see her clothes underneath the spotlights at a sold-out concert or in front of paparazzi flashbulbs on the red carpet — all the better to watch them transform.
In her spring 2027 collection, light plays a crucial role as photochromic paint is applied to molded plaster lilies and peonies, going from all white to the most delicate shades of pastel. Call it magic, call it science. Yu called it “The Sun Brings Life.”
“I was inspired by flowers and their incredible vitality and resilience,” she said. “I admire how they can take root in the most unexpected places, breaking through rocks. There’s something so powerful about that determination to bloom.”
Yu certainly doesn’t design for wallflowers, which is why she’s sidestepping the masses to target A-list names that she feels can handle their theatricality. “For me, seeing one extraordinary person wearing something I’ve created is more meaningful than selling hundreds of the same piece,” she explained.
Of course, creativity is useless without financial support to back it up. Acknowledging that, Yu said she plans to build Mankind on Stage through custom work, adding that she doesn’t want commercial expectations interfering with her freedom to experiment.
Although the overwhelming majority of her debut collection is white, Yu scoffed when asked if she’d like to try her hand at bridal. Her dream clients are women on stage — and screen — like Zendaya and Lady Gaga who she said “understand fashion as performance art.”
Tailoring is undoubtedly Yu’s strength, even if some of her more avant-garde shapes closely resemble Harris Reed. Still, one could imagine Zendaya in a velvet smoking jacket popping out of a vase-like skirt engulfed by orange plaster bouquets. Gaga, meanwhile, might be drawn to that look’s wide-brim hat, pairing it with a ruched black ballgown spilling fabric petals over the bust of a corset that juts out at the back like wings.
In terms of menswear, Yu said she finds Harry Styles most inspiring because of the way he challenges tradition by embracing femininity. A shrunken vest, pussy-bow blouse and stand-away trousers with a collage of photochromic lace and chiffon would be a cool addition to his “Together, Together” tour wardrobe.
Styles is also one of the only male singers who could make a tufted high-low T-shirt and Bermuda shorts look convincing, perhaps at the Met Gala. Troye Sivan is another.
But alas, none have come knocking on Yu’s door — yet. However, with celebrity styling clients in China like Bonnie Chen, Gong Jun and JC-T, Mankind on Stage is bound to have a moment over there soon.
So why is Yu establishing the brand here in the U.S.? Even Paris feels more aligned with her couture strategy, but New York has better energy, she said.
“It’s where fashion, art, music and entertainment come together, which makes it the perfect place to introduce Mankind on Stage. For me, New York Fashion Week was just the beginning. Now I’m excited to see these designs come to life on the right people.”
