CHARLES LU
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Welcome to the brand page of CHARLES LU
Contestant: Project Runway Canada & Netflix’s, Next In Fashion
CHARLES LU is founded on luxury craftsmanship, innovation, and poetic expression. Canadian born, Charles Lu began exploring his craft and hunger for clothing design at a tender age. At 18, he began his studies in London, England at the prestigious design school, Istituto Marangoni. There, he begun to further master his tech-niques and understanding of const-ruction. With a high regard for the fema
05/13/2026
14 YEARS. 36 LOOKS. THE ARCHIVE OPENS. | x
On May 25, 2026, I’ll be presenting a special retrospective with Fashion Art Toronto featuring selected works from 2012–2026.
This presentation brings together archival garments, defining collections, newer work, and pieces never before shown in Canada. Some looks have remained unseen until now.
From my earliest years as a designer to the work I create today, this retrospective traces the evolution of my world through tailoring, emotion, structure, and storytelling.
LOCATION
The Iconic 3rd Floor of Former Hudson’s Bay & Saks Fifth Ave
176 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M5C 2LT
6:00PM | CHARLES LU | Presentation
7:00PM | CHARLES LU | Runway
Tickets are now live.
Use code: CHARLESLUSS26 for 20% off.
Link in bio.
CAMPAIGN | Face EVERYTHING.
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Talent + Designers:
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Photographer:
Creative Director:
Videographer:
Executive Producer:
Producer:
Lighting:
BTS photographers:
BTS: Socials:
Makeup Artists:
Hair Stylists:
Jewelry:
Production Assistants: .vassighi
Location:
05/10/2026
It’s made of paper! | x
Shooting the Sephora look with my sister, Lisa ()
This iconic striped paper garment was designed specifically around Lisa’s () measurements and movement, and she completely brought the energy, confidence, and edge this project needed.
From the monochromatic styling to the Sephora Collection red lip, this shoot was about attitude, transformation, and having fun with fashion.
Huge thank you to my sister for stepping outside her comfort zone and helping bring this vision to life.
Refer to the original SEPHORA CANADA x CHARLES LU reel for the full concept, process, and final transformation.
05/08/2026
Iconic Paper Fashion | x
Inside the construction of the look.
Over 100 hours, 70 Sephora shopping bags, thousands of hand cut fringes, and a full runway look built entirely from paper.
Highlighting the sketching, draping, pattern drafting, construction, and textile manipulation process behind the garment from start to finish.
Every strip was strategically cut, folded, fringed, and sewn individually to create movement, structure, and durability from an unconventional material.
Refer to the original SEPHORA CANADA x CHARLES LU reel for the full story, transformation, and final reveal.
Could you serve in this striped paper couture look?
NOT FABRIC. STILL FASHION.
SEPHORA CANADA featuring CHARLES LU
I turned the ICONIC STRIPED Sephora shopping bags into an ICONIC STRIPED fashion runway look!
Deconstructed paper, cut into horizontal panels and hand-fringed to create movement, texture, and structure. A cropped hoodie, corset bralette, and sculpted skirt all built from the unconventional.
Fashion is ART. Sketch, drape, and final form. This takes the everyday and makes it runway.
I started designing at 11 with unconventional materials and now I'm back and even more evolved. Younger me would have died for this collaboration.
Are you ready for fashion's biggest night?
Certified CHARLES LU moments.
PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA x CHARLES LU
Sew | Panic | Repeat
Falling. Stitching. Overthinking. Locking in.
Somehow… it always comes together.
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8 challenges. 1 evolution.
PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA x CHARLES LU
Every week demanded more.
I didn’t just show up, I adapted, refined, and evolved under pressure.
Episode 1 | Denim
(Première Challenge) “Right Off The Runway”
First impression. Deconstructed denim. Structure. Establishing my design language.
Episode 2 | L’Oréal Client Challenge
“Walk Your Worth”
Working with a client. Refining precision and pushing storytelling under pressure.
Episode 3 | The Unconventional Future
(Team Challenge) “Fit For the Future (Winner)
A 2125 vision. UV foam, transparency, and movement through light.
Episode 4 | The Joe Fresh Challenge
(2 looks in 1) “Twice As Fresh” (Top 2)
Joe Fresh transformation. Trench to sport tuxedo. Function meets versatility.
Episode 5 | Cashmere Bathroom Tissue Challenge (Pairs → Duels) “Stronger Together”
Bathroom tissue challenge. Tailoring, restraint, and “old money”.
Episode 6 | Bata Shoe Museum Challenge
“Step It Up”
Designing from a shoe. Soft pastels, contrast, and proportion.
Episode 7 | Giant Tiger Challenge
“Dream Big on a Budget”
Flannel reimagined. A revenge dress built from deconstruction.
Episode 8 | The Final Challenge
“Archive Edit” (Winner)
Creative freedom. Streetwear meets couture. Fully me.
Every challenge built something.
Every look said something.
Stream only on .
This collection is my diary.
PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA x CHARLES LU
Episode 10: The Final Runway
Placement: Top 3 Finalist
Looking back at this collection, I don’t just see garments. I see moments in time.
Every piece holds a belief I had in that exact moment. It became a diary of who I was, what I felt, and what I stood for while creating it. Something deeply personal, but also something that connects beyond me.
Clothing, to me, is a thread that ties us all together. These designs are biographical. They carry memory, growth, and identity in every seam.
It took me a long time to arrive at a place where I felt fully comfortable in my own skin. And when you reach that point, there’s a kind of energy that radiates through you and into your work. That energy is what you’re seeing here.
Thank you to Donna Bishop and Fashion Talks for allowing me to share this side of the collection more deeply.
Stream the latest episode of only on .
vietnam
I’m not the same person who walked into this competition.�
Becoming who I am.
PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA x CHARLES LU
Episode 10: The Final Runway
Placement: Top 3 Finalist
This experience changed me.
The person who entered this competition is not the same person who created this finale collection. I wasn’t ready to make this body of work before this moment in my life.
It took growth. It took clarity. It took truly understanding who I am as a designer and as a person.
For the first time, I felt like I could say exactly what I wanted to say, in the way I wanted to say it. That’s what fashion is to me. The ability to express yourself fully, honestly, and without compromise through the materials you choose.
This collection reflects that transformation.
Thank you to Donna Bishop and Fashion Talks for giving me the space to articulate that journey.
Stream the latest episode of only on .
This is how my mind works when I design.
PROJECT RUNWAY CANADA x CHARLES LU
Episode 10: The Final Runway
Placement: Top 3 Finalist
I design with both emotion and precision at the same time.
I’m deeply intuitive, but also highly technical. Every idea is immediately broken down in my head. Construction, lining, structure, proportions. It’s all happening at once, almost instinctively.
Even my sketches are treated like technical drawings. Architectural. Intentional. Every seam line, every internal structure, every adjustment has a purpose.
If I change one thing, it affects everything. Sometimes the smallest seam becomes the biggest statement.
What you see on the runway is the final result, but behind it is a constant process of calculation, feeling, and refinement happening all at once, at speed.
Thank you to Donna Bishop and Fashion Talks for allowing me to share that process more intimately.
Stream the latest episode of only on .
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Toronto, ON