On Ying, On Yang: Meet Yat Pit Co-Founder On Ying Lai

Yat Pit co-founder and 40 Under 40 honoree On Ying Lai tells Prestige how ancient teachings inspire her modern designs.

Yat Pit is a conscious fashion brand focused on sustaining Hong Kong heritage, Chinese culture and also spirituality. I want our garments to inspire people, not only aesthetically but also conceptually.

Fashion is not just about glamour or beauty for me – it’s more about being expressive. I turned to fashion design because I found the daily mixing and matching of garments provided a channel for me to express myself depending on how I felt. For me, clothing as a means of daily artistic showcase is more relevant and down-to-earth.

During my Master of Arts studies in London I started to develop an interest in Chinese clothing and wanted to do research into it, but books on the topic were very limited in the university libraries. When I returned to Hong Kong after my studies, I learned even more and eventually started my fashion label Yat Pit alongside my business partner Jason Mui.

I’m interested in creating conceptual fashion designs. My early designs were largely based on optical illusions, which were inspired by the likes of Belgium surrealist artist René Magritte and the fashion house Maison Margiela.

Ancient Taoist and Buddhist wisdoms help me evolve as a person. Their teachings and beliefs are always out-of-the- box. For instance, the yin-yang concept is one of the oldest and most widely recognised graphic designs in the world. It’s a symbol about balance and non-duality, yet we are living in a world of duality. In our society, life is usually about left or right, right or wrong.

The biggest challenge for me so far has been learning the business side of fashion design. While we’re trained as fashion designers at university, launching and running a successful fashion brand is actually a fine balance between design and business skills.

In my spare time I dive into ancient teachings through books and YouTube videos. Meditation, which is an important part of my creative process, holds a space for me to clear my mind from the daily overloading of information. It helps me to enhance my intuitions.