After consignments in some of the world’s top department stores such as Selfridges and Harrods, furniture turned handbag designer Ling Fu has opened her first standalone store in Singapore’s Raffles Hotel. She talks about the brand’s homecoming and its journey through the years.
Seasoned bag collectors would know that scoring a coveted bag from one of the world’s most storied luxury houses isn’t as easy as it seems. The brands thrive on an aura of exclusivity. Customers can wait months, or even years, to be offered a bag. In the meantime, they’ll have to invest in smaller accessories or leather goods in order to build an extensive profile and purchase history. Even then, the bag they end up bringing home may not be in the exact specifications they desire.
Over the years, former furniture designer Ling Fu got tired of playing the game. “I am very fond of certain handbag designs. But as the years went by, the buying experience became a bit painful,” she confessed.
So Fu decided to take matters into her own hands. After learning the art of bag-making in some of the finest ateliers in Italy, she decided to start her own label and launched Llora in 2015. At first, the media shy Fu chose to only invite close friends to view her creations. But soon, after launching in top department stores such as Barneys, Selfridges and Harrods, Llora caught the attention of bag connoisseurs around the world.
AN EYE FOR DESIGN
Fu has always had a keen eye for design. In her early 20s, in the midst of putting together her first house back in her home city of Jakarta, Indonesia, she started designing her own furniture.
“As a young lady, I loved romantic designs,” Fu reminisced. “The design of my house was leaning towards classic European with beautiful high ceilings and French windows. At that time, in the very early 90s, I just couldn’t find furniture that would go with my aesthetics, unless I imported them from Europe, which would be very tedious. So I said well, I’ll start designing my own.”
After completing her own home, she started getting commissions from friends who were enthralled by her furniture pieces. “They wanted me to come and visit their homes. I think it is a blessing that I am very good with proportions, even from a young age,” said Fu. A client then commissioned Fu to design furniture for her entire home, with a land size of around 10,000 sq ft.
Fu’s line specialised in classical furniture from the Louis XIV to the XVI stylistic periods, crafted from premium wood such as teak and solid mahogany. But in 2004, Fu, who is married to architect Chan Soo Khian, founding principal of SCDA Architects, moved to Singapore with her family. “There were a lot of adjustments, so I decided to scale my business smaller and smaller,” she said. Clients back in Jakarta also wanted to meet with Fu in person, but flying back and forth proved to be a tedious affair for the mum of six boys. She eventually sold off her furniture business before pivoting her focus to her handbag brand.
