Vancouver Fashion

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Spring is In with Ella Peru

March 8th, 2010 | Published in Designers

Words by Nadia Chu. Click here to view larger image. Photo and look book images by Angela Fama.

A certain important winter event has just come to pass in our city, but all I can think about is light breezy clothes in cheerful colours. For that, I have the charming new designer Su-Hui Chu to thank.

Last fall, Su-Hui won the Generation Next competition that was a part of BC Fashion Week with her line Ella Peru. Fast forward six months, and she is preparing her collection for its shipment to stores across Canada when I arrive at her apartment and studio. Her colourful and light-hearted designs lay quietly in their boxes, but I can quickly sense that the spirit of these clothes reflect the spirit of their maker. As I look around the space that serves as both home and studio to Su-Hui, I see that the combination of the natural light streaming in and the colourful photos adorning the wall above her sewing machine create a bright feeling that is also evident in her designs. No wonder I felt like I had taken a breath of fresh spring air when I first saw her pale blue high-waisted crop pants and tangerine tank paired with dusty red harem pants.

Many years before Su-Hui decided to design her own clothing line, the seeds of her inspiration were already planted in the experiences and memories of her extensive travels. Originally from Ottawa, Su-Hui moved to Montreal at the age 19, and then returned to Ottawa whereupon she decided to go travelling for an extended time. Her travels took her to Australia, Southeast Asia, China, and India. After her year and a half-long journey, she again returned to Ottawa and decided to attend the Richard Robinson Academy of Design. Su-Hui recalls, “Fashion school was super challenging, but extremely rewarding, too, especially for a crafty person. Crafty people should get into their craft.”

Getting into her craft is exactly what Su-Hui has been doing since her move to Vancouver nearly two years ago after finishing the fashion design program at the Richard Robinson Academy of Design. She spent one year taking fashion courses at VCC, and then decided to dive in to a career as a fashion designer.

The birth of Ella Peru is a confirmation of an old fashion adage. “You know when people say that designers always design for themselves? It’s true.” Su-Hui explains, “As a 28-year-old, I hardly have any need for business wear. [Ella Peru] is that in-between clothing that is not business wear, but not so casual that you can’t really be seen in public.”

Su-Hui favours cotton as one of the main fabrics she likes to use, and the result of this fabric combined with her fashion-forward designs is a collection that is both comfortable and stylish. One would be hard pressed to find a woman who doesn’t want to look good and feel good at the same time.

When asked where she draws her inspiration from, Su-Hui states, “I try to be reminiscent of places that I’ve been. I try to always do something a little bit different. I definitely want to do something that people haven’t seen before. Most of all, it’s the fabric. When you find the fabric, you see everything. I don’t even really start doing drawings until I look at fabrics.”

From the runway to the stores in just six months, the growth of Ella Peru has happened very quickly, but this is only the beginning. “I want people to know the name ‘Ella Peru.’ I want Ella Peru to become a lifestyle brand. I hope that in the next few years, Ella Peru gets more popular across Canada. I want to be really substantial in Canada, and then move in to the States. I think that in Europe and Japan, it would be a hit.”

I sense that this is the beginning of another great journey for Su-Hui, and lucky for us, we get to be a part of it as she continues to create bold yet wearable clothes for the modern urban woman.

Ella Peru is currently available at:

Hum Clothing
3623 Main Street, Vancouver

Planet Claire
212 Abbott Street, Vancouver

Ingénue
2821 West Broadway, Vancouver

And locations across Canada.

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