Jason Wu is, as he describes it, “heavy into freefall right now.” Over the summer, the New York-based, Taiwanese-Canadian artistic director and fashion designer opened his first global boutique in Shanghai, collaborated with 1-800-Flowers.com on a range of eco-friendly modern bouquets, and unveiled the Jason Wu for Brizo Kitchen collection, an elegant white matte followup to his inaugural black matte bath series. He also joined forces with Lowe’s, outfitting his unconventional Tulum-inspired rooftop runway show for New York Fashion Week with some 850 plants and décor from the home-improvement headquarters. “I always saw the Jason Wu world as a lifestyle brand,” he explains. Despite this flurry of activity, Wu also spent ample time reflecting in 2020. Here, he discusses the importance of mindfulness, community, and cooking in turbulent times.
You launched a photo food diary on Instagram, @mrwueats. Has cooking been therapeutic for you during such an exceptional year?
I’m always eating, and when New York shut down I hit a wall. I am so used to traveling two to three times a month and going to restaurants. What do I do at home? I decided to become creative in another way and challenged myself to make something different every day.
Various looks from Wu’s New York Fashion Week show were enhanced by plants from Lowe’s
You’ve also kept busy by designing a mask for the “Distance Yourself From Hate” PSA campaign from the New York nonprofit GMHC (Gay Men’s Health Crisis) and theCollectiveShift. What was that experience like?
I sit on the board of GMHC and I’ve always been active, but we expanded our reach to underprivileged communities by partnering with Harlem United, the HIV and AIDS services organization, and Lantern Community Services, which fights homelessness. We got such an outpouring of support and sold out twice already, with proceeds going to GMHC. It is more than helping out our community, it is fighting stigmas and spreading a message of love.
How has 2020 forced you to think differently?
I definitely learned that we are over-consumed, buying new things and in a constant stage of replacing. My design motto has always been quality versus quantity, and it’s really brought that meaning to a new level for me. I remember in March I was in a grocery store. There was no produce left on the shelves and I realized how fragile our lives can be. My parents grew up super poor in Taiwan and they were conservative and cognizant about waste. I use scallions all the time and now I save the roots to grow new ones. Our resources are important but they are not forever.
What are you looking forward to next?
In partnership with Lowe’s I’m working on GMHC’s main dining room. Right now, the space is all white walls. It serves 200 to 250 meals a day and people depend on its services. I want to give them a beautiful place to have a break.
A faucet from his simple Jason Wu for Brizo Kitchen collection
Photos by Laurence Ellis, Dan Lecca, and courtesy of Brizo
This article originally appeared in HD’s November 2020 issue.
