Born in China and based in New York, Grace Fu (Xuan Fu) has spent the last decade quietly building one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary fashion. After honing her skills at ALIX NYC, Fleur du Mal, LVMH, Alexander Wang, and KITH, she now steps forward with Studio Oblivion and its first collection, Ethereal Threads. Anticipation around the launch has been high, fueled by Fu’s reputation for blending technical precision with emotional depth. Drawing inspiration from architecture, minimalism, and hand craftsmanship, Ethereal Threads offers a fresh take on lingerie, sleep robes, and lounge pieces—designed not for display, but for presence.
Martha Gutierrez: Grace, how did Ethereal Threads first begin to take shape?
Grace Fu: It started during a really busy period in my professional life. I realized that while I was designing so much for the public side of dressing, I was missing the private side—the moments at home, the pieces you wear when no one’s looking. I wanted to create garments that were built for those quieter times: robes, slips, lingerie that feels effortless but still intentional.
MG: The name Studio Oblivion carries a lot of weight. What does it mean to you?
GF: It’s about letting the work take precedence over the designer. Oblivion isn’t about disappearance; it’s about leaving behind all the noise—the rush to be seen, the pressure to brand everything. I wanted the focus to be on the experience of wearing the pieces: the feel of silk against your skin, the way a piece of lace softens over time.
MG: The Desintegration of Women was much sharper, visually and emotionally. This feels like a departure.
GF: It is. But The Desintegration of Women wasn’t about rejecting softness—it was about reclaiming it. That collection challenged the idea that strength had to be expressed through rigidity or masculine codes. I worked with silk charmeuse, cotton satin, and organza to build garments that had both structure and movement. Pintucks ran on the bias to shape space around the body, not contain it. It was still minimal, but emotionally charged. Ethereal Threads feels like a natural progression. It leans into softness fully—not as weakness, but as a strength in its own right., I wanted to design for the opposite state: what it feels like to take that pressure off. The pieces are soft but intentional. Minimal, but not plain. They’re about presence, not performance.
MG: You’ve worked for major powerhouses in the world of fashion—what lessons carried over into this?
GF: A lot of technical knowledge, definitely. From ALIX and Fleur du Mal, I took the attention to fit and structure. From LVMH, I learned how to source materials that age well. At Alexander Wang, I worked on wash techniques and helped redefine some silhouettes. KITH has been a more collaborative space—leading menswear projects, tailoring, even fabric development. All of that gives me the toolbox to build something simple and strong.
MG: What was different about creating lingerie and lounge pieces under your own name?
GF: So much of that category is overly embellished or overly minimal—it swings between extremes. I wanted to find a middle space. The robes in this collection are cut to move with the body. The slips are detailed but unfussy. There’s French lace, raw silk from Asia, and yes—hand-embroidery that takes 20 to 40 hours on some garments. But none of it is for show. It’s all about how it feels when you wear it.
MG: The campaign images struck a very clear mood. What was your intention there?
GF: We shot in a hotel room with almost no styling—just soft morning light and whatever the model chose to bring into the frame. I didn’t want it to look aspirational. I wanted it to look familiar. The clothes are made for rest, for solitude, for intimacy. The photos needed to reflect that without turning it into a theme.
MG: What do you want people to feel when they put on a piece from this collection?
GF: Comfortable. A little more themselves. I want them to forget about the garment—not because it’s boring, but because it fits so well with how they feel in that moment. That’s the real goal.
MG: Are you thinking about what’s next?
GF: I am, but this isn’t something I want to rush. I’ve started sketching and testing fabrics—there’s a lot I want to explore, especially in how loungewear can blur the line between the private and the presentable. But I want the next chapter to come from the same place as this one did: slowly, honestly, and with care. If that takes time, I’m okay with that.
Interview by Martha Gutierrez for The Status Life
