- Known as Liuxianren online, he became famous on China’s TikTok for modelling outfits made from tarp, leaves and even an air-conditioner
- His videos have given him international attention, landing him a spot at London Fashion Week and a photo shoot in Hong Kong
On Douyin, China's version of TikTok, it's hard to miss the lithe, tan young man confidently strutting down dirt roads in his village like they're his own personal catwalk.
In one video, he's wearing an intricate dress made from colourful tarp. In another, he has an air-conditioner slung around his shoulder like a messenger bag.
Since May 2018, Lu Kaigang, who goes by Liuxianren online, has been dazzling viewers with his surprisingly fashionable pieces made from all manner of household objects " old curtains, dead leaves and even buckets.
He's become a bona fide internet celebrity, with over 3 million followers on Douyin and another 200,000 on Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter. His new-found fame even earned him an invitation to the spring-summer 2020 edition of London Fashion Week.
But not too long ago, the 20-year-old model was a down-on-his-luck factory worker in Nanning, a city in China's southwest.
After dropping out of high school, Lu worked multiple odd jobs " as a waiter and a hairdresser " but the factory job in particular broke his spirit.
"He was the only worker working the night shift," says Lu Kaiwei, his cousin. "He said he didn't want to go on living like that."
Lu Kaigang has felt different from his peers ever since he was young. While the other boys in his village were playing basketball, he preferred to stay at home watching fashion shows.
"I've seen every season of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show," he says.
Lu was enamoured with the clothes and scoured the internet for designs from famous fashion houses. His favourite brand, he says, is Dior; his favourite designer John Galliano.
Looking to mimic his idols, he started making his own clothes in May 2018 and asked his cousin to film him. "I couldn't even imagine what he had in mind," Lu Kaiwei recalls.
On a whim, Lu decided to post his fantastical creations on Douyin.
In his first video, Lu fashioned a Victoria's Secret angel outfit from palm-tree leaves, complete with a matching headdress and chest piece. He modelled it himself on a dirt road outside his house.
Nobody watched it.
The next nine videos he uploaded also did poorly. In total, his first 10 videos only received two views, he says.
Then, in August 2019, a video of him modelling a tarpaulin dress went viral. He gained thousands of followers overnight " and a business-savvy manager clamouring to represent him.
Meet the Chinese villager with supermodel looks
"I started following him and contacted him on Douyin," says Yu You, a former stylist who now manages Lu. "That's when I found out it was just him and his cousin doing everything. No professional team, no manager helping them navigate the industry. So I reached out to him and said, 'Why don't you let me manage you?'"
Things took off from there. As his following grew, media outlets started taking notice. In November, Goldthread invited him to Hong Kong for his first editorial photo shoot with Elle magazine.
"I've never really gone far from home," Lu says before the shoot. "I'm very nervous today. Shooting for a magazine is very different from what I usually do."
He is given two challenges. First, he has to make a couture outfit using only laundry bags, rubber gloves and duct tape. Then, he has to model that outfit " plus the white tarpaulin dress that made him famous " on the streets of Hong Kong.
As soon as he sees the materials, Lu goes straight to work. High fashion seems to come naturally to him. He starts snipping away at the laundry bags, arranging the cut pieces on a mannequin.
He can't verbalise the design techniques he's applied. He just knows what looks good and what doesn't.
"At that time, I just wanted to become a model," Lu said. "One thing led to another and now I'm designing clothes, I'm live-streaming. It just turned out that way."
This article was originally published on Goldthread . Follow Goldthread on Facebook , YouTube * and Instagram for more stories about Chinese culture.*
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