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Aurélien Lecour was born in the South of France, in 1983. Moving from a tranquil village to the coastal city of Marseille, for a seven year old it was an entirely new universe to discover.

From an early age he was drawn to the numerous construction sites of the growing city. It would seem that the process of construction and architecture, seeing the inner workings, stimulated his imagination. And for a while there were dreams of becoming an architect himself.

Of course, while these dreams were running around in his head Lecour was preoccupied with the task close to many a teenager’s heart — the art of looking good. Second-hand stores became a favorite haunt, picking up pieces and transforming them on his mother’s sewing machine.

Even at that early age Lecour found many similarities between fashion and architecture. The same mission underscored both disciplines: the creation of a shell and identity, for an individual or a society. However, fashion offered him greater opportunity of instant experimentation, with the possibility to be physically in contact with the material at all stages of the process.

So with fashion as his focus, he enrolled at Institut International de Creation et de Couture (IICC) in Marseille.

Even before the commencement of his studies, Lecour began work at a small fashion house where he was exposed to many various aspects of the industry. From the practical tasks of cutting, the nature of fabrics and sewing, to clientele, their appearance and relationship they have with their clothing.

In the final year of his studies Lecour shared his time between school and a local street wear brand. There he not only designed the collections but also gained first-hand knowledge of the world of mass retailing industry as well as the concept of short cycles, and marketing strategies.

On the conclusion of his studies he was hired to create a sports inspired fashion label, where he launched their first collection. As satisfying as it was Lecour wished to expand his horizons and see the world. His adventures began in Europe, pausing in Russia, then Mongolia and finally China.

He was struck by the dynamism, stimulated by the cultural gap, the novelty and the prospect of opportunity that continuously presented itself in this ever-changing society. His decision made, he settled in Beijing. There he also settled into a position as a designer for a Danish brand, leading fashion retail brand within the Chinese market.

Over the following two years Lecour used all the means that industry can provide him, taking the opportunity to create thousands of garments, testing thousands of ideas, fabrics, and shapes. He diversified his skills, learning how to create for leather, fur, denim, knits, and accessories. In that time he was also deeply involved in marketing strategies and market studies; he studied feedback from retailers, spending much of his time on the field. He learned how to understand customers and how to best predict their expectations. This education was extremely beneficial however its price was a shackle on his creative freedom.

It was 2007 when Lecour met Tony Saint Hua. In terms of creativity their collaboration was extremely productive and their experiences complementary. The idea of creating a fashion house between the two quickly emerged. A few months after this meeting, Aurélien resigned from his job and dedicate himself completely to their shared venture Le Divan.

Construction lines and structure obsess Lecour. His passion for architecture underlies his creative work. Very comfortable with pattern making, he uses all the resources of technique to bring his concepts to life. “If the aspect of a pattern does not please my eyes, I know that I will not like the garment that will be created from it. The construction map must be perfect; it must be beautiful in the eye of the technician. All the rest is just a question of style.”

Although he is a technician in a sense, Lecour must not be misunderstood for an austere construction theoretician: “Technique is a strict tool that must serve fantasy and must open creative doors. It is a medium to express singularity.”

According to Lecour garments always reflect a part of one’s personality: “Whether it is, the actual personality or a fantasized personality, the way one dress up always reveals something of themselves. One can accentuate some of his qualities, or even hint at others. One must have a good sense of humour to really have pleasure dressing up.”

His inspirations are very eclectic, whether drawing from the intellectual rigour and architecture of Kahn, from the dramatic scale of the expressionist cinema, in the imagery of Japanese anime or of the rock scene.

Born in Saigon, Vietnam in 1972, Tony Saint Hua was the latest addition to his Chinese-Japanese-Vietnamese family. They moved to Victoria, Australia when he was 17 years old, however he made his own way to Melbourne, where he graduated from an accounting course at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).

Aware his interests lay in another, much more creative field, Hua began a career as a self-taught graphic designer. All the while he used his spare time to collect second-hand vintage garments and transform them. He indefatigably deconstructed his acquisitions, studied and used their elements to create new items. Over that time he also became acquainted with knowledge of sewing and garment structure, as well as developing his own personal style.

It became apparent very quickly that this was his passion.

In 2001, almost on an impulse, he created his first street wear label: ToeKneeCo. After developing and refining his work he produced his first catwalk show. Exhausted, Hua decided to take a break from his work and journey across Australia to seek inspiration from his adopted home. This adventure concluded in Sydney, where newly energised, he was determined to follow his obsession for creation. Returning to both Melbourne and RMIT in 2003 Hua enrolled in a textile creation course. There he developed wide technical knowledge of fabrics, fibres and colours. In this period he was also able to develop his own technique of pattern making by combining classic style with his very own instinct for volume.

While studying, Hua created a new fashion project called Midesko, where he presented his work at various fashion competitions and garnered a number of awards. Motivated by these victories, pushed by his ambition and desire to create, and financially aided by friends, he launched Midesko fashion house in 2003. His concept store opened its doors in the district of Fitzroy, home of Australia’s thriving creative alternative culture. “The idea of opening a boutique space came from my need to freely express the Midesko concept and to confront the public with it, more than simply selling garments. This was the key to my creative freedom.”

Early works of Tony Saint Hua, Midesko

The following year his first male and female collection earned Hua a finalist at the Mercedes Australia Fashion Week young designer competition. There he displayed his capacity to assimilate the language of elegance and create a very contemporary silhouette, which married simplicity of lines with the complexity of details.

Driven by a craving to constantly create Hua began to set his sites on other markets and other challenges. In 2006 he closed Midesko and travelled to Europe. The old continent revealed much in terms of culture and experience and provided Hua with a great deal of inspiration. After travelling for six months Hua looked to the new Asian markets and a completely different perspective.

Almost by chance he met Aurélien Lecour, a French fashion designer based in Beijing. From their long discussions and instant creative understanding, the idea of a collaboration emerged. In fact, it almost seemed inevitable. And from that collaboration, Le Divan was born.

Hua draws his inspiration from the street — the people, the architecture, the spirit that drives some individuals to cast off the conventional. His creations are characterised by sharp, asymmetric lines, by a structured “chaos” and especially, by an obsessional attention to detail.

“I expect my creations to be singular, original and to emphasise the individuality of the individual who wears it.” His inspirations are minimalist theoreticians, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto, as well as crazy iconoclasts such as John Galliano and Alexander McQueen.

According to Hua, the individual merges with what he wears. But it must be the person who carries the garment and never the outfit carrying the person. “If you do not know how to wear a garment, do not buy it, if it does not match you, I will not allow you to buy it. An unmatched outfit is good neither for the garment (and thus for the creator), nor for the customer.”

It is always with passion and devotion that he speaks of his work and it is that passion that keeps him striving, experimenting and creating.