Dan Liu Kin Ming (Chinese: 廖建明; Cantonese Yale: Liuh Gin-mìhng) also known as; Dan Liu, Liu Tatsuaki (廖 建明, Ryō Tatsuaki) is a Hong Kongese and JapaneseCanadianfashion designer and producing apparel, accessories and fashions for men and women. He is also the founder and the creative director of TATSUAKI fashion label. He was born in Hong Kong and is currently based in Toronto and Tokyo.
Early life
Dan Liu was born in Hong Kong and because of his complex family background, he moved to Canada by himself when he was 16. Liu attended high school at Resurrection Catholic Secondary School in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada and studied at the University of Waterloo for Psychology and Computer Science.[1] At his early age, Liu worked as a janitor, as a delivery guy, as a tutor and as a choreographer/dancer until producing various fashion shows for a major fashion group in Canada in 1995; this triggered his passion in fashion. In 1997, he decided to discontinue everything and went back to Tokyo, Japan to study fashion design and marketing at Aoyama Fashion College.[2]
In February 2016, Liu was first accepted by WME/IMG (IMG's Official NYFW: The Shows) to showcase his DAN LIU line at New York Fashion Week in New York City, United States.[7][8][9] He was accepted again to showcase his 2017 Spring collection in September 2016[10][11] and since then, he is with IMG New York showcasing his collection at NYFW twice a year.[12][13][14][15]
Liu has been named as 'King of Cocktail Dresses" and "Cocktail Dress Connoisseur" from the fashion industry since 2017.[13][14][16][17] VRAI Magazine in the United States also called Liu as "Showman of New York Fashion Week" after he showcased his Spring/Summer 2019 Collection at New York Fashion Week at the Gallery 1 of Spring Studios on September 11, 2018, in New York City, New York.[16]
TATSUAKI label and DAN LIU label
Dan Liu, as creative director of TATSUAKI fashion house, walked out at World MasterCard Fashion Week in Canada for 2015 Fall/Winter fashion show
TATSUAKI fashion was founded by Liu in 2002 and it's named after his Japanese name. The label emphasis on beauty and practicality and caters for women as ‟Funky Couture". The DAN LIU label was first noticed in February 2016 at New York Fashion Week by Liu as his high-end line and the collection appears to be more mature.[8][9][18] Both collections often appears with knit, crochet, lace and embroidery details.[19]
Fashion Girls by Dan - Fashion Makeover Reality Television Show
Dan Liu interviewed by Rogers Television, OMNI Channel, for the reality television show, Fashion Girls by Dan.
Fashion Girls by Dan is a spin-off of TLC's What Not To Wear and Look-A-Like reality TV show with an Asian inspiration from Fashion TV's Tokyo Girls in Japan. The reality show premise is the walk through transformation of an ordinary person and the discussion of real life issues. Dan will give the participants a head to toe transformation to help them look and feel better about themselves and to gain the confidence that they need to achieve their goal.[22]
The reality show began in the Fall of 2014, contracted for 2 series by OMNI TV from Rogers Media Group, with 13 episodes for each series. It was aired on OMNI TV channel 2 nationwide in Canada.[23][24] The show was also aired in China starting 2016.
Personal life
Liu has extensive training in martial arts. He started training in Muay Thai since he was 15. Starting 1997, he learned iaido and bushido.[25] According to him, practicing martial arts is not just a physical exercise, it's also mental. It is a life philosophy.
References
^ ab"Another level for Dan Liu". TodayCommercialNews.com, Commercial Newspaper, Sunday, February 6, 2011 , P.32,33.
^"First HongKongnese goes to NYFW". eweekly.hk, E Weekly Magazine, E Media+, Thursday, June 9, 2016, Issue 032, P.54-56.
