Tianrong Lu

Assistant Professor, Researcher

Research Areas:

• Cultural appropriation and cultural borrowing in the fashion and luxury industry
• Consumer perception and cultural identity; authenticity in global branding
• Historical reception of Chinese cultural elements in Western design.

Her research explores how Chinese cultural elements have been borrowed and represented in Western luxury fashion, and how these borrowings are perceived by Chinese consumers. Combining different methodologies (e.g. archival research, case studies, interviews, experiments…), the project investigates the evolving interpretations of cultural authenticity, particularly through the lens of designer persona and consumer identity. It starts with the historical case of Yves Saint Laurent’s 1977 Les Chinoises collection and expands to contemporary examples from brands such as Dior, Chanel, and Loewe. The study challenges dominant postcolonial frameworks by analyzing how cultural borrowing is shaped by brand identity, modes of citation, and consumer cultural profiles in today’s global luxury market.

CV:

• Université Paris Dauphine – PSL, PhD Candidate: “Reverence or Reproduction: The Evolution of Cultural Borrowing in Luxury Fashion and Chinese Consumer Perception”
• Institut Français de la Mode – MS in Fashion and Luxury Management, Thesis: “How can physical stores evolve under the pressure of the digital era?”
• PSL – ENAMOMA, Master ENAMOMA, in partnership with Université Paris Dauphine & Ecole des Mines de Paris
• Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale – Bachelor’s, Fashion Design and Patternmaking – Print & Knitwear Option