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LovebyVenus captures the sensual and alluring; refined and shaped by its founder, Jingyi, since she was just fourteen. Today, the self-made fashion brand exists in a world of her own making, with a move to New York City on the horizon. Jingyi’s guiding principle remains clear; to trust her gut and stay true to her vision. To her, being self-made means learning as you go and ‘building something real without waiting for permission’. Her mood board consistently features Galliano-era Dior, while more recent inspirations lean toward delicate lace and layered textures.

In preparation for her upcoming Summer Campaign in Europe, Jingyi is drawing inspiration from diverse mediums, including films like Call Me by Your Name, Atonement, La Piscine, and Purple Noon. A devoted Lana Del Rey fan, she also channels her fine art background, often referencing classical painters such as Sorolla and Caravaggio for her campaigns.

Launching the brand at fourteen came with its own set of challenges but gave her the freedom to experiment without overthinking.

“Everything felt fresh and playful…I was ﬁguring things out as I went, and that raw, intuitive energy really shaped the brand’s early identity.”

Between Fabric & Meaning: With LovebyVenus

Interview by Ellie Moran (she/her)

Still, she was conscious of how it might be perceived, afraid of feeling pretentious among other highschoolers. Letting go of that fear opened her up to unapologetic creativity and helped shape a brand rooted in honesty and authenticity. Her fourteen-year-old-self taught her that the people who resonate with her work are the ones meant to be a part of the journey. Over time, her aesthetic has matured, shaped by deeper intention and a growing sense of purpose behind what she creates and shares.

“While I still embrace creativity and spontaneity, there’s now a deeper intention behind each piece and the stories we tell through them.”

As a small business owner, Jingyi has learned to balance creative fulfilment with practicality. Though she’s innately decisive and uncompromising in design, she’s come to accept that it’s okay to say no if something doesn’t ﬁt the budget or is too difﬁcult to execute. Often running Q&A’s on her Instagram, she engages with her community in this process, shaping both the design and business sides of the brand.

Everyone has an innate sense for what they ﬁnd beautiful, Jingyi says, but for LovebyVenus, her vision has been shaped by experience, cultural duality, and dialogue. Growing up between cultures, she absorbed how people dress, live, and tell stories. In the era of unremitting fashion cycles, she now values reflection and rest, telling us that it’s easy to get caught up in the constant output in a climate that demands ideas that are fast and new.

At the core of Jingyi’s designs is a clear tactile sensibility and the belief that a lasting piece starts with the fabric it’s made from. Her brand aesthetic has been heavily inﬂuenced by her interest in history, literature, and art, especially classical European painting and Chinese textile traditions.

She gravitates toward natural, sensory textiles: cotton, linen, silk chiffon, that drape, crease, and move with the wearer.

“Silhouettes are always evolving, but there’s something timeless about materials like silk and cotton, which have been worn by women for centuries.”

Her instincts are deeply tied to her Chinese heritage, informed by childhood visits to fabric markets in her parent’s hometown and learning the symbolism of certain materials and patterns.

“Over time, I think that these layers of inﬂuence have naturally formed into something that I can make ‘mine’”.

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Melbourne’s creative scene, both nurturing and competitive, shapes small businesses from the outset. LovebyVenus took an alternative route by focusing on the brand’s connection with customers and social media influencers in the U.S. It wasn’t until after high school that Jingyi began to appreciate the close-knit and supportive nature of the fashion scene at home. The talent among independent designers in Melbourne can be attributed to its generous and collaborative essence.

“It’s made me more excited about working locally and exploring creative partnerships in ways I hadn’t considered before.”

For her latest pop-up, Jingyi, and event stylist, Olive, set out to create an immersive and intimate space, like stepping into someone’s bedroom or closet. The setting was styled with delicate, lived-in details, a vanity, drying lines, and a mirror, inviting guests to slow down and engage with the world of LovebyVenus on a more personal level. Guests wandered through, touching fabrics, pausing in front of the mirror, or writing quietly during the opening night’s poetry session. The experience showed how storytelling and atmosphere could deepen the emotional impact of a collection. From long-time followers sharing how they’d held onto pieces from her earliest releases to quiet reflections exchanged in a room styled like a memory, the evening became a testament to the kind of connection LovebyVenus is capable of fostering, one that extends far beyond the garments themselves.

As a young Asian-Australian, Jingyi sees her work as part of a broader shift towards visibility and representation in fashion. She admires figures like Gladys Lai and Maggie Zhou for their thoughtful presence in the scene. She says, “If my work can contribute even a little to this shift, then I feel proud to be part of it.” While the foundational support is strong in Melbourne, she hopes for more institutional support to spotlight emerging designers.

Even before launching the brand, Jingyi knew she wanted to pursue something on a larger scale, feeling drawn to NYC where art is embedded into the everyday. Her travels to London, Paris, and Florence revealed the immersive possibilities of art and fashion. Her desire for exposure to new perspectives and ways of thinking are what continue to drive her. Studying in New York felt like a natural next step in growing her creative practice with a more interdisciplinary approach.

As someone who’s already built a brand by the age of eighteen, Jingyi is approaching the role of student with an open mind,

“I'm excited to explore other mediums beyond fashion, hoping to delve deeper into my ﬁne arts background and learn about photography and ﬁlm-making…knowing there’s still so much for me to learn and absorb, New York feels bold, fast, and endlessly layered, which I think will challenge me to grow in unexpected ways.”

Though visa restrictions mean she won’t be actively working on the brand while studying, she sees it as an opportunity.

‘Growth isn’t always linear, pressing pause will allow me to return to LovebyVenus with fresh perspectives, new skills, and a more reﬁned understanding of my practice’.

When asked how she wants people to feel when they see her work, she says:

‘I hope it brings them a sense of nostalgia and an appreciation for the past. People often tell me that my silhouettes remind them of clothes their mothers used to dress them in, or fabrics that they would ﬁnd in their grandmother’s closet, and as a sentimental girl, I ﬁnd that so inspirational. That shared memory feels like a point of connection between me and the people who wear the brand’.

What’s next for LovebyVenus?...

Jingyi plans to continue expanding LovebyVenus as a creative community. Meeting the girls at her pop-up made her realise just how naturally sensitive and open people are to art, poetry, and storytelling. She hopes to expand the brand to include more of her own artwork and eventually invite other artists, poets, painters, and musicians to share their vision through her platform.

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