Clara Lu is one of the 18 international delegates joining us in London this week for this year's Design Connections programme. Find out more about her and her thoughts on design in China.

Please tell us about yourself, your work or organization.
As the GM of Upstyle Award International Competition for Fashion, Science and Technology, I’m working to operate the international competition and it aims to provide an avenue for the exchange of innovative ideas and sci-tech knowledge in fashion and lifestyle industry. The competition was officially launched in January 2017 and will be held annually. Participation in the competition is extended to all design professionals all over the world, who, in one way or another, have made a significant impact on people’s lifestyle through their own innovative and creative works that exemplify utilization of science and technology.

What are you working on at the moment?
The Upstyle Award is committed to fostering synergy between fashion and science and technology industries where art and technology yields a concrete, tangible product out of “perceived science” and “technical design” that can remarkably improve the quality of people’s lives. Indeed, fashion should not only be equated to enhancing aesthetics, such as wearing stylish dress, shoes, accessories or using household products, but it should be geared towards a better lifestyle.

What are the hot topics in design in your country at the moment? What are the challenges that design or designers are facing in your country at the moment?
The hot topic in China would be the shifting role of designers in the whole chain of production. Designers are playing much more important role in the chain than ever before. They are not only running their own designer brand, being the supervisor of the practical production and even communicating with the final market. The greatest challenges for Chinese designers today will be managing all the roles in the proper way including making profit for their projects at the same time.

What excites you about UK design? What are you looking forward to seeing at the London Design Festival?
Firstly I had studied in the UK for my postgraduate degree for a year and used to attend design events like London Design Fair. Because of the operation of Upstyle Award Competition, I’ve paid quite a lot attention to global design. Regarding the UK, I admire the serious attitude of UK designers, to think laterally and across disciplines, they excel in producing good ideas and bringing innovation across different sectors.

We are looking forward to finding great designs and projects involving innovation addressing both fashion and scientific or technological issues. It will be our great pleasure to invite designers to participate in our competition and we will do all our best to help them to gain promotion both through communications and project incubation.

Each year during London Design Festival (LDF) we invite key design industry figures from around the world to join us for our Design Connections programme. The delegation will take a unique curated tour of the festival, meeting leading UK designers, curators, design organisations as well as discovering new work and gaining new relationships. Find out more about Design Connections here.