Peter Lai Designs and Asian Village
Peter Lai’s Background, in brief:
1951: Born in Hong Kong
1963: Worked in family businesses in charge of Chinese costumes and hair designs for Chinese Opera, movies and stage theatre performances; and for television from 1963-1974 (RTV; TVB; NTTV)
1970: Opened Cara Mia Boutique in Hong Kong, specializing in imported Italian fashions and textiles
1973: Interior Design Diploma from Hong Kong Studio 105 School
1981: Associate of Applied Science, Otis Art Institute of Parsons School of Design
1990: Opened Peter Lai Designs boutique store in Hollywood
1993: Opened Peter Lai Designs boutique store in San Marino
2011: Began studying Nihon Buyo, Japanese classical dance under Madame Fujima Kansuma. After 20 years’ study, awarded the advanced Natori designation in 2021. Performed at venues including the Hollywood Bowl; Thalian Presidents Club; Descanso Gardens; Asian American Expo; Little Tokyo Nisei Week Parade; Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
2013: Opened the Japanese Cultural Village in the L.A. Arts District
2021: Relocated to Traction Avenue, renamed as Asian Village
Designer, collector, and style icon Peter Lai was born in Hong Kong to a family of television and film costumers. He began working for the family business when he was 12, and at 18 he fell in love with Japanese design and culture. He traveled Asia and Europe, studying beauty of all kinds, until finally landing at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles, where he earned a degree in fashion. In the 1980s and 90s, Lai was a fixture on the Los Angeles fashion and entertainment scene, selling his designs to celebrities, opening a store on Melrose, and wearing his own creations to parties and events up and down the coast. Upon his retirement in 2013, Lai opened his home collection of antiquities, textiles, and garments to the public. Now you’re invited to step into the luxurious, ostentatious, and always beautiful world of Peter Lai.
Photos by Samanta Helou Hernandez
Awards & Shows
California Art Club
Chinese American Museum
Chinatown Art Festival
Chinese Club of San Marino
City of Hope
Golden Needle Award Top Designer
Hong Kong Tourism Board
Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens
International Chinese Fine Arts Council
Japanese Cultural Association
Los Angeles County Art Museum
Los Angeles Music Center
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Made-A-Wish Foundation
Marla Gibbs’ Choice Annual Awards Banquet
Mecene Golden Needle Award
Miss L.A. Chinatown
Nisei Week Fashion Show
Pacific Asia Museum
Pasadena Showcase House of Design
Pasadena Symphony Mardi Gras Gala
Save Venice Ball
Tiffany & Co. Pasadena
Visit the Asian Village
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