Fashion career profile
Rui Zhou
Rui Zhou is a Chinese fashion designer and the artistic director of RUIbuilt, a label created in 2019. The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode describes the house’s interest in the space between skin and fabric, body and clothing, and names Zhou as its artistic director. Her design approach treats garments as a second skin and draws on asymmetry, irregularity and imperfection. Zhou earned a BA at Tsinghua University in Beijing and completed the MFA Fashion Design and Society programme at Parsons in 2018. She was selected for the H&M semi-final in 2017, received the CFDA+ Design Graduate recognition in 2018, and won the 2021 Karl Lagerfeld Prize at the LVMH Prize. LVMH records her nationality as Chinese and her main studio as based in Shanghai. This profile links her independent studio and education to the documented awards, while keeping the award record distinct from employment and avoiding unsupported claims about other fashion-house appointments.
- Role
- Founder & Designer, RUI
- Nationality
- Chinese
- Age
- 32
- Verified awards
- 1
- RUIbuilt — Artistic Director2019–End not documented · status not documented
- Current role: Artistic Director, RUIbuiltFHCM identifies Zhou as Artistic Director; the house dates its creation to 2019. · Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode
- Education: BA, Tsinghua University; MFA Fashion Design and Society, Parsons, 2018LVMH Prize profile records both stages of study. · LVMH Prize
- Award: 2021 Karl Lagerfeld Prize, LVMH PrizePrize profile identifies Zhou as the winner. · LVMH Prize
- Recognition: CFDA+ Design Graduate, 2018Listed in the LVMH Prize designer profile. · LVMH Prize
- Recognition: H&M semi-finalist, 2017Listed in the LVMH Prize designer profile. · LVMH Prize
- Design approach: Clothing as a second skin; asymmetry and imperfectionRUIbuilt describes the space between skin, fabric, body and clothing as central to its work. · Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode
- 2017 — Selected for the H&M semi-finalRecorded by the LVMH Prize designer profile.
- 2018 — Completes Parsons MFA and receives CFDA+ recognitionGraduates from the Fashion Design and Society programme and is named CFDA+ Design Graduate.
- 2019 — RUIbuilt is createdFHCM dates the house’s creation to 2019 and names Zhou as Artistic Director.
- 2021 — Wins the Karl Lagerfeld PrizeAwarded at the LVMH Prize.
- 2021 — Rui Zhou — Karl Lagerfeld PrizeVerified fashion award