Biochemistry and fashion make for an unlikely mix, but that’s where Alyssa Lau’s mtier with fashion began. It was in the summer during her undergraduate studies that Lau’s fashion blog, Ordinary People, materialized as a divertissement from studying. Soon, Ordinary People enthralled a worldwide audience – to date, Lau has accumulated 60,300 followers on her Instagram account, @Imalyssalau – and spurred some collaborative work with big-name fashion and beauty brands such as Coach, Shelley’s London and DKNY.
“It wasn’t something I thought would get a lot of attention, by any means, but it was a good creative outlet,” reflects the 25-year-old Edmontonian.
As her fashion career was budding, Lau was slated to go to grad school for biochemistry; however, Lau wasn’t ready to quit fashion quite yet. She postponed school and instead pursued fashion full-time by launching her own e-commerce store offering sustainable fashion, New Classics. The store has been in operation since October 2014.
That departure from graduate studies meant that Lau could pursue fashion full-time. New Classics Studio takes up her days and nights, where she can be found spending hours inside her Garneau studio working on photography and styling for the online store.
How would you describe your personal style?
This is always a really hard one to answer… I think it’s always hard for me to explain because I feel like I always experiment. I think the one word to describe it is eclectic. I love being a tomboy, but I do love wearing dresses – it’s always been a mixture of things that I’m inspired by.
What currently inspires you?
Maybe it’s because I’m back from Hawaii, but I love bow ties in the hair, floral sundresses, basket bags, that kind of summery chic. But, at the core, I’ll still have a bit of tomboy mixed in.
What does a typical outfit look like for you?
Converse – I always bring them to travel in – high-waisted denim mom jeans, a white t-shirt and now this Acne leather jacket, which I finally invested in.
What did Ordinary People teach you about yourself?