Jade Lo’s Big Little World

Written by Dana Albala

Get to know the 23-year-old mastermind behind Sandy Liang's miniature runaway pieces, her story, and the inspiration behind her multi-media work as a young, up-and-coming artist. 

Nostalgia and reminiscence manifest differently for each of us. Trinkets and framed photos grace our parents’ homes, often transporting us back to the carefree days of our childhood upon visits. A familiar song can instantly remind us of a road trip where we belted out lyrics at the top of our lungs alongside a friend. Certain scents can evoke vivid memories of a past partner, some of which we would rather forget but find difficult to do so. For some, these are distant memories we let go of years back, for others,  it is the driving force and inspiration behind our life projects. For Jade, it is the match that lights her artistry. 

Jade Lo’s childhood was reigned by dolls. The plastic and vinyl figures, adorned with colorful fabrics, were stars in her early life.“ I’ve always loved miniatures and dollhouses,” she says.“ When I was little, I collected miniatures, and I still do. They hold a lot of meaning for me, and I associate them with my childhood.” Her love for dolls wasn't just about play; it was kindled by a need to put her creativity into this miniature world.“ As a child, I was always making doll clothes and decorating my dollhouse, building a world around the dolls with miniature objects,” Lo explains. This activity, which started as a childhood hobby, eventually transformed into a professional artistic passion. 

Lo’s homage to her childhood materialized when she showcased her miniature designs for Sandy Liang’s Fall/Winter 2025 collection, presented at New York Fashion Week in February 2025. The luxury brand’s garments pay homage to femininity found within nostalgia, featuring pastel-colored fabrics, pearls, award ribbons, photo-printed skirts, and brand flips, including the Polly Pocket and Toys“ R” Us logos. Interestingly, if you look closer, you'll notice that some pieces feature a small garment replicating the design of the larger garment sewn onto it. These recreations – which Lo named“ Minis” – are traced, cut, ironed, and sewn by hand by Lo herself. 

Lo’s fascination with miniatures began in her childhood and continues to influence her artistic vision.“ It’s interesting to see how my early interests persist and shape my adult work,” she says.

As a shy kid, the visual arts were a crucial outlet for her creative expression; her dream was to be a painter, an illustrator, or, as she describes it, a“ capital-A Artist.” But attending Stuyvesant High School, which focuses on mathematics and sciences, dimmed the artistic world she had built.“ My school didn't have a very robust arts program, and the people around me weren’t really interested in the arts,” she laments,“ In my time there, I feel like I didn't really get to nurture my artistic inclinations as a student.” 

Different kinds of pressure led Lo to decide to enroll at Stuyvesant.“ I was quite young at the time I had to make the decision, and in hindsight, it was a big decision for a thirteen-year-old to make,” she says. “I would say that there was both cultural and external pressure from my family, as well as self-imposed pressure.” 

To amend her situation, Lo seized the opportunities that came with living in New York City. Growing up between the Lower East Side and Chinatown, Lo, who lived with her parents and older brother, had access to many different forms of art and design. This allowed her creativity to flourish.“ I feel very lucky; there are so many museums and cultural institutions in New York.”

Lo’s ardor for artistic pursuits grew over the years. Conflicted between her studies and the artistic realm surrounding her life outside of school, everything became much clearer when Sandy Liang, a Stuyvesant alumna, designer, and founder of her eponymous brand, revisited her school to hold a fashion show for students and faculty in early 2020. 

Lo’s and Liang’s first encounter was meaningful; seeing someone from her high school succeed in an artistic field served as a push to pursue art professionally. As a high school senior, attending Liang’s fashion show was formative for Lo. Being introduced to a successful Stuyvesant alumna working in a creative field inspired her as a young girl drawn to that vocation. 

Initially an undecided major at New York University, Lo had a hard time admitting to herself that the arts were her calling.“ While I was in the thick of the college application process, I had this feeling deep down that I wanted to do something creative and something in the arts, but I just didn't really have the guts to admit it to myself then,” she says.“ I'm glad that I eventually came to that realization. I guess it’s better late than never.” Eventually, Lo transferred to NYU Tisch School of the Arts to pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in scenic and costume design, along with a minor in art history. 

Her work in scenic and costume design equipped her with skills she later applied with Sandy Liang, particularly through miniature model making and mock-ups. She explains,“ Model making in set design is a really common practice, and set designers will often make, usually, half-inch scale models of their set designs to help visualize the set that you're designing in a three-dimensional way.” This technique, she notes, also finds its place in costume design, where“ that same practice is sometimes applied to costume design through miniature scale mock-ups.” 

When it comes to favorites, Lo feels a deep loyalty to both design fields she studied in college, appreciating how each allows her to weave narratives.“ I just love it all for different reasons, because in the end, that same aspect of storytelling is still there, which is why I love what I do,” she shares “ Whether it’s an entire theatrical production or a dollhouse, or if you’re looking at the entire runway show at large, I think there's still a commitment to tell a story through visuals that really motivates the work that I do.” 

While in college, Lo was hired as a sales associate at the store located on Orchard Street in Soho, Manhattan, which opened in 2020.“ About a year after that, I moved to a back-of-house role as the business grew. Now, I am a Retail & E-Commerce Operations Associate, and I currently assist with the operations of both the physical storefront and online shop,” she says. 

Her first experience designing miniatures for Sandy Liang was in October 2024 for the Sandy Liang x Moncchichi collaboration. Throughout, Lo collaborated with her costume design mentor, a professor experienced in miniature costume design, to seek guidance on the project, blending her academic and professional worlds. She recalls,“ I learned about pattern making on a miniature scale while making this project. I made patterns based on the Monchhichi dolls’ size, and that was where the miniatures were born.” 

This collaboration featured a special edition of the Japanese monkey doll, dressed in miniature-scale garments inspired by Sandy Liang, and made of fabrics from life-size clothing items sold in the store. Lo was in charge of designing the window display.“ It took me about a week to complete these select pieces, and it was about five items in total produced for the display,” she recalls. After the Monchhichi collaboration, Liang recognized Lo’s niche in miniature costume-making, and from then on, she had Lo create miniatures for her runway collections. 

Lo’s favorite project so far is her most recent runway dress, made from 160 mini dresses inspired by Sandy Liang designs.“ It was such a labor of love, but it was really fun. I spent all of August making these little, teeny dresses,” she reminisces. “And overall, it was just very inspiring for me to get to play a part in bringing her vision of girlhood and nostalgia to life in a way that connects with my childhood and upbringing.” 

Ever since Lo has left a mark on the brand’s aesthetic through the invention of the Minis, Sandy Liang has made her mark on Lo in turn.“ Since I began working there, I've had valuable, first-hand exposure to what it’s like to run a design-based business,” she says.“ This has helped me understand what it takes to balance my artistic aspirations with the more logistical and practical side of being a working creative.” 

However, Lo’s connection with Liang was not only based on shared fashion interests, but also on personal connection – one that was impossible to overlook.“ [Liang’s] journey especially resonates with me, given our similar cultural backgrounds growing up Asian American in New York and wanting to pursue the arts from a young age,” she says.“ Sandy also grew up in Chinatown and went to a lot of the same restaurants and stores as I did. Her dad owns Congee Village, which is a restaurant that I used to go to growing up.” 

Since the brand’s launch in 2014, Sandy Liang’s garments have been inspired by feelings of nostalgia. As a luxurious womenswear brand, its collections showcase upscale fabrics and sophisticated cuts, evoking a sense of maturity. However, the pieces also retain the brand's essence by incorporating playful, childlike elements. 

Lo’s work within Sandy Liang emphasizes feelings of nostalgia that accompany us into adulthood. The brown satin shift dress from Sandy Liang’s Fall-Winter 2025 collection is embellished with 3D appliqué miniatures of itself. The miniatures allude to a doll’s clothes, adorning an otherwise elegant and mature piece. This juxtaposition blends innocent childhood memories with adult refinement, reflecting Liang’s ongoing mission to preserve the charm of childhood. Ultimately, this is what drives Lo as a young designer: a lifelong love of miniatures rooted early in life, which continues to pulse through her work into adulthood.

Having graduated from college this past May, Lo is exploring her future options, keeping in mind her desire to do as many different things as possible.“ I still love theater and set design, so I'd love to keep working on smaller projects with friends, and then I’d also love to assist more established designers, both in set and costumes, to learn about their processes,” she says. 

In addition to honing her skills through past experiences, she expresses a desire to explore new opportunities.“ I’d love to keep doing miniatures for whoever wants them, and exhibition work as well,” she says.“ I’d love to branch into concert stage design. I guess I’m still trying to get a taste of everything and learn about what kinds of projects are most fulfilling to me.”