As a clothing designer, I'm self-taught, "explains Lu. When Lu graduated from Chinese Culture University, he planned to go abroad to pursue his studies in the arts. But those studies required money, so Lu first tried his hand at making batik shirts, selling them to a just-established clothing company. Much to his surprise, his shirts were well received and sold well, pricking his interest in fashion design.
「我的本行是美術，作服裝是靠自修而來的，」文化大學畢業後，呂芳智原本計劃出國深造藝術，但為了籌措留學費用而嘗試手工蠟染棉衫，拿到當時才創設店面的成衣公司寄賣，卻意外叫好叫座，讓他開始對製作服裝產生興趣。