Most 14-year-olds have spent the Covid-19 lockdown learning TikTok dances and playing Among Us. Jingyi Luo, now a 19-year-old student at Parsons School of Design, launched a fashion brand “for fun.” After Luo’s grandmother taught her to sew, the young Australian tried selling her designs and vintage clothes on Depop. At the end of 2021, LovebyVenus was born.
“I always wanted to see what would happen if I tried [starting a brand] myself, but I really didn’t know that would happen,” Luo told Ujo Shop.
Focused on the feminine beauty of love, LovebyVenus pays homage to its name – the Roman goddess of love herself – with sparkling lace dresses and petite doll tops. With an artistic background in painting and drawing, Luo was also inspired by the art world’s centuries-old fascination with the beauty of Venus, from ancient sculptures to Renaissance masterpieces. Basically, LovebyVenus is about “this feminine nature and this celebration of femininity,” Luo said.
The brand is also based on nostalgia, reflecting the growing trend of younger generations remembering the simpler days of their (not-so-distant) youth. Story: The Melbourne brand’s Summer 2026 collection titled “Sugar Lawn” was inspired by the summer Luo spent with his childhood best friend and sister running around the family farm. She is the very epitome of girlhood, featuring a breezy cotton dress, a bright coral pink skirt and a loose, lace-embellished top.
LovebyVenus Summer 2026 Collection
Image: Hosted by LovebyVenus
Luo’s OG Depop account continues with LovebyVenus’ selection of vintage finds that she accumulates during her travels or sources through eBay and Buyee (a Japanese representative website). LovebyVenus’ one-off vintage pieces often coincide aesthetically with the brand’s latest collection, but Luo focuses on elevating the brand’s classic selection to meet consumer demand.
After building his direct-to-consumer business throughout high school, Luo set out to attend university in New York City, and one art-focused college stood out. “It was always my dream to go to Parsons and live in New York,” he said. “That was one of my main motivations to continue to persevere through all the high school stuff while running this production.” With her parents’ support, she hopped on a 22-hour flight to NYC, and this spring, Luo finished her freshman year as a Parsons fashion design student.
Navigating college is already challenging enough, but adding the responsibilities of a business owner on top of that sets the stage for even more headaches. There’s also a practical twist: Luo is currently unable to work in the US, which means he works as much as possible when he’s at home in Melbourne and then hands over business duties to his parents when he returns to NYC. All the details of the design and photography concept are entered before his departure, which taught Luo to prepare six months of business plans for his parents. “As long as I have people who support me and see my vision come true, it will happen in the end,” he said.
Image: Hosted by LovebyVenus
Also, going to Parsons as a brand founder has its advantages: Luo’s classes explored topics like sustainability, manufacturing processes and fashion illustration — all of which could inform Luo’s strategy for LovebyVenus. Parsons’ fashion design curriculum also highlighted various artistic mediums such as photography, painting, drawing and sculpture, giving Luo the opportunity to “grow [her] vision.”
“Before I received formal training in fashion, I relied…on advice I heard from other people or things I read online, so I couldn’t feel completely confident about myself,” Luo said. “But after talking to a lot of professors and people in the industry in New York, I’ve been encouraged to be more confident and have better boundaries for myself.”
Since then, Luo has not bothered to chase the rising income. (LovebyVenus brings in about $75,000 a year, he says.) Instead, it’s always been about building a close-knit community. Since receiving her first sales thanks to her social media presence, LovebyVenus has grown to over 30,000 Instagram followers. Some traction (and viral products) has come from influencer gifting, which Luo admits won’t work at first.
However, LovebyVenus’ reach extends beyond online interactions: The label hosted a three-day rave in Melbourne last year to engage with its community in person and get real-time feedback on its designs. Looking ahead, Luo has big goals for the brand, including growing that community; He wants to handle more gangsters and increase his collection. She also likes to collaborate with other artists, be it female poets, visual artists or photographers.
“I’ve always thought that a brand is a community rather than just me supporting it,” he adds. His big-picture goal? Opening a brick and mortar store, whether that’s in Melbourne or elsewhere. But at 19 years old, Luo is focused on what’s in front of him: building LovebyVenus (and its community) one step at a time.
“Right now in my life, I don’t care much about the income and sales,” said Luo. “I think that because I’m still young, I want to continue to develop my vision,”
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