Chet Lo and Tinder Remind Us Dating Can Be Fun

How did this collaboration come about?

Last season, we did a whole collection about fetishization and Asian representation in pornography. Delving into those topics was really important for me. From that, it kind of became a beautiful, natural progression. We got to talking with Tinder and I just was like, I think this is a really great moment for this collaboration. So it snowballed from there, essentially, but it's been a crazy fast ride because collaborations really take more time. This was quite fast, but I'm super proud of the team and everything that we've made.

How does this build off the inspiration from your spring 2024 collection?

I've been more exploring the romantic side of myself and the physicality of dating. As an Asian man, it's very easy to be fetishized. Dating out there is a wild, wild world. It felt like a better way of being able to also spread the message and create work that was based off of the same inspiration.

What has your experience dating been like?

Interesting! I mean, I’m still single so super well! No, it's been fun. But that's the whole point of the collection as well. It's not like you're supposed to just hold out for the one true love like, oh my god, I need to find my husband right now. It's more about the fun mishaps along the way, meeting new people, getting more comfortable in your own skin and just accepting that you will eventually meet the right person. You might as well have fun along the way, right?

Was that the thought process behind the slogans on the clothes? I love the shirt that says “NO ONE’S TYPE” on the front with the little devil and “COULD BE URS THO” on the back.

As I've been dating, I think I’m definitely a very particular cup of tea, and I resonated a lot with that kind of idea that when you're dating so often, a lot of times you're going to meet a lot of people that are really different from you. It's really difficult, but at the same time, you will meet people along the way that actually do resonate with you. You’ll find your community that way too, so that's where that came from. But also, a very cute, angry little devil is how I feel internally.

It can be easy to get jaded about dating!

For sure, and that definitely was my case. It takes a lot of self-ruminating and self-discovery to be able to actually put yourself out there without any expectations.

What has your Tinder experience been like?

It's actually really, really nice. I've been using it ever since I moved to London because I was no longer in my bubble of New York, and I didn’t really know anybody. At first when you move to a new city, you're checking out the fresh trade, but it's really nice to be able to actually meet a lot of different people. For instance, when I first moved to Paris for a couple of months when I was interning, I met a whole group of friends that way. Maybe the guy and I didn't really get along that well, but his friends and I did. I was able to actually fall into a bigger group that way, which was more important than finding my one true love or my Parisian lover, you know?

I always love hearing from people who meet friends on dating apps.

There's an idea that if it doesn't work out with somebody, you just ghost them. Also, sometimes you're so compatible with someone, but there's just something that's not clicking. That doesn't mean you have to say goodbye forever. It can be like, let's just have drinks and meet each other's friends and grow a friend circle. You get to meet a lot of different people from different worlds. There's a lot more interesting adventures to be had.

What was it like to be approached by Tinder?

I have to say I did scream and jump a little bit. It was super nice to be recognized by an amazing company. And it's nice to know that it wasn't my struggles or a specific Asian queer struggle that resonated with people. It was actually relatable on a bigger scale. That was really exciting. I’m super proud of everything.

Photos courtesy of Tinder