Lu Kou
Lifestyle guru and interior designer, Louise Kou, known to her friends simply as Lou, opened the lifestyle boutique KOU in June 2005.
Born in Hong Kong, Lou spent her childhood years with her family in exotic Central Africa, where her unique sense of style and artistic creativity was influenced by elements and passion of different exotic cultures.
Back in Hong Kong, Lou worked her way up in corporate fashion world, holding sought-after management positions with some of the top names. Her main roles included Operations Manager at Joyce Boutique, General Manager of SWANK and Managing Director on the board of Escada Asia. In these positions, Kou was responsible for selecting top designers labels around the world, opening shops and developing the business in the Asian region. She also spearheaded the opening of the SWANK’s Inspiration store �the first of its kinds in Hong Kong to mix lifestyle, art and fashion under the roof.
Ready for a change from the fashion world and with a belief that Hong Kong was lacking in lifestyle consultancy, Lou started her own styling, design and purchasing consultancy. Kou Concept in 2005. Through Kou Concept, Lou has gained a reputation for her unique design and style. In addition to many residential interior projects since first launching Kou Concept, Lou was also commissioned for a variety of international interior projects.
She did projects with international hotels such as Ritz Carlton and Shangri-la. Boutique hotels such as “Jai�Philip Stack hotel, St. Regis resident in Bali, Pavilion resort in Phuket, etc. Private homes for prominent business professionals locally and around the globe. Kou was also the sole lifestyle and house ware partner with Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong for two years.
In 2006, she received the “Most Innovative Entrepreneur�award by the Beijing Government a moment she descripts as the highlight of her career so far.
Lou’s philosophy has always been and will continue to be to “believe in what you believe and venture where you want to go�
"Her quest for excellence combined with her eclectic taste and eye for detail help her to apply the illusive goal of "style" to either the most gracious of settings or to the more formal situations that society demands."