After showcases split between London and Shanghai and their Milan debut earlier this year, Yushan Li and Jun Zhou stayed in the Italian city to stage an intimate presentation of their brand’s new collection.
The collection was inspired by the charisma of Hong Kong actress and singer Grace Chang, star of the 1960 movie “The Wild, Wild Rose,” the plot of which is a loose retelling of the “Carmen” opera.
The hurdles of love and the destructiveness that comes with some relationships, including the one portrayed in the film, were turned into the ropes, twists, patchworks and distressed effects that ran throughout the lineup.
In the first part of the range, these elements were integrated into approachable pieces via prints of ropes splashed on oversized shirts and baggy pants or popping on jacquard knits, as well as loopy embellishments layered on cotton tank tops and denim jackets. As the lineup progressed, the designers went full crafty mode, translating these themes into bold 3D effects and handmade appliqués richly decorating tailored and knitted looks.
The move was intended as a nod to China’s straw weaving tradition of the ‘80s and ‘90s, said Zhou, when resources such as cattail grass, corn husks, wheat straw and tree sticks were deployed into the crafty exercise. Similarly, the duo put to good use deadstock fabrics from their former collections as well as recycled plastic to shape butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers and even crabs which covered short dresses, utility jackets and chunky cardigans in vivid colors.
