Splitting showcases between London and Shanghai, after their Milan debut earlier this year, Yushan Li and Jun Zhu stayed in the Italian city to stage an intimate presentation of their brand’s new collection.
The set was inspired by the glamor of Hong Kong actress and singer Grace Chang, star of the 1960 film „The Wild, Wild Rose,” the plot of which was a loose retelling of the opera „Carmen.”
Romantic obstacles and the dooms that come with certain relationships, including the one depicted in the film, were transformed into twists, turns, patchwork and tragic consequences that ran throughout the series.
In the first part of the range, these elements were integrated into oversized shirts and baggy pants with prints of splashed ropes or popping in jacquard knits into accessible pieces. As the line progressed, the designers translated these themes into bold 3D effects, with handmade appliqués embellishing the patterned and woven look.
Zhou said the move was a nod to China’s straw weaving tradition of the 80s and 90s. Similarly, the duo made good use of deadstock fabrics from their previous collections, as well as recycled plastic to design butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers and crabs.