An Asian youth sub-culture clash, a spectrum of StreetFighter neon brights and some Chinese rap music; what else could possibly make for the perfect wake up call? Opening the last day of LC:M, the brand pushed their born-and-bred on the backstreets of Hong Kong aesthetic with gusto, slathering light 1990s sportswear in a mess of prints. Don’t let that fool you though, each garment was superbly produced, with Shangguan Zhe’s handling of neoprene, plastics and shiny lame, next to none.
A grounding in traditional menswear craftwork honed highlights that included some double-breasted, well-lapelled military marvels for the warriors of the trend-spot wasteland. London, now a global trend-spot, is fast becoming the place to be for the kind of internationals that want to make menswear mean something and for good reason.
Zhe’s goal to ammunition his designs to break free from the “constraints of mainstream society” was a novel one at that, yet aside from the fact he still has some more maturing to do at LC:M, it’s rather refreshing to see a designer so forthright in his approach.
by Liam Feltham
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