AS A Chinese-American teenage boy growing up in the States in the early 2010s, Chet Lo found it particularly difficult to relate to his peers. Surrounded by Western media and its white, heteronormative ideals of beauty, the designer felt somewhat othered and out of place.
At the same time, Lo was led to believe that sexual desires were ‘dirty’, ‘impure’ and ‘taboo’, which resulted in the creative director feeling entirely desexualised. Reclaiming the power lost during his youth, the designer has now unveiled his spring-summer 2024 campaign.
Chet Lo SS24
Launching his SS24 collection online alongside the campaign, Lo utilises ancient Chinese erotic art and Shunga- subjects to tap into Lo’s distant belief in an aforementioned taboo.
In particular, in the Japanese art form of Shunga, sexual pleasure was celebrated and normalised. Many pieces depicted same-sex partners basking in acts of love, which Lo has incorporated into seductive prints throughout the SS24 collection.
Chet Lo SS24
Similarly, the collection also alludes to Shibari – a modern Japanese form of rope bondage. Combining Chinese knots – an omen of good luck – with Shibari, the collection utilises ropes to symbolise a battle between restriction and freedom.
Chet Lo SS24
Bringing the sultry nature of the collection to life, the new campaign shows models sporting Lo’s signature designs – alongside the Charles & Keith x Chet Lo collaboration –  in a series of seductive settings. Encouraging wearers to feel empowered, free and sexy, Lo’s SS24 offering is a tale of confidence, poise and inner strength.
by Sophie Richardson