Robert Wun’s Fall/Winter Haute Couture FW25 Collection, titled “Becoming”, delves into the ritual of dressing up, centred upon the profound role played by fashion in the exploration of identity experienced by all. The designer translates this ritual prevalent in everyone’s life into a haunting story through his surreal and theatrical silhouettes, a well-thought-out lineup, played out on a cinematically curated stage.
The seed of this idea budded amidst the frenzy and confusion experienced by Wun behind the scenes, encapsulating the preparation for last year’s Met Gala. The collection highlights the narrative of waking up on the big day to the blurred memories of the night before. Wun explained how he wanted to put together a movie emphasising the meaning behind becoming someone we desire to become.
Adding to the theatrical vision of the collection was the stage of the Theatre Du Chatelet, which served as the runway. The show opened with the first model dressed in a thick white satin quilt, wrapped around her like a structured duvet. The look was elevated with the addition of an embroidery of red sequins in the form of bloodied handprints and a mesh veil with a similar embroidery to depict a bloodied mouth, signifying perhaps a troubled night.
The looks that followed continued the story, touching upon the different stages of preparation undertaken for a big day. Wun’s daunting yet intriguing use of Trompe-l’oeil makes its way into this collection as well; in tailored shapes, exaggerated collars, ties and jackets, creating obscure proportions with their application sometimes on the front and other times on the back of the corseted bodices. With this subversion of their primary use, at times it became difficult to tell the models’ real limbs from the prosthetics.
Some were even morphed into functional items, such as jacket-shaped bags bearing a resemblance to hangers. This perplexing trend was further accentuated by the incorporation of elbow-length gloves with false nails.
Some other notable looks included: a flowing violet dress with prosthetic arms situated on the shoulders to up the veil. Looks inspired by the complexity of haircuts with emphasis on the profile in reference to the term Profile. There was even a look inspired by the popular manga Nana by Ai Yazawa. The manga is often praised for its fashion sensibility. The movie adaptation directly impacted Wun’s personal transformation as a teenager.
The concluding look was the bride in a beige gown, her skirt in layers of blush tulle, with a moulded sculpture of the bustier, indented with imprints of defensive hands on the hips. The standout feature of the look was a miniature mannequin laid atop her head with the purpose of supporting her veil.
Such an insightful article! Had me hooked from the very first line till the end!