“What can or cannot be done has changed. Designers know that we no longer have to stay in one box,” Wu once said.
The Jason Wu brand has always been synonymous with femininity, luxury, and refinement. Think sophisticated gowns, flowy or ruffled dresses, floral-printed tops, or basically anything that Wu and the women of today would consider timeless.
The Taiwanese Canadian fashion designer has been vocal about his love for “pretty things.” It’s something that he confessed in an interview with Asia Society way back 2013. “My style is polished, immaculate, sophisticated. I’ve always been interested in the idea of sophisticated power woman, and I think in so many ways, my reflections collect that,” the then 31-year-old Wu said.
A decade later, the renowned designer began doing the unlikely: creating garments that many would deem strange. It was at the New York Fashion Week 2023 when Wu showcased his unconventional masterpieces on the runway, which included ensembles that looked as if they were left in the closet to be eaten by moths.
Clearly, for Wu, the transition was inevitable. “What can or cannot be done has changed,” the designer said in a 2019 interview with THINKR. “Designers know that we no longer have to stay in one box.”
That is why for his spring-summer 2025 collection that was launched at the New York Fashion Week yesterday, Sept. 9, Wu opted to continue doing what is out of the ordinary. For starters, he collaborated with Chinese artist Tong Yang-tze.
One of Taiwan’s foremost calligraphers, Tong will be the first Asian artist to create works for The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York this November. Most recently, some of the 82-year-old’s work was adapted as prints on Wu’s spring-summer 2025 collection.
Her work is also the inspiration behind the art installation at Wu’s show last Monday. Dubbed the INK 01 / 6A 6B 6C, the sculpture was a collaboration among Wu, designer and technologist Elise Co, and artist Ben Borden. It doubled as a flat arch that models walked through during the show. It is made out of steel and painted black to create a perfect contrast with the elements of Wu’s clothes.
Wu’s spring-summer 2025 collection is an ingenious fusion of grit and glamour. Aptly called “INK — the quality of lasting and remaining unchanged,” the garments likewise draw inspiration from Tong’s works and embody the idea of perfect imperfection.
The show opened with a look comprising a head-to-toe overcoat reminiscent of an artist’s canvas. Wu’s atypical take on the timeless piece features strokes of off-white paint screen printed on its black fabric. Some of the under-fabrics are exposed, with the entire piece fraying at the edges.
Setting the tone further are other ensembles having a similar fabulously distressed look — an ink-stained dress shirt paired with suit pants; a cropped jacket; a chiffon maxi skirt printed with wide brush strokes; a silk sleeveless top with a frayed neckline; and an ink-stained chiffon skirt.
Ink, with all its thickness and roughness, was the center of Wu’s spring-summer 2025 collection. Apart from dark, ragged garments, Wu artfully incorporated dramatic strokes of black ink into fluid pieces made out of silk, chiffon, muslin, and pleated fabric.
As for the cuts, Wu used a combination of different geometric shapes, with vents forming out of uncut fabric or those that were simply folded over.
The final pieces turned out to be more fluid and feminine. In true Jason Wu fashion, the final set comprised long dresses, coordinates, and gowns that showcased Wu’s artistic play on soft fabrics. The collection’s theme is still incorporated into the design through the clothing’s asymmetrical cut.
The addition of pastel colors to his predominantly neutral-toned palette further created a balanced fusion of grit and grace in the entire collection.
New York Fashion Week 2024 is set to run until Sept. 12 at 8:30 a.m. (Philippine time). View the show schedule and learn more about the event here.
