Adrian Wu, backstage with his models. Photo by Christian Allaire.
Adrian Wu shows are, if anything, never boring. His collections get a rise out of you, whether it be good or bad or confusing, and he never wants to or does apologize for it. Nor should he — he’s a designer, that’s what they do.
No stranger to controversy, the 21-year-old designer showed to mixed reviews last season, where the National Post‘s Nathalie Atkinson said, “I honestly cannot tell you what Wu is saying. I’m uncertain whether the designer is working out an teen angst-ridden scientific equation in his head (and with his sewing machine), making the fashion industry the butt of a joke, or it’s us he’s laughing at.”
This season, the designer’s hyper-contextualized collection seemed to once again leave editors confused. Wu says that his fall collection was much inspired by the south of France, as well as Parisian and American politics and the effects they have on human rights activists. “Fashion, as McQueen has said, is just clothes. The art of it is what’s fascinating. It’s the context of the work — good art is good context,” said Wu. “I like to think that my work has decent context.”
Robin Kay doesn’t know if she likes Adrian Wu or not. Photo by Christian Allaire
It’s no doubt that Wu has some serious talent for design: the young designer sent voluminous gowns down the runway, made entirely out of flannelette material (rather, pajama material) which was tucked and pinned to form interesting, un-pajama-like silhouettes. His craftsmanship is pretty inventive – the dresses even seemed to have a life of their own as they floated down the runway.
But his superb talents were, once again, overshadowed by a perplexing symbolism. All of his couture-like creations, which were accompanied by masks from noted film V for Vendetta, surely alluded to a spirit of anarchy and activism; but it was unclear as to what or whom he was protesting. As Atkinson pointed to last season, I don’t know if Wu was making a statement about himself, the French, or us. Was he advocating for a revolution, or for an Occupy Fashion Week (which wouldn’t be that bad an idea)?
The back of a Wu creation, made out of flanelette. Photo by Christian Allaire.
If Wu crafts his creative inspirations into a more coherent message, his potential for greatness will only grow. He has the bare essentials: I had nothing but respect for him when he told me he never draws out any designs — that he designs as he goes. “I never draw it out. Maybe that’s the artist in me, I have to do it that way,” said Wu. “I pin as I go. You never know what’s going to happen.”
So what’s left is to focus more on the vision, and less on the implication. If the Europeans inspire you, Wu, maybe throw a Parisian rug on the runway or hang a London flag from the ceiling. Then we can look beyond the what? and begin appreciating your amazing work.
A Wu creation takes on a life of its own. Photo by Christian Allaire.________
Christian Allaire writes on style for Toronto Standard. Follow his tweets here: @chrisjallaire.
For more, follow us on Twitter @TorontoStandard and subscribe to our newsletter.
