Each of Johan Ku’s collections has been inspired by a movie, but this season was the first time it was a science-fiction flick and not an arthouse film. The designer said that, after seeing both the 1982 and 2011 versions of “The Thing,” he was driven to re-create their most striking visuals: the Antarctic snow and ice, an alien breaking out of a human body, the glowing light depicted on the original movie poster.
To invoke the glacial, Ku employed some of his signature techniques. He created a series of hand-embroidered textiles that consisted of layering different fabrics together into a kind of three-dimensional patchwork. They appeared on everything from zippered skirts and dresses to jackets and pants, which took on a futuristic look in black and silver; the all-white versions were as light and fluffy has freshly fallen snow. One blazer used a combination of two different textiles: half-white, half-gray. In addition, photos of these fabrics were printed on jersey and knit jacquards.
You May Also Like
Exposed silver zippers decorated sleeves on an oversize coatdress (making them detachable), and created adjustable slits on a miniskirt and a calf-length pencil skirt — classic sexy silhouettes, but the gorgeous textures elevated them to something new.
Another characteristic Ku technique revived for this season was glow-in-the-dark. Many of the white pieces, as well as a mint green ribbed knit men’s sweater, turned luminous when the lights went out.
Overall, it was a strong showing that not only had a clear theme, but also demonstrated superior craftsmanship.