Uma Wang referenced an earthy, natural world in her “A Gaze Into Wilderness” collection for spring, contrasting seemingly rough-hewn elements with structural silhouettes playing on proportions. “I want the visitor to feel the smell of the wet soil and the excitement of a growing plant,” the designer said by email.
Tribal elements — nodding to a balance between human populations and nature — came by way of painting motifs, raffia adornments and robe-like shapes.
Less ornate than recent outings, her pared back color palette highlighted her playful takes on tailoring. Jackets and structured, padded bolero-like pieces had wide, dropped shoulders, and were styled with items like a one-piece resembling a pair of belted masculine pants and double-buttoned wrap skirts that sat above the bust, usurping habitual proportions. Fabrics included unusual jacquard renderings and ancestral weaving techniques that added texture, contrasting with natural fabrics like silk cotton and linen and translucid layers, and accentuating her plays on form.
Wang had been intending to present the collection on the Paris runway for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, but said she was prevented from doing so by technical issues. “It is a pity because we made this collection for the runway,” she wrote.