Yajun Melody Lin explored the concept of the “strange loop” behind M.C. Escher’s paintings to inform her spring collection, one brimming with conceptual design elements and gender-neutral undertones. A strange loop is a cyclic structure that goes through a hierarchical system with no seeming end or beginning. She translated that into clothing that folds and wraps around the body, allowing it to be worn in multiple ways.
The concept easily lent itself to an underground take on streetwear, with plays on deconstruction, asymmetry and hybrid constructions that made you rethink what constitutes the essentials of a silhouette. Pants cut in a parachute fabric were connected together at the calves, elongated sleeves almost hit the floor, and pants could unzip in the back to partly become a skirt. Oversize utility pockets were at times equipped with bag straps and could be removed to be used at handbags.
Gender restrictions also hardly applied, with an abundance of utilitarian references, hardware accents, mixed media garments and fluid silhouettes that leaned ambiguous. Just like the endless stairs in Escher’s paintings, this collection was filled with fascinating possibilities.