Rui RTW Spring 2023

Tianwei Zhang
·1 min read

How do you fix a broken glass? Truth is, you can’t.

In Chinese fashion designer Rui Zhou’s case, she was met with a two-month lockdown after she returned to China from Paris in late March. That experience — isolated, helpless and angry — translated into ripped denim, sultry bodycon knits fading from black to red, as if one had harmed themselves, as well as spiral trousers, which represented her spiraling emotions during that period. These pieces were knitted vertically and seamlessly.

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The defiant Zhou also made a statement with regard to China’s online censorship of her ultra-sexy garments. A picture of an influencer wearing her top became trending news on Weibo a while ago because it was considered too revealing. In a tongue-in-cheek response, this season she developed a giant red nipple cover and made it an integral part of the look, which was highlighted with a Kinbaku, meaning Japanese bondage, performance during the presentation on Saturday.

There were a few beautiful labor-intensive knitted dresses as well. According to Zhou, it took a machine more than 20 hours to knit the whole piece. She then attached the pieces together by hand and put her signature beading at the connecting points.

Another sign of her mixed emotions: the pointy silver accessories in the collection were not purely decorative, Zhou revealed. “They can be used to fight back, or hurt yourself during desperate times.”

Launch Gallery: Rui RTW Spring 2023

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