There was much for the eyes to feast on during the multi-designer Vfiles runway show, but one designer’s collection stood out for its beauty, strength, and poignancy. Feng Chen Wang beautifully re-interpreted her father’s cancer treatment using clothing as her medium, and in doing so, provided what might be the most accurate representation of the future ever seen on the runway.
Wang showed voluminous, multi-zippered nylon pants in black and white, which reminded me of the hakama worn by ancient Japanese samurai and current Japanese construction workers; yet predictive of a future where all clothing must be multi-functional. It seemed that multiple of these pants could zip together to form a tent or other protective barrier. At the very least they would be a hit at Burning Man.
On the chest she strapped IV tubes feeding a colored saline solution (fake blood) into a parade of letters and symbols that spelled out “love & life”. It was an artful way to expose and reimagine apparatus normally hidden behind hospital walls.
Within a single look Wang seamlessly blended multiple themes: utility, transparency, sickness, being a warrior, wearable technology, and hope. You hear about people “fighting” or “battling” an illness; she presented the perfect future portrait of that person: open about their health struggles, prepared for battle, and looking damn fine to boot.
Photos via vogue.com
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