Fashion, Philosophy, and the Future: Robert Wun’s Fall 2024 Haute Couture Collection
Robert Wun, a London College of Fashion alumn, founded his fashion brand Robert Wun, in 2014. Most recently, he has launched his debut haute couture collection at the renowned Paris Fashion Week. Wun’s Fall/Winter 24 collection, entitled Time, is a celebration of his ten year anniversary. The collection is focused on the motif of time and its consequences on our ephemeral world. The designs that Wun created are centred around mother nature and the four seasons, as well as human anatomy. Throughout the collection there are themes of decay, impermanence, and the beauty of the imperfect.The designer uses Asian philosophy and customs to bring a unique angle to haute couture. He uses cherry blossoms to display the cyclical nature of seasons and the impermanence of beauty. Butterflies are also used as motifs. An emblem that’s meaning is multifaceted. Different Asian cultures attribute different significance to them. In Japan they represent femininity and womanhood,as well as the imperfection of broken objects through the ‘Kintsugi’ philosophy. Whereas in China they represent love, freedom, romance and beauty.
The first look is a reference to winter and to the first snowfall. The outfit was constructed of a black gown as a base with specks of white to mimic snow, over the top was a piece of cloth draped over the model’s face and bodice to draw the audience’s eye to the white specs. The stark contrast between the opaque black of the clothing and the white to illustrate the snowfall. An opening to the collection that outlines the dramatics of the somber and dull season and highlights the beauty in winter. The idea of the snow being scattered haphazardly reinforces themes of beauty in the imperfect and how natural things, while flawed, are still beautiful. The collection progresses with the introduction of Spring. The colours become brighter conveying the way that flowers bloom and how fruitful life emerges. Wun, who grew up in Hong Kong, uses cherry blossoms to pay homage to his Asian culture. In Chinese philosophy flowers are celebrated and it expresses the beauty of a fleeting moment and impermanence. Moreover, the sakura meaning of cherry blossoms symbolises life and death, thus alluding to the motif of time.
The use of a dark silhouette expertly highlights the beauty of cherry blossoms. Bright, fiery colours transform the looks from spring into summer,radiating the warm rays of the sun. The prominent colours within this section are red, yellows and oranges. One gown in particular is this fiery red dress, embellished with a stunning flower on the left shoulder and a red base fascinator which obscures the right side of the model’s face. The drapes on the dress create elegant movement, adding volume and fullness. Again, the butterfly motif appears, alluding to the idea of transformation and new beginnings.
The season of autumn is shown via the change of colours and how they fade and how things begin to decay. Wun celebrates the notion of decay as he believes in the idea of the beauty in transience. Wun illustrates the idea of decay by using fire to burn aspects of this design. The butterfly motif still prevails within this section despite the designs becoming moodier, perhaps an attempt to represent the duality and cyclical nature of life. An example of this is a beautiful black gown that is adorned with vibrant red and orange butterflies on the train. Paires with a coat that has been intentionally, and artfully, destroyed conveys this idea of decay as well as the notion of renewal. During this section, the technique of kintsugi is introduced in a more abstract and elevated manner. The broken object is illustrated by the shredded black bodice which has been ‘mended’ by a beautiful white tulle to highlight the beauty in a seemingly broken object. The headpiece also conveys this idea and shows how while the dress may be ‘shredded’ and therefore broken, the beauty in the imperfect is the underlying notion.
Wun then transforms his focus towards ‘inner’ anatomical design elements.This collection strips away the physical layers of the human body to reveal the “core spiritual being”. The section includes designs mimicking the skin, flesh, bones, and the soul. Skin is illustrated by pleated flesh-toned fabric made from chiffon, silk, and organza that has been draped vertically to convey the movement of skin. The layering of the pleats demonstrates the ebbs and flows of a body in motion.
A look that was closely followed by a deep red, head-to-toe look that drew on the muscular structure of the human body for inspiration. The attention to detail, especially around the bust, illustrated the muscles with different shades of crimson red to contour the bodice, the train of the gown was a shimmery material such as intricate embroidery and bugle beads to convey the contours of the muscle and the human form to create movement and depth to the dress. The intricate attention to detail and the sculptural contours shaped by muscle reveal the inspiring essence of haute couture, showcasing the boundless beauty in all things.
A progressive stripping of the tangible that culminated in the final look of the show. An ethereal take on the cosmos. Here, there is the idea of the soul being akin to the stars and galaxies within our universe. Wun highlights once again his underlying motif of beauty in the imperfect, how every star is different but are still intimidatingly beautiful. The gown was adorned with crystal embroidery which illustrated a beautiful galaxy with a mesh of midnight blue, pinks, light blues, purples as well as burgundy and amber to give highlights and shadows. Harkening back to the central theme of philosophical thought within the collection, this garment has elements of Taoism, a Chinese philosophy which highlights the idea that all living things are in harmony with the universe and the soul has its own energy called Ch’i. Ch’i is responsible for guiding everything to be in harmony with the universe. The dress draws a profound parallel between the human soul and the intricate cosmic fabric of the universe, where the stars and nebulae serve as luminous symbols of the essence and depth that define the inner person. The model’s face was obscured by a beautiful translucent sheath adorned with a tapestry of gold crystals, which allows the model to simply be a hanger and let the gown be the star of the show as well as to show the essence of a person as their soul rather than the person themselves.
This collection encapsulated the motif of time through two distinct lenses: nature and anatomy. Drawing from Asian philosophy such as the idea of beauty in impermanence as well as beauty in the imperfect. The collection beautifully reflects the passage of time through its use of colour. Bright, vibrant shades symbolise the energy of spring and summer, while darker, muted tones as well as the idea of decay represents the fading of autumn and the cold stillness of winter, capturing nature's cycles. At the same time, the gradual removal of anatomical layers highlights the detailed beauty of the human body. This process emphasises not just the physical complexity but also the deeper importance of the human soul, which remains constant despite life's changes. The attention to detail that Wun has for each of his pieces underscores his brilliance as a designer and his unique inspirations demonstrates how he understands the notion of haute couture.
Written by Claudia Limaverde Costa
Edited by Daisy Packwood, Fashion Editor
