In Italian, ‘Ricostru’ means ‘reconstruction,’ but designer Rico Manchit Au was constructing an entirely new notion of designer Chinese fashion when she launched her label in 2011.
Namilia NYFW S/S18 Ready-to-Wear
Berlin-based design duo Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl have stuck to their guns and carved out a niche for their relatively young label Namilia. Subversive and unapologetically bold in its approach, female empowerment remains at its core. For Spring 2018, the designers brought out a hyper-sexualized point of view through embroideries and techniques that mimicked female genitalia rendered on Marie Antoinette-type platform shoes, puffy aristocratic sleeves and as lapels making up the entire décolletage. Proportions were exaggerated to emphasize many womanly parts such as the hips and breasts, which were either covered with pearl-tasseled nipple pasties or made even larger through a set of oversized stuffed boobs. Languid silk fabrics and tiers of white tulle clashed quite jarringly with dramatic cutouts and vagina patches. This tension between the regal (ornate brocade and floral embroidery) and the racy (butt-exposed thongs and slashed dresses) seemed to play on both sides of the spectrum of modern day feminism: a sense of empowerment from the prim and poised to the risqué and suggestive. A dark, sinister-like element emerged with what can only be described as some sort of encapsulating tumor-like creature that appeared to try and constrict the fragility and beauty of the female form. This all culminated with a dramatic, wide pannier skirt that evoked the essence of 18th century extravagance. The imposing spectacle with a bejeweled collar and flared sleeve would almost feel out of place were it not paired with a skimpy, hot pink rubber bra, indicating that through the purity of it all, a sliver of perversity is never truly suppressed.
WRITTEN BY MARIO ABAD
EDITED BY HOLLIS DE LANEY
PHOTO CREDIT: NAMILIA
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