This February, Chinese designer Qihang Guo merged with the Global Fashion Collective to bring KEHANG to the NYFW Runway.
Chinese-born designer Qihang Guo turned heads with his conceptual new label, KEHANG, at the Global Fashion Collective Showcase this NYFW. The New York-based designer pulled from human emotion and experience to craft a visually and conceptually impressive collection.
The Parsons School of Design graduate takes inspiration from the impact of urban living on the sensitive human psyche.
Guo’s first collection, presented this February at NYFW, explores the push and pull of city-life. Diverse textures, sheer fabrics, and face coverings reveal the proximity between intimate personal spaces and the rush of city-life outside. Chainmail face-coverings suggest a semi-voyeuristic, self-protective inclination. In contrast, sheer silicone minidresses hint at a penchant for raw self-expression and vulnerability.
Silicone garments were made to look organic, with natural ripples, folds, and blemishes. What looked to be burns or naturally formed holes marked the synthetic material. This natural, almost skin-like rendering of a synthetic fiber simultaneously alluded to the authentic and artificial pulls of urban life.
The mix of materials like linen, cotton, organza, leather, and silicone allowed KEHANG to present a structurally striking and narrative-driven collection.
The collection revolved around a neutral color story, with stripes, feathers, and structure shielding the models using subtle camouflage. To survive, one needs protection from the chaos of the city– but that protection also comes from the ability to authentically reveal oneself. Guo’s collection imparts this idea that both self-expression and self-preservation are necessary– two things that can notoriously be achieved through fashion.
This collection was a conceptually strong first chapter for a label that prioritizes storytelling. With striking pieces that were dynamic and intentional, KEHANG is certainly a name to keep up with.
Follow designer Qihang Guo here.
Follow KEHANG here.
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