Yang Li Fall 2013

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Yang Li - Dazed Digital 

 

"I am always interested in taking the iconic out of context," London-based designer (via Australia and China) Yang Li explains. "This season is a bit darker in its colour palette but lighter in the movement and weight of the collection. It’s also a much more feminine silhouette contrasted by cold, sharp tailoring."

"Rough is new" declares Li, in a cocktail of the spontaneous and intelligent. "There are too many 'smooth' things now, which loses the spirit," he continues. "The mix of finished and unfinished, complete and incomplete is important." Shoes, realised with Andrew Bunney, remain classic: derbys or penny loafers.

Li, who showcases his collection to buyers and press in Paris, has once again collaborated on a series of images with photographer Scott Trindle. However this time they've ventured beyond the studio onto the streets, creating a gonzo documentary folio complete with its own hashtag. Dazed Digital caught up with the designer to learn more.

Dazed Digital: What are the key pieces this season?
Yang Li: The psychology and action of slashing or leaving unfinished parts of a beautifully made garment such as a tailored jacket or hand finished dress is very beautiful for me. There is something understated, punk about cutting open a well made piece of clothing and using raw edges to subvert meticulous hand-finishing. The bladed forms made from couture silk which re-occur highlight the new sensibility in iconic materials, partly finished.

DD: Can you tell us about the concept of the lookbook?
Yang Li: I am very interested in newness and anonymity. Together with Scott Trindle we wanted to invite the public to contribute to the lookbook. As we are all so snappy with our mobile phones and social media we created the hashtag #YLSS13 for the day of the shoot and then just downloaded the public's images for the lookbook, which was shot around Whitechapel and Chinatown.

DD: Iekeliene Stange was your female protagonist. What does she embody for you?
Yang Li: She is a very free person, totally human and she has the spirit of punk on the inside as well as intellgience in making her own decisions. I'm full of respect for her.

DD: What were you listening to in the studio this season?
Yang Li: Music and film are so important to me, it’s a way to escape and dream a little. Fantasy is what fashion is all about. We’ve been listening to Michael Gira/Swans a lot…the range and mood of his work I think somehow melted into the clothes a bit. Plus I just came back from China with a bag of bootleg DVDs, so I've been digging into local Chinese films... especially early works of Zhang Yimou and Jia Zhangke.

 

Photos by Scott Trindle

 

Edited August 24, 2013 by jackg

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[defiance]

handled some pieces from his first shipment this season, coat w/ zips and double face sweater stand out in particular. really beautiful fabrics - you wouldn't expect anything less with the factories he uses.

[Louche]

Cameraman in the background on every runway picture...fail. But Yang Li is getting traction.

[howl]

Cameraman in the background on every runway picture...fail. But Yang Li is getting traction.

 

He elaborated why he made the show 'transparent' (in the video you realise he's projected screens to show the audience what's happening backstage), though I can't seem to find the article right now. It was about leaving a sort of unfinished feel, to compliment the aesthetic of the clothes. A desire to provide a counterpoint to what he said is prevailing at the moment, too many 'smooth' things. So yeah, it was a conscious decision by him.

[jackg]

He elaborated why he made the show 'transparent' (in the video you realise he's projected screens to show the audience what's happening backstage), though I can't seem to find the article right now. It was about leaving a sort of unfinished feel, to compliment the aesthetic of the clothes. A desire to provide a counterpoint to what he said is prevailing at the moment, too many 'smooth' things. So yeah, it was a conscious decision by him.

thanks howl!

 

if you find the article please link it for us. 

[howl]

YANG LI X PANDORA'S JUKEBOX PLAYLIST

 

 

At the recent Paris Fashion Week, Yang Li formally debuted with a strong, conceptual show that put forth his belief: “Recorded is smooth, live is rough. In the future, luxury must be rough.†As China continues to be one of the biggest spenders of luxury today, it was particularly resonant that a Chinese designer (albeit having grown up in Australia) should challenge the very notion often still equated to show-off symbols of status and wealth. Nevertheless, the message was universal: in abolishing the smoke and mirrors that fashion is notoriously renown for, what you get is something real. 

The tightly edited and original collection – Li’s fourth since quitting Central Saint Martins and interning at Raf Simons – consisted of industrial, gothic designs with a refined punk spirit. Beyond the clothes, watching the show was in itself a luxury. An open backstage doubled-up as the set, while Yasmina Dexter, the multi-talented lady who mixes some of the most modern club sounds as Pandora’s Jukebox, DJed live. As we playlist the tracks Dexter used, the friends discuss the ideas that bubbled beneath Li's stellar collection and reveal a relationship that perhaps best epitomises this young brand.

 

 

Yasmina Dexter: What is key for you this season? What were your inspirations - and what about them fascinated you? 
Yang Li: Ultimate luxury imagined with a raw punk attitude. I imagined a young woman going into her mother’s or older sister’s wardrobe full of classic luxury pieces, deconstructing it and putting her stamp on it. I’m particularly attracted to things of extreme high quality but with an intelligent roughness - something raw with spirit. Clothing that is made too clean or smooth becomes soulless and just a product. While there is a place for this in fashion, clothes should represent something more, an attitude or psychology. Just like the difference between live and recorded music, I guess you could call this "human"… hence the format of the show with the fitting-like set up and open backstage telecast on the screens and of course your audible sensations.

 

Yasmina Dexter: Why did you choose me to DJ live at your show? 
Yang Li: I respect you very much as a woman, oozing character and certainly yet something mysterious and fragile. The mix of your presence with my collection was something very curious and interesting for me. I felt like I didn’t need to explain everything to you and that you would just get it - and you did. Asking you to play live was part of the concept for our first show in Paris, to say that we have just arrived. I wanted it to have the feeling that we were in the act of creation, like a fitting or rehearsal.

 

Yang Li: Can you recall how we first met?
Yasmina Dexter: Through friends many years ago, when you’d come to the clubs I play. What struck me about you is your very clear vision of what you want in any spectrum - not just design. 

 

Yasmina Dexter: You've put men in rather figure-hugging knit dresses. Is gender play a strong theme in your work?
Yang Li: I don’t believe in unisex clothing, which means creating the same garment for men and women without considering the context of the male/female body and their distinct attitudes. But pushing new propositions on what can be considered attractive on a man or a woman is very interesting. In that context, gender play is a key component in my work. The attitude, in the end, should be definitively feminine for a woman and definitively masculine for a man though the form or texture may be challenging to those notions. The punks did this very well in their revolt to challenge what can be accepted dress, which of course spawned from their attitude against the establishment.

 

Yasmina Dexter: What would you like your work to be recognised for?
Yang Li: I can’t say that I want to be recognised for a certain shape of trouser or an "it" bag. I just want my work to stand for something some people can feel aligned to and make them feel good. I know that’s a very broad statement but in the end we are all human and change is all we have. 

 

Yang Li: This collection was all about the beauty of spontaneity and roughness, such as the difference between live and recorded music, so I asked you to play live - what was the experience like?
Yasmina Dexter: Ha, you said magic words there: spontaneity and roughness. Surely there is nothing better for pushing to the true self. I really enjoyed the experience, it was a different format for me and I’m always encouraging variety, the more the better. Also as we are friends and I know the feel of you, it all happened naturally and felt like working with family.

 

Yang Li: What was the noise in your head when you previewed the collection before the show? 
Yasmina Dexter: Luxury Modern Chanel Industrial Hot Goth.

 

Yang Li: And what did you like about the collection? 
Yasmina Dexter: Loved it straight away. I wanted to wear it; it sat in my core immediately. Fantastic fabrics, shapes and the thickest metal zips on the market.

Edited December 11, 2013 by howl

[pita bread]

If you're wondering why I'm selling so much stuff on supermarket right now, it's because I'm trying to buy 3 or 4 pieces from his current collection.

[bill]

And I fully support this! Post pictures whenever you get something from him

 

I wanted to bump this thread because it's a great one The bouclé bombers are perfect...

[bill]

Tried on a few garments from Yang Li, today.

 

 

At first sight, everything was fine. women’s bomber jacket was extremely slim fitting (i wish i could find a blazer with that fit around the torso), while the body and sleeves were cropped. I found some visible errors on the lining, which was a bummer for the asked price. 

His women’s trousers were too big on me, so i cannot comment on that. 

The men’s burgundy double-faced wool long coat was… well… way too long and large on me. The wools were amazing. Shiny and extremely comfortable. The zippers (raccagni) have the perfect weight and slide like a knife cutting through butter.

 

The boots are my favourite item i handled. The green leather soles add a nice touch. They fit bigger than the usual italian-sized trainers with cup soles.

My only problem is the finishing, something that was blatantly absent on the tongue and back. I am not blaming him, but who ever is in charge of the production and inspection. For the prices a young designer is asking, a certain level of quality of material and construction is expected and the lining of the bomber and the finishing of the boots are frustrating.

[superlondon]

finally found some yang li admirers like me... the materials he makes his clothes out of are so good, not much left to say for the finish though