Friday, February 26, 2021

BEAUTY: Clothing--Danshan

Well, London Fashion Week has wrapped up and while there were some things that were interesting, COVID and shifts in the industry unrelated to the virus have taken the life out of it. The retreating of menswear is quite disappointing as most of the collections shown during this week (which was supposed to be BOTH menswear and womenswear) turned out to be solely womenswear. Oh sure, some brands and houses showed menswear and womenswear together, and a few are gender neutral, but I do mourn the loss of a dedicated, specific week of clothing for men...

Anyhow, here is the last of what I found to be of note:

Danshan, headed by Central Saint Martins graduates Danxia (Dan) Liu and Shan Peng Wong, showed a sturdy but flowing FW '21-'22 collection for London Fashion Week that consisted of some quite lyrical embellishments. Called "Sentience," the brand claims the collection looks at the idea that man is a sentient being capable of compassion and kindness needed for our survival within an increasingly polarized world. All I see are some beautiful patterns that resemble circular patterns one finds in nature (the circles of clouds pushed by wind, the ripples of water), and amorphous designs reminiscent of murmurating flocks of birds...

The brand was founded in 2016. Born during the "Single Child policy" in China, a period when sons were favored, Dan was brought up as a boy until the age of 12 by her family due to traditional societal pressures. Dan’s unconventional upbringing has shaped her values and this informs much of their work and feeds into the clothes they create which are often made of 'softer' fabrics and those that are traditionally considered to be feminine. The design duo strive to disregard gender archetypes and instead explore what is beneath the façade of machoism and strength.

Their mission statement says:
"Danshan explore the undervalued nuances of modern male life, examining how male body language develops and look at ways to make a masculine silhouette become effeminate, without breaking the austere boundaries that define menswear. Emotional, sensitive, vulnerable and dressed to reflect those qualities, their collections present a spirit of culture that creates a space for a progressive masculinity to develop, celebrating the freedom that sensitivity can give men to reclaim their masculinity, in the hope of creating a more accepting world."

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