Hong Kong-born, London-based Robert Wun was in the Fragrant Harbour to stage a "homecoming" 10th anniversary show. What did he bring back?
It has been a decade of his couture line, first presented in 2013, during Paris Couture Week. To mark the anniversary, Robert Wun (云惟俊, Yun Weijun) returned to Hong Kong and staged a celebratory show at his home city's Palace Museum earlier in the week. The show was a retake (and repeat) of his spring/summer 2024 collection, unveiled in Paris last February. This time, it continued with his fascination of the macabre, even paranormal, to weld a collection that called the attention to the ghoulish married to the glamourous. Couture mannequin, Fan Bingbing (范冰冰), unsurprisingly, graced the occasion, while former model Qi Qi (琦琦, aka 苏筱淇, Su Xiaoqi, or Sophia Kao), wife of actor Simon Yam (任达华, Ren Dahua), walked the runway, the way she always strutted.
As with his earlier show in Paris, the runway set up was saturated with the colour of blood, evoking horror films, such as the elevator scene of 1980's The Shining. A conical pile of what looked like beheaded make-up brushes formed a centrepiece. Yet, it could be a tableau of bamboo prayer sticks left out to dry in the incense village of Quang Phu Cau, in the Ung Hoa district of Vietnam before the Lunar New Year. Red is, of course, a colour much associated with Chinese culture, and especially in Hong Kong, where it is considered to be of 好意頭 (hoyitao in Cantonese) or significant auspiciousness. Against the propitious setting, yet strangely diabolical, Mr Wun showed a beguiling and, in parts, creepy, collection that asked for more unpacking than the typical Hong Kong show.
In his previous season, Mr Wun seemed to have paid tribute to horror films of Asia. Apart from the chromatic saturation of the set, he evoked those ghostly heroines with previously wretched earthly fates. In the final look of his February Paris show, he sent out a model in a scarlet gown that could have been designed belatedly for Asian flicks, such as the 2015 Taiwanese feature 紅衣小女孩 (hong yi xiao nu hai) or Tag-Along, or the Japanese/Philipino film The Red Dress. But it was not the dramatic gown itself that aroused amazement. It was the faceless being that hugged the model from the rear. The first thing that came to our mind was another scary movie—the 2004 Thai picture and Ananda Everingham vehicle, Chattoe: Kot Tit Winya or simply Shutter in English. This film was such a box office success in Thailand and the region that it enjoyed a Hollywood remake. In 2008's Shutter, mysterious lights that appeared in photos shot by the photographer-protagonist revealed the presence of a supernatural entity. Later, the lensman felt a pain on his shoulder and—spoiler alert—it revealed a vengeful ghosts latched to his back!
This time, another extraneous being was introduced. In look three, the model, with extra pair of arms and draped in purple, carried a child as violet as the dress. What came to mind was the Thai horror flick Nang Nak (also made into several films, with the 1999 version the most popular). Mr Wun is known to weave stories into his designs and, in Hong Kong, there was no less than half a dozen tales, all told through the admirable techniques available to him through the metiers of the couture. There was broderie trompe l'oeil that mimick blood splatter and snow adhered to outerwear. And the strict tailoring that allowed for some of the severe lines or unforgiving corsets. Many of his fans rave about his ability to play up the shapes he admires in couture and the surrealism that high fashion affords. These he does with considerable elan. Yet, some of the looks, undoubtedly dramatic and extravagant, were, to us, reminiscent of John Galliano, Thom Browne, even Richard Quinn. Robert Wun's vivid story-telling would be better spun with his very own yarn.
Screen shots: hktdc/YouTube
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