Emerging ready-to-wear label Lúchen, designed by recent Parsons graduate Lu Chen, made its runway debut this month in New York City. Following the brand’s spring collection launch in September, the designer continued her exploration of deconstruction and reconstruction, as well as the “possibilities of draping and materiality,” throughout the fall lineup.
“This is my first runway show, so I wanted it to have a full story attached to different emotions and sections. We wanted to introduce the intricate mind inside of an artist by making physical things outward. The physical things also represent the spirit and mental process of designing and creating. From the beginning to the end, it’s showing a process of an artist making something,” Chen said backstage following the show, which was presented as a conceptual, theatrical runway event featuring a model cast of varying creatives (one donned a bird-like headpiece while another emerged from the audience, video camera in hand).
What this boiled down to was a collection of conceptual, couture-like designs and gender-fluid ready-to-wear, ranging from tailoring and stellar outerwear to reworked shirting, the introduction of fully fashioned knitwear and more. Like with spring, the designer also continued to explore “different possibilities of draping and materiality.” For instance, voluminous, layered chiffon coats that nicely contrasted with sleeker, sheer layers, and draped dresses with long fabric rolls still attached to the bodice (a nod to inside a creator’s mind and process). Other standout moments included a low-slung pouffed skirt with a cropped jacket, a tailored dress and jacket with red piping, and myriad looks for from day to night with a nice juxtaposition of revealing and concealing the body.