A Story of Detection

Apujan London Fashion Week AW19

London based Taiwanese designer Apu Jan debuted at London Fashion Week in 2013. Since its inception, Apujan has been featured in many influential fashion magazines including Vogue and ELLE. Jan’s designs are known for integrating knitwear techniques and patterns with traditional Asian elements in an contemporary setting. This season, Jan takes his signature aesthetics to a story of detection. “The Game of Detection” AW19 begins with a train containing dinosaur fossils. A cast of characters including a buyer, a painter, a gambler, a thief and the police all come together to form the fashion edition of the game, Clue.

Apujan starts the show off with a mysterious hood of keys worn by a black cloaked figure. The trainers the model wears are from Nike, a collaborator for the show. Elaborately knitted headpieces are paired with suits patterned with what looks like painted on stripes and shadows. This illustration style look inspires the audience to think of this as a story and we are all partaking in the unfolding of it. Comfort is also evident in the style of this collection. Even though the pieces look like they are on the edge of fantasy, they are made extremely wearable by the styling of them with trainers. A double breasted off the shoulder camel colored jacket is made to look like it is layered with an attached white mandarin collar shirt that is buttoned up with traditional frog closures. This, paired with the casual shoe makes an ensemble that is fantastically practical.

The show is both beautiful and mysterious. The live music carries you from scene to scene. One feels the spirit of crime and mystery authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey and the like. Jan bridges the time gap between those authors to today with his use of new technology in textiles. Digital embroidery, semi 3D jacquard, delicately knitted jacquards all makes appearances on traditionally luxurious materials such as cotton, wool and silk. The timeless materials certainly reflect the timeless designs of Apujan.