Ruohan AW23

After a quick brisk walk from the Uma Wang show I finally made it for the Ruohan presentation. Unfortunately, I didn't make it in time for the official presentation itself but this was a blessing since it gave me a bit of reprieve from the hustle and bustle. I sat down to a gorgeous cup of café allongé at the Paris Fashion Week lounge. There were photographers and press all over the place but I didn't realize why. I heard the bass booming upstairs and a kind French photographer explained, "Rick Owens show is going on right now, you can see it on the screen there." I joined the crowd around the screen to watch the Rick Owens show live and it was wonderful, there was unexpected metallic pink sequins and padded volume everywhere.

I entered the Ruohan show space and took a seat where I thought I may have some nice pictures. There was a runway in the middle and a natural color canvas canopy of sorts sweeping over the runway. The effect reminded me a little of taking flight. Like an airport runway. It was dramatically minimalistic and evoked a sense of movement even though it was suspended mid-air.

Simplistic draped pieces came down the runway one by one in neutrals with a pop of red. The Autumn Winter ‘23 collection draws inspiration from soil as a conceptual metaphor. It traces back to the original purpose of clothing and investigating the fundamental nature of its existence. Through human disruption we process these raw materials from the soil into the clothing that we can put on our bodies daily. From there, the clothing interacts with our bodies and our everyday lives. The shape of the soil has changed into garments which has changed into a tool that is used to present and express ourselves to the outside world. There is mutual transformation and interdependence between the material and the user.

The fundamental shape of this collection is the square. The collection deconstructs and cuts garments into different interpretations of the square shape, resulting in silhouettes that are no longer of the simple, 2D origin. Something about this reminds me of origami, although it's not a fold but rather a drape. The result of this manipulation is graceful and timeless. The fabric moves away from the body just so slightly in every look, as to define it's own identity. The symbiosis of wearer and garment results in a small performance of sorts with each movement. Ruohan AW23 truly was a subtle work of performance art.