If the name doesn’t ring a bell, that’s because this label started by the Parsons-trained Lu Chen and Hui Huang debuted at the New York Fashion Week only in September.
Based in the Big Apple, it immediately captivates with its bold designs and painstakingly considered approach to craft.
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One blazer, for example, is made from the fusion of manipulated wool and chiffon – two drastically different materials – and features a single red feather spread out and quilted down the spine, making for an intriguing detail.
An oversized shirt has been deconstructed to create asymmetrical pants with a sweeping leg, while a couture-esque opera coat and carrot-shaped cropped pants are fashioned out of a mosaic print fabric that looks vintagey from afar and futuristic up-close.
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Luchen’s silhouettes are unusual. Its founders are obsessed with the human body and how it serves as the basis of anthropomorphism – the habit of attributing human traits to everything from animals to inanimate objects.
The desire to break free of this tendency is what prompts them to imagine “different considerations of the human form”, explains Huang.
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Time is the other key pillar that informs their approach – the duo is so exacting that it manufactures its own buttons and each garment comes with details of its birthing and manufacturing process.
True to that spirit, it retails for now only via pre-order on its website (luchennewyork.com), for a more intimate direct-to-customer experience.