Huishan Zhang fully immersed himself in the work of Wong Kar Wai as he designed his spring 2025 collection. Specifically The Hand—a short film from the director’s anthology, Eros—which details the relationship of a young tailor and his client.
References were both direct and subtle. The most obvious was the finale look: a royal blue dress decorated with crystals, an interpretation of one in the film. Zhang broadly translated Wong’s cinematography with a new technique of threading printed plastic with organza, seen on a coat and two dresses, which made for an interesting textural departure from his signature crystal and beaded embellishments (both also featured heavily in the collection).
Other material explorations included intricate sequined patterns, cast onto a long-sleeve top, a skirt, and a dress; angular salmon pink neoprene, to create a contrast for more delicate elements; and cotton-poplin adorned with crystal motifs. Tailoring has become a big part of the business, Zhang reveals—two Italian wool jackets with diamond necklines featured in the midsection—though dresses was the clear focus for spring. The cheongsam silhouette was Zhang’s “muse.” “I believe there’s an invisible cheongsam for every woman in the world; it protects them and empowers them,” he said, so details like high necklines and capped sleeves were morphed into new silhouettes.
“I wanted to design a complete wardrobe for the woman, rather than focus on one area of her life,” he said before the show, held in a venue on Cavendish Square that reminded him of scenes from Wong’s work. Zhang achieved this resolve through his own lens: His version of a classic trench coat, complete with beads, would be a bold outerwear choice for daytime, and a cardigan–pencil-skirt combination (beaded too) would take wearing something beneath to become office appropriate. But that’s exactly the designer’s intention: “We want to give them day and night; day through to the evening.”
