The Dialogue of Fashion: An Overview of PH5's FW2021 Lineup
The sleek and mellow oeuvre of the modern feminine knitwear brand PH5 originates from the liberal and personal touch of fashion. Founded by Wei Lin, PH5’s moniker originates from the scientific PH scale, respectively. According to Lin, the neutral PH reading of 7 “represented androgynous unisex labels”. Meanwhile, 1 “represented the extreme feminine or sexy brands”. PH5, on the other hand, was “leaning more towards the edgier side while keeping a touch of femininity”. The brand prides itself on making knitwear a year-round trend, rather than just a winter season staple. 2020, however, saw a dark downturn for creative director Zoe Champion, who after being quarantined and trapped in her home for six months, “struggled to find the energy to create”. This wallow and self-pity, however, was short-lived as Champion noticed her pillows making “shapes around [her] body” in bed. These self-induced sculptures inspired designs that utilized “quilting techniques and pillow-shaped padded pockets as a way to take our interiors with us”. The designs were a manifestation of the anxieties and comforts faced by millions over the last year. The designs were an “ode to all of those who have struggled” through the pandemic.
Image Courtesy: CFDA
Due to the fear of COVID-19, this year’s processions were held virtually, utilizing a photography centered “lookbook” that outlined the various designs and fashions of the season. The designs are inherently melancholy. They personify “a sort of tactile crutch, or cozy armor” that features mostly darker, plaid designs. Many of the pieces feel derivative of the Victorian era with dark primary colors underscoring the bright, off-centered lines throughout. The pieces feel cozy and of an interior nature. The fabric is all knitwear sweaters, with some pieces blurring the lines between Victorian classicism and postmodern minimalism. This gives the works a textural expression as if the pieces are having a dialogue with each other that seems artistically organic.
The depth of the works makes a very didactic point: that the anxiety and fears associated with quarantine and isolation are also inherently comfortable. The work is clearly an ode to not only the millions that suffered through the last year but also the millions more whose lives have become stagnant. They are pieces that manifest the insurrection of creativity, for quarantine was a hamper on creatives everywhere. Many large scales magazines have cited PH5 as a brand to watch for in the coming years, and following the upcoming fall lineup, the company plans to continue doing what it does best: speak through the language of fabric.
Strike Out,
Writer: Blake Von Tilzer
Boca Raton