Pushing the boundaries is just what Parsons-trained designer Lu Chen set out to do, and her eponymous label has that justified in its runway debut for LÙCHEN’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection. A dual exploration of physical and intangible forms, thoughts and beliefs become transformed into wearable pieces that blur the lines between imagination and reality.

Chen’s aim for the collection is to “create an experience in which we can perceive such concepts within the confines of our physical world.” Real and surreal combine with unpredictable structure, raw hemlines, and contrasting materials—a metaphysical approach to fashion imagined within the confines of the physical world.

A variety of artists were used to showcase the designs, ranging from a milliner, to a sculptor, to trained dancers and documenters that walked alongside models, reflecting a multitude of crafts and allowing for individualized interpretations orchestrated under Chen’s central vision. LÙCHEN’s collection is presented with a striking combination of construction, silhouette and materiality. Detailed tailoring juxtaposes intentionally deconstructed aspects, as an air of romanticism is felt through luxurious draping. Sheer pieces hints at freedom, while textured fabrics gather and envelope the body in a subtly confining way.

Contradiction is embraced as reality is questioned; sleek lines coincide with jagged edges and boxy frames, pops of bright pink and yellow stand out amongst muted colorways, unfinished hems adorn intricately tailored garments. At its core, LÙCHEN’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection seeks to honor the “endless creative possibilities that exist in both our hearts and minds and how beautifully they can manifest in this world if only we dare to dream them up.” With an ephemeral quality that speaks a universal language of imagination, the meticulous and disruptive collection challenges the unknown, leaving room for interpretation while maintaining wearability.