Yueqi Qi’s chaotic, noisy, and idiosyncratic designs mark her out as one of Asia’s more intriguing talents. This time the 30-year-old signaled a more casual approach—but that didn’t necessarily mean paring anything back. “Before, I had more showpieces but now we’re doing more ready-to-wear,” she said after the show, as her models gathered outside the hall of Tokyo’s Jiyu Gakuen Girls’ School.
There were plenty of Qi’s signature complications of laser cut macramé, this time in metallics and fur (a difficult material to laser cut, said Qi, but the designer isn’t afraid of a fabrication challenge). Elsewhere, floral patterns of glass beading were scanned and then printed onto minidresses, fabric cards and all—a realistic way to scale Qi’s contemporary couture-like detailing onto easier pieces, and to bring her audience in on the process.
Frilled corsets sprouted from deconstructed tailoring, while silk nighties, camisoles, and babydoll tops were covered in upholstery florals, or decorated with cutesy motifs of cats and bunny rabbits. It was like Little Bo Peep had been abducted by aliens and run through a printing press. On the feet, and adding a dash of toughness, were a duo of collaborations: Timberland boots with laser-cut decorations, and bubble-soled sneakers from Tokyo footwear label Grounds, both livened up with some wintry leg warmers.
There’s a confidently global flavor to Yueqi Qi’s work, informed by her base in Guangzhou, her education at London’s Central Saint Martins, and her experience at Chanel’s Paris atelier. That she has taken to showing her collectsions in Tokyo, where the brand has a strong fanbase, adds yet another dimension to her appeal. The windbreakers toward the end of the show were the perfect blend of sporty and romantic. Weirdly wearable, they were easy to imagine on streets from Hackney to Hongdae. “So far it’s my favorite season,” she said. Ours too.
