“Obscured By Illusions”
Concept | The idea of “Asia” has long been imagined in mass media as a place of technological advancements with intellectual primitivism, nonaligned with the logic of Western consciousness. In these media depictions of Asian megacities, the idea of this land is somehow superficially condensed into neon littered dystopias. This collection exaggerates this disjunction, exploring the issues of techno-Orientalism as a proposition of false Asian-ness in imagined future societies. Hand-woven jacquard mimics corrugated polycarbonate, vinyl laminated wool gaberdine mimics chrome sheets, and screen printed translucent latex mimics stretched jersey. The material mimicry provokes the idea of glossy, plastic places, hyperbolizing our understanding of Asia in these imagined futures. The garments further reference erotic garments, alluding to how techno-Orientalist discourse, emerging from Western knowledge systems, rely on the submissive Other.
Bio | Justin Wong is a Chicago-based designer, born and raised in Hong Kong. As dual-citizen of Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, he explores what postcolonial identity means in Hong Kong’s hyper-urbanized environment. His work explores the positioning and representation of hybridized identities within the complexities of identity politics. Justin has previously worked with menswear designer and LVMH prize recipient Grace Wales Bonner, who mentored him on her soulful approach to making cross-cultural references. He has also worked with other creative entities such as Mr Porter and Marni.