The inspiration for this season’s collection began with stories about time. ApuJan, an avid reader since he was a child, drew inspiration from the books he was reading and provides a reading list so guests can get a better understanding of where his concepts have originated. This season, the list consists of three books: Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett, The Thief of Time by John Boyne and A Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman. Despite having the same title, these three authors used their stories to explore very different concepts and themes, which provided a fertile soil for the ideas we will see featured in this collection.
APUJAN is using this collection to tell his own story, a science fiction fantasy involving time lapses. It features time thieves, stolen time, time observers, interweaving timelines, time movement, and confused time, within both retro and sci-fi settings. In his collection, we can see flowers blossoming and dying, deadwood, dinosaur bones, stars and clocks, all of which symbolise the flow of time. Looking at the designs, we can see colour blocks, lines and staggered weaves, alongside re-constructed design pieces and skewed necklines, all of which reflect the disruption wreaked by time. The hairstyles of the models have been designed to conjure images of a time vortex. Continuing on from his previous seasons, APUJAN leads us into his fantasy world, with subsequent pieces opening new chapters and volumes in one seamless tale. Choices of packaging and tags also reinforce this impression, even the dresses feature book pages and stories to further complete the imaginative narrative.
This Spring/Summer collection contains over 100 individual pieces. APUJAN showed 33 outfits on the runway, featuring headwear, scarves, knitwear, evening gowns and read to wear. The overarching theme continues in the brand’s signature style, featuring oriental details and western contours, with additional elements that draw on the traditions of fantasy and imagination. This season, the cheongsam buckle, oriental collar and sleeve style can be found in different garments such as shirts, coats, dresses and gowns, as well as the traditional festive headwear. The accessories that can be seen on the runway include 100% cashmere scarves, hand-woven woollen hats, floral headwear and 3-D printed glasses. The sporting theme, which was the focus of last season’s collection, can also be seen in several of this season’s pieces.
APUJAN collaborated with NIKE again in this season, they provided footwear for the show in the form of the APUJAN iD trainers.