JENN LEE’s SS24 collection centres on the theme of “crafting our own happiness” and embracing a spirit of radical individualism. Guided by her journey into motherhood, Jenn Lee draws inspiration from the boundless joy exhibited by her young son. Embracing the power of innocence, JENN LEE has integrated motifs and references to childhood, youth, and untouched beauty throughout her collection. This motif is reflected in the grungy set, reminiscent of a 90s art studio, and inspired by the legendary Maison Margiela SS90 runway show and the unbridled joy it encouraged through its integration of local school children. JENN LEE is trying to evoke the happiness that comes with the innocence of childhood, and bring an essence of this to fashion week through her collection.
Alongside the brand’s signature black and red palette, this season focuses on natural dyeing techniques and organic tones, artfully printing textiles with rust – the aim being to infuse each piece with a unique character and letting the materials take the lead, moving away from machine printing. JENN LEE S/S24 will be presented in collaboration with MAKALOT – one of the world’s top five textile and garment factories who have paired up with the brand to create this collection digitally. Through the integration of technology, designers are able to identify pattern issues, make direct modifications, predict clothing sizes, anticipate different fabric textures and print arrangements, and ultimately speed up the process and reduce waste. MAKALOT has provided multiple screens to the presentation to showcase the process of digital manufacturing, destabilising the boundaries in fashion between the design process and the finished product.
This 39 looks collection will be showcased alongside a video game produced with ACER and inspired by the nostalgic aesthetic of 90s comic books. Following a runway segment, models will treat the space as their own home, playing video games, music, and scrolling the internet while continuing to present the garments. Guests will theoretically be invited into the models’ private space, dismantling the boundaries between subject and observer and encouraging a laid back viewing experience.
JENN LEE’s presentation space, created in collaboration with both ACER and MAKALOT, will be equipped with laptops and screens for guests to immerse themselves into JENN LEE’s hyper reality world. Presented with four female avatars dressed virtually in the new collection, players are taken on a series of quests to ascertain their potential to overcome different challenges. The game highlights the nuances of womanhood, from being a dominatrix, to a mother at a rock concert. JENN LEE’s garments, alongside the virtual world she has created, are breaking down the assumptions that women need to fit into certain boxes, but in reality happiness is achieved through embracing nuance.
The various forms of artistic expression that JENN LEE straddles for S/S24 is a poetic dissension from our societal need for categorisation. JENN LEE’s dedication to technology works to highlight the importance of the digital space to enable women greater freedoms in the world, while the themes within the video game created, and the focus on organic fabrics within the collection presented, encourage radical individualism and a nurturing of our natural desires and feelings. The informal mode of presentation advocates this nurturing of childlike joy and happiness, and encourages guests to create their own paradise.
CREDIT:
MUSIC – Betty Apple @lovebettyapple SET DESIGN – Zoie Liao @junyaozoieliao
MAKE UP – Lan Nguyen-Grealis @Lanslondon and team sponsored by Tweezerman and Seoulista Beauty
HAIR – Matthew Curtis for KMS ART DIRECTOR & PRODUCTION- JENN LEE @jennlee_official
Shoes – UNDERGROUND