Dear Shaded Viewers,
Get ready to ditch the urban hustle for a journey through the enchanting deserts of Western China with 8ON8’s Spring/Summer 2025 collection, “Sandboarding Express.” Designer Li Gong masterfully blurs the lines between city life and desert fantasy, creating a collection that’s both innovative and deeply captivating.
Imagine a typical city commuter, suddenly whisked away to a secret desert world. Gong captures this surreal narrative with a brilliant fusion of natural fibers and advanced techniques. The collection features rugged coated cotton, crisp poplin, and ultra-thin fluid wool, evoking the raw beauty and mysterious allure of the desert landscape.
The details are where Gong’s artistry truly shines. Cactus flowers come alive through 3D knitting, prints, and embroidery, with broderie anglaise-style air holes adding a playful twist. Sequins on dark woolen suits mimic grains of sand or a starry night sky, while raindrop motifs delicately adorn wide poplin shirts, reminiscent of a rare desert rain.
Retro aesthetics meet futuristic innovation in this collection. Classic plaid is reinvented with sheer fabric mille-feuille, creating a dreamlike checkerboard effect. Traditional Western Chinese textiles inspire a variety of printing techniques, from hand-sprayed gradients to wave-like plaids in knitted pieces. The collection’s soft, drape-centric approach is evident in shawl-like shirts and signature suits featuring couture-inspired collars that fold elegantly at the nape.
Accessories are just as delightfully unexpected. Picture gourd-shaped lucky charm bags, compass necklaces, and swimming cap-like headwear inspired by desert nomads. Leather shoes with cross knots and eye motifs morph into fantastical creatures, while multi-material sneakers with asymmetrical lacing, designed in collaboration with Asics, inject a sporty, avant-garde vibe.
Later,
Leticia
