Ray Chu | London Fashion Week AW25
Words by Lauren Bulla, Photographs by Lily Maguire
Ray Chu stuns at his fourth London Fashion Week. Focused on sustainable best practices and showcasing that appreciation for the natural world is exactly where some of the most noteworthy work originates. This season’s offerings incorporate sustainable materials from Taiwan, clearly outlining “a statement about lasting beauty of the natural world”. Similar to his previous collection, this series draws inspiration from yet another sapling. This time, the Blue Cypress Tree comes to the fore, symbolsing “resilience, strength, and unwavering determination”.
Opting for a presentation style format, the collection made its rounds slowly and with painstaking attention to detail as the audience gathered around an interactive lookbook space. Attendees found that they could pose for images themselves, after the models had been papped. In addition to the white curtain laid backdrop, intricate rug underfoot - there was an elaborate tablescape on display toward the right side of the room. Delicately the models inched around it, interacting with one another and the artefacts of a meal-gone-drama. Pretend sips of wine complemented affronting gazes, as models looked straight into the eyes of audience members.
Ray Chu has a penchant for artfully tying cultural significance into the namesake of his brand. The decision to work with Blue Cypress trees is central to the ingenuity behind the garments as their associated attributes situate around the designer’s Chinese name, “Po - also meaning cypress”. Thus “transforming this collection into a statement about personal heritage”. Playing directly into sustainable best practices, Ray Chu utilised Taiwanese SECAO fibre, supplied by Grandetez which is created via waste husk of cacao plants. Additionally he’s made a point to get Everest Textile Co. Ltd. involved, utalising water chestnut shell charcoal yarn.
3D printing has also become a core step in the brand’s developmental process. The designer uses this technology to bring durable versions of the organic forms to life within select works in this collection. One of the standout pieces was a shimmering two piece jacket and trousers set, which glimmered radiantly against the crisp backdrop. This season, bold materials come together in practical forms positioned in the AW25 ready-to-wear collection. Maintaining his dedication to sustainability whilst adhering to his unique innovative vision, this season's offerings showcased a maturing of the creative process for designer Ray Chu.
