CYPHERITAGE - By Hu Bing Selects & Aga Maruyama

​SøEdited Team
Article: Lucy Ashburner
SøEditor-in-Chief: Chris Saint Sims 
​SøFashion Director: Savannah Barthorpe

​Since Charles Frederick Worth conceptualised the fashion show in the 1850s, it hasn’t developed all that much. Of course, the likes of Lagerfeld introduced extravagant sets, and McQueen famously was the first to extend his show to the public with a livestream in 2009, but the general format has remained the same for 170+ years.
That’s why when a designer opts for an out-of-the-box method of presenting their collection, it sticks with you. That’s exactly what Aya Maruyama did when showcasing ‘CYPHERITAGE’ on the final morning of London Fashion Week. 
 
At the popular Paradise Club in Vauxhall, Maruyama - showing with Hu Bing Selects for the second consecutive season - welcomed the audience with an entirely immersive experience, allowing us not only to physically see her designs, but to really feel the emotion that was poured into creating them.
 
Before delving into the details, allow us to bring you up to speed on Hu Bing Selects. The man behind the platform is the ‘Top Chinese Male Model’ Hu Bing, who has been involved in London Fashion Week for the past eleven years. Throughout that time, he has championed young Asian designers, showcasing their talents to the western world. That was until, this season, when the focus shifted from the designers to craftsmanship itself. Alongside Aya Maruyama - a current PHD candidate at Tsinghua University - he reimagined Bai Ethnic Tie-Dye - a piece of Chinese cultural heritage - bringing it firmly into the modern day using digital art.

​Upon entering the slightly unorthodox venue, guests were met with six mannequins adorning physical looks by Maruyama, each bridging the gap between tradition and modernity, as they fused Bai Tie-Dye with futuristic fabrication, such as 3D printing. The abnormal textures on more classical silhouettes were visually very interesting - something we’ve come to expect from work involving Hu Bing. The digital presentation felt like a glimpse into the future, as generative digital organisms donning the clothes were projected into the centre of the room, accompanied by sci-fi-esque graphics and neoteric music.
 
It was something fresh, something different and something as an audience, we want to see. Designers send their looks down runways fashion week upon fashion week, and that’s fine - the method is tried, tested and true. However when we are treated to innovation - especially when executed as well as CYPHERITAGE was - it’s a stark reminder that this is an industry built on unconventionality and constant variation, and should remain as such.