Haoran Li and Siying Qu titled their spring 2021 collection “Searching for Aphrodite.” Connecting over Zoom from New York and Shanghai respectively, the designers spoke about being far from one another and spending a lot of quarantine time “looking deep inside of ourselves.” Li and Qu became fascinated by the idea of living so completely with oneself and thinking about the issues that many of us face in terms of self-love and acceptance. Whereas last season’s runway show spoke to pharmaceutical monopolies and mental health in the U.S., the duo’s new lineup is less intense and more hopeful. Using Greek mythology, Li and Qu set out to craft a spring collection that would give others the confidence and self-esteem boost to reemerge in the new year, when hopefully the world is finally beginning to heal.
They achieved this through softer fabrics and easy draping. Sheer cardigans and faux leather baggy joggers and blazers mixed well with lilac cargo pants and a cowl-neck slip dress. Li and Qu showed easy, loosely tailored suiting as well as throw-on-and-go trenches. The classic Private Policy club kid edge was visible but didn’t overpower. Even the nod to Aphrodite, which was a sketch embroidery depicting the famous Botticelli painting of the goddess’s birth, wasn’t overtly on-the-nose.
The designers emphasized the sustainability of the new collection, which uses recycled CDs for the harness accessories as well as biodegradable nylon. In the runway video they created, the pair cast a diverse group of models which they referred to fondly as their “muses.” Their Aphrodite, they explained, was April 2020 Playboy Playmate and amputee model and singer Marsha Elle. “We really thought this was a good season to talk about beauty standards as they’ve existed traditionally,” Li said. “We looked for muses who are comfortable and unique in their own skin.” She added, “we want to have our clothes and our collections represent healing, self-love, and coming out of this very heavy year next spring with a softer approach.” Indeed, the collection felt gentler and more approachable. That’s an aesthetic we can all take with us into the new year, armed with self-love.