There is a special power in gentleness, in knowing when to give in and wave rather than stand firm. The concept itself is oxymoronic, but part of holding on is knowing when to let go.
This is what Jingwei Yin was aiming for with his Spring 2024 collection for the Oude Waag, which found its muse in the Japanese free divers known as Ama, women who collect abalone and pearls and have built a mythical community rooted in independence and power of women. spirit. Knowing when to dive deeper or resurface requires a unique understanding of your body. It’s a poetic yet unmistakable metaphor for what it takes to be resilient.
The skill of Yin, a graduate of the Royal College of Art who founded his label in 2017, is such that he was able to convey this through ingenious draping, tacking, pleating and tailoring. He did stints at both Haider Ackermann and Hussein Chalayan before founding the Oude Waag, but his hand is decidedly sexier and considerably more revealing. Not necessarily younger, but certainly contemporary and in line with some of its trendy Western counterparts.
“The flowing chiffon makes you feel like you’re floating under the sea as you move,” Yin said after the show, explaining that the many knots he used as focal points in his draping and as sinuous details in his custom pieces – nothing more captivating than his opening jacket – were modeled after the shapes of abalone shells and the twists in natural pearls. More literal were his interpretations of fishing nets in the form of carefully worn crocheted knitting. Particularly enchanting were the trains that billowed from his heavily tailored jackets (see looks 10 or 24).
Forming matter around the body as Yin does is equal parts math and intimacy. His understanding of exactly where to add volume and how to loosen it was evident in the way the bodice of a dress flowed from a chain, twisted at the navel and draped loosely at the back, gently circling the spine of the model caressed like a wave movement. moves back and forth along the coast.
