PH5 looks to Mark Quinn's artificial flowers for spring 2018

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Sep 7, 2017

PH5 on Wednesday held its spring 2018 fashion presentation at 393nyc on 393 Broadway below Canal Street.
 
Founders Wei Lin and Mijia Zhang believed that holding the spring show on the day before the official start of NYFW would be the best way to get their audience’s undivided attention. That audience was greeted with 15 looks in a minimal art space with white risers and fake plants and vegetation.

 
The show props served as a hint for the collection’s theme, artificial flowers, which reference the work of artist Mark Quinn, who inspired the theme.
 
The duo shied away from using floral patterns for the collection and looked to the shape of flowers instead. Sweaters and skirts in the collection feature alternating curved hems that nod to flower bulbs, and the curvature of most pieces and color patterns reference flower shapes and bouquet arrangements. The floral patterns did make an appearance but in as subtle tonal sleeve and sweater cuff details.

Numerous styles in the collection feature cut-and-sew knits that combine contrasting patterns. One dress in particular that took 6 hours to make features five different knits in different colors and textures.

 
Spring 2018 also marked the debut of sheer wool, the new fabric that the founders created while competing in the Woolmark competition. The new knit was used for a red and white vertical striped skirt that seemed subdued in comparison to the horizontal patterned screen-printed skirt that was styled with a navy cardigan.
 
The duo said that they prefer to hold fashion presentations in art galleries so they can hold immersive experiences that invite the audience into their world. The flowery world that they created this season could be a metaphor for their growth after taking part in the Woolmark competition and more growth in the near future.