My Favourite Fashion Brand – Robert Wun
When proposed with the question “What is your favourite fashion brand?” I initially considered it to be a rather simple question, that was until I tried to come up with a simple answer. In a world of ever-changing trends and events in an ever-changing time of my life I found it difficult to be decisive when choosing a “favourite” with there being so many elements in so many brands which I admire. This led me to considering what determines a “favourite” and separates it from an objective best. A combination of personal nostalgia, admiration of craftsmanship, and longevity in my love for the designer became my definition of a “favourite”; also known as Robert Wun.
Hong Kong born Robert Wun studied fashion design at London College of Fashion, graduating in 2012 where he was discovered by Joyce Boutique. 2 years later, in 2014, Wun launched his label before debuting at Paris Fashion Week in 2023.
My personal admiration for Wun largely stems from the creativity in his approach to design. The way in which Wun draws inspiration from the world around him and his own personal culture to implement this into his designs somehow appears both on the nose yet simultaneously completely original. This creates designs that are easily identifiable from the inspiration and the artistry. Furthermore, Wun’s ability to push the boundaries in construction and silhouettes are other notable aspects of his work. Wun clearly expresses a great knowledge of garment construction and fabric manipulation that when combined with his immense creativity culminates into a breakthrough fashion brand.
Robert Wun’s most recent collection, SS23 couture, received great levels of attention online and in the fashion community largely due to the 11th look, “the spilled wine gown”, an all-time personal favourite of mine. Through this design Wun took an event traditionally associated with ruining a garment – spilling red wine on it – and created something captivating from the disaster. Amongst the hand-painting and embroidery using Swarovski crystals, Wun displayed his identifiable experimentation with structure in the peplum silhouette, further elevating the look. This collection excellently showcased one of the main reasons why Robert Wun is my favourite designer; he never appears to be complacent. Whether this is experimentation with new methods or new interpretations of inspiration each collection is elevated from the collection prior whilst remaining recognisable as a Robert Wun design.
In 2016, Wun was commissioned by the Royal Ballet to design costumes for Wayne McGregor’s 10th anniversary. As someone who grew up in the world of dance and has been around their fair share of tutus, I was particularly enamoured by Wun’s unique take on the traditional dress. The traditional shape of the tutu was clearly referenced in Wun’s work; however, he pushed the boundaries of what classical ballet is through the modernised looks creating costumes that arguably act as a metaphor for what ballet is becoming, a combination of long-lasting tradition and modern boundary-pushing ideas.