Since triumphantly claiming a VFILES Runway Show award at New York Fashion Week in 2016 for her Fall/Winter 2026 collection, Kim Shui from Downtown New York City has consistently challenged the norms within womenswear. For the upcoming Fall/Winter 2025 season, Shui is particularly dedicated to challenging our deeply ingrained perceptions and conditioned responses, inviting us to re-evaluate established power dynamics and conventional ideas of self-image and relationships.
Shui extended invitations to an impressive gathering, which included Joey Bada$$ and SAINt JHN among others, to a luxurious ballroom situated on the Upper East Side. The room was adorned with a grand crystal chandelier in the center, surrounded by a symmetrical arrangement of seats. The designer’s Fall/Winter collection for 2021 featured 43 looks, aimed at delving into the balance between “sensuality and self-control through texture and shape.” The show notes hinted at an immersive experience that would take attendees on a “visual and tactile expedition, touching upon themes of autonomy, control, and resistance.
Inspired by Monica Bonvicini’s artistic approach to leather belts and handcuffs, Shui chose pleather as her “tool for transformation.” This material is prevalent throughout the collection, appearing laser-cut, fringed, draped, shredded, and distressed, encouraging viewers to see it in a fresh light and challenging its conventional links with power and toughness. The theme behind the entire range is reflected in Shui’s use of oversized silhouettes and textured materials, which challenge traditional perceptions of power and sensuality.
Shui blends her Chinese background with Western influences, combining elements such as fake fur cowboy hats and bolo ties with Qipao collars and traditional Chinese embroidery. The symbol of renewal and transformation, the snake, is incorporated into this vibrant collection too. It appears on elegantly tailored dresses where lace and faux fur are intertwined to resemble two snakes, as well as several pieces featuring snakeskin prints.
Following traditional Shui aesthetics, her keen eye for detail is remarkable, extending even to the intricate elements of the collection, such as the provocative and thought-provoking leather bags shaped like butts, which add a striking finishing touch to the overall presentation.
As the show concludes, each of the 43 ensembles invites a fresh perspective on the emblems that shape our identities. By offering an enticing glimpse into themes of “independence” and “self-determination”.
Explore Kim Shui’s Fall Winter 2025 collection in the runway images above and take a look backstage with photographer Sarah Schecker below.
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2025-02-09 07:26