Cultural Revolution unisex chic from Chinese fashion designers in New York
Qi Wang and Chenghui Zhang explain how being based in the US allows them to make social commentary, through clothes, on issues that would be controversial in China
What’s the concept behind Social-Work? Qi Wang: “Back in the ’60s, in China, everyone wore uniforms. Uniform meant unisex – everyone was the same. Living during the Great Cultural Revolution also meant that you weren’t looked at as an individual: you worshipped the government and you were employed by the government as a group. The concept of not being defined by gender, in particular, is rooted in all of our designs.”
Why call your brand Social-Work? Chenghui Zhang: “We put a lot of emphasis on workers’ rights and production transparency. Each of our garments has a specific label and code that you can search on our website and it will tell you who made it, where it was made and how long it took. The name also bears a connotation of China and reflects that we are part of a movement and conversation about our culture and community.”
What was the inspiration behind the spring/summer 2019 collection? Zhang: “We referenced two contrasting social and political changes: the youth-oriented counterculture movement in the West and the Great Cultural Revolution in China.
“We were fascinated by how they both happened at the same time in history on opposite sides of the world. In the West, there was freedom, a boom of new lifestyles and fashion. In China, the importance of individualism was undermined and there was a national right, enveloping the people in a kind of terrorism.”
