NY Fashion Week Review: Mukzin

Co-founded by Kate Han and George Feng in 2014, Mukzin is a Huangzhou-based brand/, whose goal is to reconnect a younger Chinese generation to their roots by modernizing traditional Chinese design and couture. When attending their first-ever New York Fashion Week show, you could tell that Mukzin attracted a demographic beyond their young Asian clientele- I spotted white girls with glitter makeup in a Mike Tyson style. This was one of the first observations I made while sitting and looking around the room- there existed diversity not only in style but also in the people themselves. This diversity translated over to the runway. The brand did their due-diligence in figuring out what kind of models to use for their runway. It is understandable that the brand used Asian models for the majority of the runway, but they also used models of color. Although this should not be pointed out as the use of colored models should be normalized, it feels as though another designer would perhaps stick to using the same white models if it was their first time presenting in New York. This might be why the brand gained traction. Han even credits this idea for the brand’s success: “If you just use a dragon or a phoenix to represent Chinese culture, I think it’s narrow-minded.” She’s spitting Fendi Facts!

Now, to the main event - the clothes. The brand’s mission statement was pretty simple: promote Chinese cultural heritage while adding their own modern twist. The inspiration for this season was Dreams of The Red Chamber, one of the four great novels of classic Chinese literature. The novel is set in the Qing dynasty, where style focused on the prominence of wealth through the adornment of elaborate robes, a theme sprinkled throughout Mukzin Fall-Winter 20. Han, the designer, was able to simultaneously incorporate parts of the Ming Dynasty as well: different hair braiding styles, clothing material and style. The princesses of the Ming Dynasty would often wear hand warmers, a piece seen frequently on the models. Another recurring accessory was chain veils. If not over the top, the accessories were quite minimal and suited the models well.

Most of the women’s looks boiled down to traditional Chinese gowns and Qipaos, but with a modern twist; for example, a Qipao would have diagonal zips giving it a sporty look. The gowns were light and flowy and traditionally layered with Mukzin's own rendition of a work jacket. In an interview with JingDaily, Han mentioned that the embroidery was done by former members of the Qing Dynasty- keeping the authenticity of the culture despite the brand spinning and modernizing it.

Even after winning Asian Pioneer brand of the year in 2017, the founders are ambitious and know that the brand can one day reach a global audience. Personally, I enjoyed the show and the clothes. As far as versatility, I don’t know how long the brand can sustain itself before running out of ideas and repeating the same pieces.

I can’t wait to see regular people wear their clothes!

Photos: Courtesy of Mukzin