Bags and shoes by Angel Chen SS17, Junya Watanabe trousers, Ann Demeulemeester shoes

Angel Chen’s SS17 collection features some bold ass nostalgia – for a culture that’s your own, but that somehow you can’t own. Her designs cunningly drape the present over the past. She challenges the rebellious spirit with whiffs of youthful romance and delicacy for a new millennial generation whose identity is built on the internet.

The ever-looming question of ‘Is this cultural appropriation’ is once again resurrected. Borrowing and adapting and exploring and developing is a utilitarian act – to explore cultures that don’t belong to you is even more commendable. For me, the delicacy of the exploration and the curiosity that leads the thought is what truly matters. Nationalism as we know it is outdated. It’s a time to align yourself to the ideas you believe in – not people who look like you.

With roses on my sleeves and Banks in my ears, I wanna introduce you to a new Chinese designer today. Well, not a ‘new’ label in the literal sense: Lucien Wang launched his eponymous label back in 2008 (prior to that, he studied at Studio Berçot in Paris before training with Véronique Leroy).

I remember seeing a rack of desaturated goodness and beelining straight for it. There, with much splendor, hung a mishmash of AW15 and SS16: tuktuk loads of strong silhouettes, all the silver hardware the urban minimalist can just about handle, and – to my delight – a lot of black. Sufficiently purposeful, decidedly decadent, and oh so beautiful.

Wearing Lucien Wang F/W 2015 dress

Yang Li jacket, trousers and t-shirt, Converse sneakers, CHairEYES sunglasses | Photographs by Amber YangI’ve stalked the archives, I’ve trxpped over 90’s Margielas. But if there’s anyone contemporarily cool doing black its greatest justice, then it’s Yang Li. Sorry if I’ve professed/obsessed my love for his clothes all too much up here (and in IRL), but this is the kind of silhouette I’m happy to rep for life: menswear, tailored, in-n-out of proportions – black with a soul, manly with vigorous twist. Thank you Dong Liang for stocking my favorite designers, as always.

I’m back in Beijing. Stepped off a direct flight, got whirled into chaotic chaos and now I’m all sticky-sweaty, but it’s all ok because I’m finally breathing it all in (and coughing a little). I still have to head back to Vienna to get some more visa stuff done, but come August I’ll be fully settled in the Jing – if the last of the summer heatwave doesn’t get to me first. Going to keep this a short one – let’s stay updated via the gram.

Yup. That would be me. whazaaaa.

Dickies hoodie, H&M bomber jacket, & Other Stories leather boots, SUPER ‘Drew Mama’ sunglasses.