The pride of Central St Martins class of 2020 was Ding Yun Zhang – a futuristic menswear designer from Beijing. “I want to collaborate with young designers to promote sustainable textile innovation” says the 25 year old graduate and this ideal has become the subject of his functional sportswear brand.
The designer is drawn to more purposeful elements rather than luxury and states that “this is what inspires (his) design for the future”.
Debuting in Fall 2020 at LFW, it was the infamous YEEZY foam runners that shed a light on the ingenious mind of Ding Yun Zhang and his creative abilities. It appears that his aesthetic is inspired by his time at YEEZY – shown through his use of muted colours and over-exaggerated silhouettes.
With his collection, he has somehow been able to transform an under-represented and underrated style of fashion and elevated it to a level that has enabled consumers to view this in a completely different light.
From his look-books, it’s clear to see that the designer is also keen to empower and bring various ethnic minorities to the forefront of his fashion. Most featuring Jordan Dunn and Deto Black modelling his chicly-inflated creations. “I want to bring awareness – through my clothes – the the experiences of different demographics and the physical and economic pressures of their environment and to donate to ethnic groups around the world in harsh environmental and economic conditions.”. To have such a young, up-and-coming and influential designer is inspirational and a credit to Ding Yun as a designer.
Written by
Shenel Wickramaratne
Instagram @shenel_w