When people think of fashion shows, they probably envision the vibrant, fast-paced environment and booming music soundtrack of a live runway show. Maybe they think of a more intimate presentation, just the press, photographers and models in a room, the carefully crafted clothes available to be seen close-up. No one thinks of clothing presented in frozen blocks of ice. But that is exactly what Central St. Martin’s graduate Samuel Yang is doing.
Yang has found himself immersed in the Los Angeles art scene. The desire to move into artwork was always something on his mind, but not something he ever put into action until after his graduation. A meeting with performance artist Milka Djordjevich forged an instantaneous connection, and the two conceptualized the idea of his SS16 presentation. The Los Angeles-based presentation will feature Yang’s clothing encased in slowly melting blocks of ice, a fashion show and also a performance piece in itself.
Yang stated that his collection revolved around rubber, and was heavily influenced by Los Angeles. Everyone is striving to achieve their perfect body in any city, but none more than Los Angeles. Rubber was the medium Yang felt best expressed this ideal because of its versatility and ability to take on any shape – much like what people are hoping to do with their bodies. Yang noted that he hopes to be able to continuously create site-specific work that touches more zones than just fashion, and doesn’t want to be limited or relegated to any boxes people might want to put him in as a London-based designer.
With this intriguing performance piece and fashion presentation in Los Angeles as his first stop, as well as his continuing work as a designer in London, Yang has all the makings of a bright future as both a clothing designer and an artist. After all, who says he can’t be both?
