LỰU ĐẠN‘s FW25 collection bears a blunt, yet thought-provoking title: YOU DON’T BELONG HERE. The 2021-born label founded by Vietnamese-American designer Hung La not only introduces one of the designer’s strongest collections to date but also, delivers a sincere people-powered message.
The lookbook shared on Instagram carefully describes a worker’s unseen toil, stating “In the dim glow of the shop, he works without pause, without thought and hesitation. Faith and guilt had been carved out of him long ago and discarded with the offal. He moves through the motions like a ritual, a silent worship to something unseen.”
This anonymous worker — first embodied by Errolson Hugh of ACRONYM, is dressed head-to-toe in black, wearing a latex hoodie, leather gloves, a rubber-like apron and baggy denim. Elsewhere he sports solid black base layers beneath a silver apron made of metal mesh — evoking a knight’s armor in the shape of blue-collar workwear.
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The second look shows photographer Peter Ash Lee dressed like a dapper vigilante, wearing a gaiter-balaclava hybrid and a washed denim two-piece suit. Recalling the “Zoot Suit,” a casual American menswear style worn by Black, Latino, Asian and Indigenous communities in the mid-20th century, the already oversized style is exaggerated with massive legs that drape like skirts.
Other bold silhouettes include an androgynous number consumed by a bright orange print characterized by East Asian motifs. A long parka-liner hybrid is tied like a skirt around the waist, while a form-fitting long-sleeve tee and another gaiter-balaclava complete the top half of the look.
“YOU DO NOT BELONG HERE is a tribute to all the immigrants turned outlaws, the forgotten souls and the people who have had to take matters into their own hands,” said Hung La in an official Instagram post from the brand.
The strong message echoes Willy Chavarria‘s Tarantula runway show, which debuted in Paris during the same week and even tapped La as a guest model. Chavarria’s presentation included an emotional finale advocating for the uplifting of oppressed communities.
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See the full LỰU ĐẠN FW25 collection in the gallery above.
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