At Runway 7 this September, fashion won’t just be seen – it will be heard.
This September, award-winning designer Rakee Chen returns to New York Fashion Week with a collection that doesn’t just walk – it sings.
Her newest runway experience, titled Whispering Garden, will showcase at Runway 7 on September 11 at 9 PM, in collaboration with LiberLive, a music-tech startup best known for the LiberLive C1, the World’s First-Ever Stringless Smart Guitar.
Presented at the iconic Sony Hall, the show reimagines the fashion runway as a multisensory experience, weaving together interactive music, immersive visuals, and experimental silhouettes. Each look is more than fabric – it’s layered with sound, memory, and motion.
“I wanted to create a collection that moves like a score. I see Whispering Garden as a poetic fusion of music, art, and fashion storytelling,” says Chen. “With LiberLive’s C1, we gave rhythm a body, and let emotions bloom across the runway.”
The Collaboration: A Shared Vision of Aesthetics
Rakee Chen is known for her futuristic, emotionally resonant work that blends digital tools, generative patterns, and immersive media. Her past projects have spanned from Decentraland’s Metaverse Fashion Week to features in Teen Vogue Generation Next, and her 2025 NYFW return builds on her growing reputation as a designer to watch.
LiberLive, an emerging creative music-tech force, has developed the LiberLive C1 – a sleek, sensor-based, stringless smart guitar that empowers anyone to play music through touch and emotion. Launched globally earlier this year, has already won Best of CES 2025 from Rolling Stone and Tom’s Guide, and has been described as a “technological marvel” for its ability to make music creation intuitive and expressive.
This collaboration is a natural fit – they both share a fascination with reimagining boundaries. While Chen breaks down barriers between the physical and the digital, LiberLive challenges who gets to make music, and how. Together, they found a meeting point: turning invisible emotion into wearable storytelling.
“We don’t see ourselves as just a tech company,” says a representative from LiberLive. “The C1 isn’t just a gadget – it’s a cultural symbol. We believe music should be open to everyone, not limited by skill or tradition. It’s a tool for self-expression, not just performance.”
The Project: Where Music Grows Into Fashion
Whispering Garden is more than a collection – it’s a sensory poem.
Inspired by the surrealist painting The Son of Man, the collection plays with the symbolism of the apple (desire), the butterfly (transformation), and the garden (memory and time). But unlike typical fashion shows, this runway opens with a live performance on the LiberLive C1, blending sound design and storytelling into one atmospheric gesture.
Even more remarkably, the runway soundtrack and select visual prints were generated from LiberLive C1. The instrument’s melodies were translated into abstract generative patterns, which were then integrated into the fabric designs and background video – literally letting the music leave a visual trace.
Throughout the show, LiberLive C1 will appear as part of the looks, styled as sculptural accessories, wearable tech, or symbolic instruments. The result is a show that feels less like a fashion presentation, and more like an orchestrated dream in motion – a place where sound is worn, and emotion is seen.
Beyond the Runway: A Cultural Dialogue
Whispering Garden is not just a tech demo or fashion experiment. At the center of this collaboration is a shared desire to explore how we express ourselves in a hybrid world.
“I think of Whispering Garden as a quiet conversation between music and fabric,” says Rakee. “It’s not about replacing sound, but letting it grow in a different form – like a melody that blossoms into shape.”
For LiberLive, the mission is emotional accessibility.
“You don’t need to know how to play a guitar to feel something,” says a team member. “The C1 lets you play what you are feeling at the moment, not just what you know.”
Together, they challenge us to imagine a future where self-expression is not limited by skill, and fashion is more than visual – it’s felt, heard, remembered. Whether you’re drawn to the tech, the textiles, or the tone, this is one show you won’t want to miss.
See It, and Hear It. This September
Date: September 11, 2025
Time: 9:00 PM
Venue: Runway 7 at Sony Hall, 235 W 46th St, New York
About Rakee Chen
Rakee Chen is a fashion designer and digital artist whose work explores the connection between music, storytelling, and clothing. With a background in industrial design and costume design, she combines technical precision with emotional expression to create fashion that responds to rhythm and movement.
About LiberLive
LiberLive is a pioneering music technology company founded in 2019 with a mission to liberate creativity – Their name reflects their mission: “Liberate Your Music Live.” By merging cutting-edge technology with a passion for music, LiberLive creates tools that empower everyone, regardless of skill level, to express themselves musically. With the C1 Stringless Smart Guitar, LiberLive continues to push boundaries, making music accessible, intuitive, and innovative.
Contact Info
Email: pr_global@liberlive.com
LiberLive Official Website: www.liberlive.com
Cover Image Credit
Design: Kee Design
Photographer: Simon Asher
Producer: Jennifer Woo
Hair and Makeup: Kate Giddings, Rachael Lorene Domingo, Kate Loveland
Talent: Hannah Rice, Christian Phomsouvanh
##
