Emerging fashion brand ZIMO created its FW23 collection as a documentary that addresses the hoarding culture in the 1990s. Headed by designer Zimo Yan who celebrates Asian heritage through documentary-style visuals, the brand’s latest collection will incorporate installations that recreate scenes of the past, specifically of a hoarder’s life and living environment.
‘Hoarderism’ Documentary Fashion
For its latest collection, ZIMO used ample dead-stock materials on the garments, like vintage bed sheets, up-cycled buttons, sweaters, yarns, and its signature up-cycled pajamas. Visitors can expect a one-of-a-kind experience with a variety of installations centered around a hoarder’s life and living environment.
During the presentation, models will add layers of clothes to their outfits symbolizing how a hoarder accumulates more and more things. This performance art isn’t only meant to display the brand’s FW23 collection, but also serve as a memory for millennials and Gen Z, reminding them of their grandparents’ hoarding habits from the 90s.
The presentation will include a backroom decorated with deadstock materials, fabric scraps and multiple installations to symbolize a “hoarder’s room” behind the main stage. An elderly Asian model will sit amidst those installations and crochet small gifts for guests. This will help depict the real environment of a hoarder’s daily life.
Zimo
Merging Fashion With History and Social Commentary
Making waves as one of the most promising young fashion designers, Zimo Yan founded her label ZIMO under the motto “We the visions,” which stands for “We observe, we document, and we present.” Yan considers her label a “fashion documentary,” and leverages her platform for social commentary. Using garments and accessories, she highlights contradictions in modern society and the evanescence of culture amidst an increasingly globalized world.
Through her brand, she hopes to shine a light on the past and celebrate nostalgia. Many of her collections incorporate deadstock like upcycled pajamas and old towels obtained from Asian elders. By repurposing materials and creating modern silhouettes, ZIMO proves that old textiles can not only be useful but also stylish again.
With a nod to contemporary Asian youth, the brand combines traditional and modern elements that create a unique genre and look, one that allows all genders to express themselves in a fashion-forward way.
About ZIMO
Zimo Yan launched her first collection, “Sense of Control,” during her final year at The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). In 2017, she received the CFDA+ Design Graduate and IDA Design Award for her namesake collection.
Aside from the 2017 SCAD annual fashion show, her work has been featured in some of the world’s leading fashion magazines, platforms, and organizations, including Vogue, BoF, Hint Magazine, CFDA, Eyes on Talents, and more. She previously worked at Proenza Schouler, Prabal Gurung, and Phillip Lim in NYC. Yan has also gained work experience in Shanghai. In 2021, she launched her unisex label ZIMO.
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With love,
FWO
