Michael Yuxiao Zhang
Dorveille
email: michaelyxz@gmail.com
Musing upon queer poetry, art and childhood recollections through a blend of couture cuts, drapes and scale, this collection highlights absurdity within classism by peering into a world of my own reverie. In creating this narrative dreamscape, I explore themes of my experiences with conversion therapy and the notions of freedom and inclusivity through garments as objects of allusion.
By questioning garments as objects of upwards mobility, this collection hopes to deconstruct sartorial structures of status and class, connecting the hopeful and transformative qualities of narrative based fashion as manners of celebration, musal inspiration and a boundless communal force.
This lookbook is shot by Lisa Wang and features friends and family as a celebration of my community.
Designer: Michael Zhang
Lead Assist: Annika Luo
Design assist: Gigi Wong
Jiaxun Li
Styling consultant: Mai Toyoshima
Creative consultant: Gabrielle Leow
Photography: Lisa Wang
Videography: Alex McDowell
Cast: Xoai Pham
Mai Toyoshima
Katherine Nie
Junnan Wu
Jamee Riddle
David Hand
Tom Baker
Lisa Wang
Hair: April Andreu
Olivia Mairéad
Makeup: Jonathan Logan
Valentina Prensena
Production assist: Amanda Buschmann
Lighting/gaff: Chris Kitchen
BTS photography: Nuala Vizard
Sound production: Santino Jordan
Set fabrication: Stefano Pagani
Location Scout: Emma Chiyoko
Thank you to my incredible team, thank you Annika, Gigi and Jiaxun for being there for me during the entirety of this process. To Mai and Gabrielle, thank you for being a source of inspiration and reflection.
Thank you to my models and family for bodying and bringing each garment to life, for being so dedicated to fittings and to this celebration of community.
To my professors Lyn and Neil, without whom this collection would not have been possible, thank you for pushing me and for believing in me, my hopes and my vision.
Thank you to my lookbook and editorial team, without whom this project would not have come to reality.
And finally, thank you to my photographer and muse, Lisa, you have stood by me from the beginning. I am beyond honored to have been able to work with you on creating the world from conception to realisation.
Bio
Michael Yuxiao Zhang is an Australian designer who aims to challenge sartorial notions of class through reverie as a means of community. Designing with playful irreverence and always a wanting to seek for the musal and hopeful, his body of work explores themes of intersectionality through the fantastical. Championing design as a possibility for all identities, he hopes to celebrate his community and allow fashion to speak towards a future where garments denoting past systems of class and mobility no longer hold precedence. Having gained practice at Proenza Schouler, Bach Mai and on the editorial team at Vogue Australia his design explores possibilities of combining couture craft and accessibility for gender inclusive design.
email: michaelyxz@gmail.com