Photography by Giovanni Giannoni. Courtesy of Xander Zhou
While we may have started the New Year with a lot of hope, between the devastating bushfires across Australia and the threat of World War III, that hope has quickly dwindled. Therefore, the idea that there are infinite universes where anything is possible seems quite comforting at the moment. The quantum physics theory was the premise of Xander Zhou’s AW20 Multiverse show in London on Sunday.
“If someone or something does not exist in one world then it may well do in another or in another dimension within the ‘Multiverse’.” Zhou said in a machine-generated press statement. “Something that may be a lie in this dimension could well be the truth elsewhere.”
One of the lies the Chinese designer explored on the runway were photos of faces put together by artificial intelligence, which served as pixelated prints in the collection. While the people in the images do not exist in this world, Zhou questions whether or not they exist in an alternate reality. The pixilation also extends to cheeky undergarments, which project censored nudity.
Photography by Giovanni Giannoni. Courtesy of Xander Zhou
Zhou’s show also explored the concept of split realities through asymmetrical garments and styling, creating a vision of two storylines. Between two-tone hair, mismatched eye colours and half-tanned faces, Zhou created models, which he dubbed “Homo Multiversales” that embody multiple realities. Still, while the concept came from the hypothetical theory about other worlds, the collection is also intended to touch upon our current reality.
“What I want to express is that beneath the world we see, there might be hidden layers or dimensions that are stacked onto each other,” Zhou said in an Instagram post. “And that would become visible if we cut through them, like when slicing a multilayered cake.”
Check out more shots of the quantum mechanics-inspired collection below:
Photography by Giovanni Giannoni. Courtesy of Xander Zhou