Designer Yan Zhang founded SUNCUN in 2015 and is an advocate for intangible cultural heritage.

For Spring/Summer 2027, Suncan turned inward, blurring the boundaries between reality and reverie. DREAMS BORNE ON THE WIND draws on ancient poetry and the philosophical tale of 庄周梦蝶 (Zhuang Zhou’s Dream of the Butterfly). In the tale, Zhuang Zhou wakes from a dream in which he was a butterfly, then wonders whether he might instead be a butterfly dreaming of being Zhuang Zhou. At the collection’s heart is a meditation on transformation: the shifting nature of identity, perception, and reality.

The runway opened in the waking world with relaxed, everyday dressing. It featured slouchy tailoring in a tonal palette of clay, sage, blue, and grey, with pops of colour from the accessories. As the collection unfolded, this grounded ease gave way to transformation.

Fluid tailoring, floor-skimming silhouettes, sheer organza, and layers of lace evoked the weightlessness of wind. Translucent 3D butterfly appliqués captured the fragility of dreamlike memories. Dense beadwork and Mandarin collars were set against nonchalantly worn, delicately embroidered belted blazers with exaggerated lapels. Rather than translating Eastern imagery literally, the collection distilled its emotional and philosophical essence. Wind became a metaphor for movement and for the unseen forces we can neither hold nor predict. Dreams offered a space for desire, memory, and possibility. Jewel tones were set against black and white looks, using light, shadow, transparency, and silhouette to play with illusion and perception. Together they evoked an Eastern understanding of transience and the changing fortunes of worldly life.

The show unfolded as an emotional journey, shifting from stillness to movement, from the tangible to the imagined, and from waking life into the dream. At its emotional peak, a sculptural ivory crinoline gown with gold floral embellishment gave the collection its most literal moment of flight. Its voluminous skirt caught the air mid-stride like a wing unfurling.

Life is fleeting. The wind keeps moving. The dream remains.

Images provided by PR Agency: Dyelog PR