Kim Shui's Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Was A Deconstruction Of Identities

At a Park Avenue venue in the Upper East Side, a line of showgoers to Kim Shui’s Fall/Winter 2025 runway show wraps around the corner. The line moves quickly and one is transported to a large ballroom with a huge intricate glass chandelier hanging quite low. Soon the filler music quiets as the show begins with a roaring track and the lights flickering on the chandelier. Models begin to descend onto the runway.

Immediately a theme of sensuality is present on the runway with models dressed in textured suiting, suit dresses, and matching power sets. These pieces are a subversive play on masculinity, creating a blank canvas for the body’s identity to be deconstructed and reconstructed all at once. Shui’s influence from artist Monica Bonvicini is seen on the runway in the form of her leather belts and handcuffs, a motif that fits into the brand universe with ease. Western wear and Chinese embroidery are prevalent in the collection with “K” adorned bolero ties around collared necks, fur trimmed jackets and cowboy shaped fur hats. Qipao collars adorn jackets and tops as a nod to Shui’s heritage while the serpentine shaped fur trims of two snakes embracing symbolize renewal, as it’s the year of the snake. Speaking of, snake print is utilized in a way that isn’t on-the-nose on the structured pants and a strapless leather dress.

Femininity and masculinity merge as one in this collection seamlessly with lace and leather materials being used interchangeably. Color schemes of bright reds, deep greens, black, brown furs, and white continue throughout the collection. It seems fur is here to stay for another season with a model wearing nothing but a brown oversized fur coat down the runway.  Accessories such as the butt bag, a round shaped bag worn around the waist, was a cheeky addition to the collection while other “K” logo’d belts cinched in waists dramatically. 

Kim Shui’s FW25 pieces invited onlookers to question norms through a deconstructed lens that leaned on subversiveness rather than overt messaging. This led to pieces being constructed in an authentic way to showcase Shui’s design codes while implementing an element of the symbolism and touches of her cultures colliding.