Bosideng, the largest down fabric clothing brand in China, has been an innovator in outerwear technology since 1975. In recent years, it has been pushing into the world of luxury fashion.

The show’s program noted that Bosideng’s creative director, Taoray Wang, found inspiration for the brand’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection in the dystopian warrior style featured often in her children’s favorite science-fiction video games and movies. The look proved to be perfect for the brand’s venture into couture. Bosideng models were dressed inventively and protected from the elements, embodying Wang’s futuristic vision while showcasing the high-end potential of the functional textiles Bosideng was built on.

The room’s lighting turned a shade of deep purple as the show started, and drifting, ethereal piano music began playing. When the lights came up, out came the models in massive black platform combat boots and every imaginable variation of the puffer jacket.

The down material did not stop at jackets. Down was quilted into styles from on-trend corsets and cargo pants to fisherman overalls. The entire collection took full advantage of the material’s natural structure, using it to build up dramatic shoulders that appeared to defy gravity. 

On top of Bosideng’s signature material, the collection featured other futuristic textiles, including a thick fishnet weave which wrapped some models up to their noses as well as a material embroidered with shiny tassels that resembled something between feathers and tinsel. 

With leather harnesses, belts, metal buckles and excessive pockets, the details of the pieces maintained the tough spirit of the collection and exemplified Bosideng’s appreciation for the aesthetic of functional attire. 

Fashion was unfortunately eclipsed by function in the show’s color scheme, with a palette that may have been practical in Bosideng’s dystopian universe, but actually proved boring in this one. Other than some enticing holographic silvers and a few harsh pops of cobalt blue, most looks were a monochromatic, muddy brown or a shiny, beetle-bug black. 

The collection was saved from becoming repetitive by looks which remained cohesive though still deviating from the puffer coat warrior character. Wang brought an element of her own brand’s staple tailored suit into the designs of the collection.

Bosideng’s final looks featured cropped suit jackets layered over down coats, making the models’ outfits less like streetwear and more sophisticated, but nevertheless ready to survive the apocalypse.

Contact Audrey Abrahams at [email protected].