Left: Robert Wun's Spring/Summer 2017 collection. Right: Robert Wun in his studio. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
After fears in recent years that London was losing its luster as a capital city in the fashion world, following an exodus of brands that went to show their products in the rival cities of New York and Paris, the British capital is back on the map.
Worries started when Alexander McQueen moved its show from London to Paris in 2002. Stella McCartney, daughter of British music legend Paul McCartney, also shows her eponymous brand in the French capital.
And an unwritten consensus started to form: Ambitious designers seeking international recognition had to go to New York, Milan, or Paris.
Even the timing of London's fashion week, awkwardly squeezed between those held in New York and Paris, did not help the British capital.
But, despite the concerns, London has defied skeptics and, rather than fading in significance, cemented its status and, to some extent, edged out the other three.
This year London's autumn catwalk shows start on Friday.
In addition to traditional stalwarts, such as Burberry, London's fashion scene has bounced back because it has become a magnet for young and original designers who want to unsettle the industry's hierarchy.
Among them is 25-year-old Robert Wun, who, like so many London-based fledging designers, defies preconceptions.
Sporting a casual black T-shirt and jeans with long, curly bob, Wun looks like a London version of Alexander Wang.
One might assume he too would take his inspiration from street styles in the way 32-year-old Wang built his brand as the ambassador of America's young and sporty chic.
But when Wun speaks, his received pronunciation and out-of-the-box ideas jolt you into realizing he is not, and does not want to be, anyone else.
Asked whether he is street-style savvy, his beaming expression dims and is followed by a clear-cut "no".
"Trends are not what I care about," he says.
Instead, he questions the obsession with "being trendy", saying it stops people from understanding the true value of clothes – the stories behind them.
