New York City – Designer C.T. Liu revealed his C+plus SERIES Autumn/Winter 2021 collection with a digital show. Inspired by Sigmund Freud’s concept of the id, ego and super-ego within psychoanalytic theory that describes the activities and interactions of the mental life of a person – where that mental life is the function of an apparatus to which we ascribe the characteristics of being extended in space – Liu creates a narrative within the A/W21 collection based on this imaginative psycholog- ical scenery of an extended space.
Liu explores how the inner empty life form, the non-conscious organism, is made up of the id, ego and super-ego in an extended space through his signature modern lens. It is an apt concept for the designer who founded C+plus SERIES in 2018 on the foundation of exploring simplicity without over-complication, while elaborating on the quality of each item with experimental de- sign elements that are at once special, versatile, feminine and modern.
He continues the brand language of modern and strong silhouettes for A/W21 by crafting silhouettes in bold and vibrant colors that represent “self-consciousness and awakening”. Cut with romantic fabrics, there is a balance of natural instinct and the possibility of self-selection, while retaining neutral elements and simple silhouettes to pursue the essence of the true ego. Soft and sturdy fabrics alike are twisted and gathered with deceiving wearability, function and exper- imentation. Deconstruction techniques applied to pleated skirts are also meant for daily wear to try and break through tamed routine and cognition, exploring the awakening of the super-ego. Throughout, elevated design elements such as layering and playful asymmetry underscore an alluringly confident and subversive approach to empowering everyday design. – GM