Uma Wang delights in imperfections, whether it’s the wilted petals of poppies in late summer, or the crumbling 16th-century stone walls in her Verona garden, just off the Piazza Bra.
She took a photo of the latter, and was delighted anew when one of her Italian fabric developers came back with a rumpled, patchwork-like linen-blend fabric that approximated a worn texture that comes alive with light and shadows.
“I’m crazy about it. I will also use it for my women’s collection in October,” she enthused, fingering the sleeve of an unstructured, band-collared sports jacket from her spring men’s collection, inspired by the rugged, working wardrobe of the late American photographer and artist Peter Beard.
In her press notes, she called it “the look of the man who has seen too much to care about a perfect crease.”
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Wang also leaned into viscose and Cupro this season, lending her unstructured tailoring a distinctive drape, luster and ease associated with Giorgio Armani, whom Wang respected immensely.
Hers is a distinctive voice in fashion, too, and she doesn’t hold back on out-there fabric experimentations. One of her beige suits in a meaty herringbone linen looked like it was dragged on the floor of a greasy garage, and then used as a drop cloth as a gallery got a fresh lick of white paint.
Some of her garment-dyed cotton garments looked like they’ve seen decades of heavy labor, which is why she developed a hangtag to explain that “color differences and surface inconsistency are part of the product’s originality, character and hand-made quality.”
“I don’t like perfect,” she shrugged.
Still, the Shanghai-based designer is opening up her soulful fashion universe to younger customers who appreciate the workwear vibe — minus the wear, tear and grime.
To wit: Crisper versions of her multi-pocket Beard gear came in fresh, summery colors. They also oozed character.
