From THE REINCARNATION OF MX. RIDICULOUS to the ever-evolving visions of the future, WINDOWSEN embraces the alien within.
Jump into our series featuring fresh faces who are on the way to defining the sounds and aesthetics of the, not so distant, future. The cultural revolution is happening now, and we don’t want you to miss any of it. Let’s push boundaries together.
When fantasising about the future, there’s no certainty. It’s a beyond-our-grasp realm, impossible to conquer, to define. Sensen Lii understood it soon enough, and instead of trying to chase what will be, became what it could be. In his version of reality. He called it WINDOWSEN, after the operation system Windows and his own name. The brand is a strange window into fluid dimensions, constantly in a state of flux transforming shapes, colours and silhouettes. It’s a story told from a point of view of modern aliens, living among us, obsessed with the human sense of drama and pop culture.
WINDOWSEN’s SS23 collection, THE REINCARNATION OF MX. RIDICULOUS, gives us a rare chance to admire the array of interspecies and supernatural freaks who came to the catwalk to do whatever they want, really. Strolling and slaying around the runway in out-of-this-dimension spikes, goth-siren gowns, Evangelion-like footwear and reworked bondage wear. Everything’s extra. WINDOWSEN serves over-the-top eleganza as if straight from a futuristic anime, wrestling match or a live-action Yu-Gi-Oh!. For the designer, a garment is only a part of a big imagination machinery. A spark for characters and multiverses to resurrect from the dark depths of our subconscious.
WINDOWSEN is not only one of the hottest names on the streets of New York, where the SS23 show took place but among the coolest-quirkiest cats of the creative industry: Blackpink, Madonna, Ciara, Bella Poarch and Pabllo Vittar to name-drop a few. The obsession with anything non-human, cutting off the connection with what has defined us in the past and the mania of embodying our fantasies seems recent but is old as fashion itself. Only now, we’ve got WINDOWSEN warping the idea of time travel and taking us to places beyond our imagination…
Can you talk me through the birth and evolution of WINDOWSEN so far?
Winning VFiles was the very start of the creation of WINDOWSEN, but the brand was officially founded in 2019 in China. Since then we’ve launched 3 ready-to-wear collections and a sporty-tech couture collection, encompassing lines of clothing, footwear, and accessories including bags and earrings, etc. It grows quickly, but I think WINDOWSEN is still at a very raw phase, and we have so much more to present and complete.
From the name to the aesthetics, Windowsen seems to half-exist in a digital space. What’s the role of technology in the brand’s DNA?
I am not really a big fan of ‘natural’ things that already exist in this world. Technology is a kind of knowledge created by humans that deals a lot with creation too. So indeed technology is a core of WINDOWSEN. But rather than saying the technology itself is important to the brand, it’s more the aesthetics and significance derived from technology that heavily influenced my designs.
As a graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, did the academic environment that you were in help you on the career path as a creative?
The experience really trained me to be able to work in a very intense environment, and shaped my way of working. It helps me adapt and prepare for running my brand.
Can you tell me about the concept behind your SS23 collection THE REINCARNATION OF MX. RIDICULOUS?
To me, each collection is an independent episode to tell a new story placed in the future. Our SS23 collection continues to explore the power dynamics and relationship between humankind and A.I., and also uncover the dark side of humanity. Mx. Ridiculous is a new character I imagined for the collection.
The SS23 show was like a theatre play, with models expressing their individuality and interacting with the set design. How important it is for you to experiment with the traditional form of a fashion show?
I always seek to create characters, not just garments only. Clothing is only a carrier and I need personalities to complete my looks. Or there’s not much difference in putting your garments on a mannequin. So I do casting for my shows, and most of the ‘models’ are my friends in life. Each of them is so distinctive in their way, so before the presentation, I always encourage and joke with them that ‘you can do whatever on the runway, whatever is comfortable for you’. You see they are all amazing.
WINDOWSEN is like a world in itself, filled with extraordinary creatures and operating on different rules. If your brand was a planet, how would you describe it?
I won’t describe it. I think it limits its possibilities and sets boundaries. The planet is dynamic and may change every minute every second. What exists there defines what it is.
On the catwalk, you always introduce such a vast array of characters, each with a unique story. How the process of bringing them to life looks like?
I would have a couple of very concrete images of the characters in my mind and create from them, like Mx. Ridiculous and Robot Ridiculous from the SS23. But apart from that, it’s the models who inspire me in styling and creating what’s been shown every season. When they come to fitting, I see them and I just want to dress them based on their personalities that I perceived.
Your fashion shows and designs seem to have a lot in common with games and virtual reality, both when it comes to pieces and world-building. Do you have any favourite games that influence the identity of your brand?
Moonwalker!
You use ridiculousness, avant-garde and abstract forms with such grace. How come those are the tools for translating your fashion stories?
The forms are just in my mind, and I want to translate them to life.
What’s your career highlight so far?
I believe it’s not arrived yet hahaha.
What are you working on at the moment?
New shoes and accessories for the coming year, can’t wait to show!
What do you see when imagining WINDOWSEN in the future?
I don’t usually imagine its future, but I do hope it can retain its vitality and excitement and always be inspiring.
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