Shuting Qiu Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear Collection

“I dressed up everyday to go to school,” said Shuting Qiu on a Zoom call. Sixty days of lockdown in Shanghai didn’t sway her from that habit. “I still like to dress up, I think it’s the fun of fashion,” said the designer. A glimpse at her fall 2022 collection, which is bursting with color, texture, and mad mixes of fabric, is proof of that.

Noting that many of her friends spent quarantine in casual sportswear, Qiu has made her first version of a hoodie, half of which is floral faux fur. It’s not something that could do double-time in the gym. In a similar vein, she collaborated with Uggs, reimagining the comfy boots by changing their soles and height, and glamming up the outers with hand-sewn sequins. Wide-leg jeans with snazzy side stripes are about as casual as this collection gets.

In another life the designer might have been a painter. While she’s chosen to focus on fashion, she still begins each collection by putting paint to canvas, assembling collages, and crafting sculptures that help her define the palette and shapes. The most dramatic silhouette is a rounded plaid bolero trimmed with “fur.” Its colors and party mood were influenced by the work of the New York artist Florine Stettheimer. Qiu said she felt a connection with Stettheimer’s palette and style, which she described in the collection notes as ‘faux naïf’ and ‘rococo subversive.’ ”

Qiu used to travel to collect inspiration; these days she’s discovering it closer to home, where she’s started working with local artisans. More than half of the pieces are made using deadstock fabrics, many of which have been embroidered (see the sunflower dress) and sequined. To temper the ebullient femininity of her designs, Qiu contrasts floral and lace patterns with “masculine” stripes and plaids. An example of this is a Prince of Wales check that’s embroidered with flowers, and has puffed plaid sleeves. Not something a minimalist would fall for, but what reads as “busy” to one person can be beautiful to another. These clothes have so much get-up-and-go energy that fans will likely invent occasions to wear them to rather than passively waiting for an occasion to arise.