Robert Wun exhibition: 'Between Reality and Fantasy'

Hong Kong-born, London-based fashion designer Robert Wun is optimistic about the future of fashion, an outlook inspired by his role in the recent wave of social change that celebrates inclusivity within the industry. Between Reality and Fantasy, the designer’s first museum exhibition, features looks and accessories from his earliest to his latest collections, set in a contemporary installation that embodies the futurism inherent in his work.

Wun favors a narrative approach to design, embracing a global perspective that honors his heritage yet refuses preconceived notions of Asian identity. He often looks to nature to inform his work, relating the asymmetry of organic forms to the complexity of being human. In a recent collection, Wun used pleating and precise cutting to mimic the shape of a swallowtail native to his ancestral home, contrasting the delicate softness of pleated elements with layers of armor-like corsets, peplums, and harnesses. Energized by the potential of design to function as a universal language, Wun translates bold conceptual ideas into technically rigorous yet accessible garments that empower the wearer.

About the designer
Since debuting his eponymous fashion line of elaborate garments, accessories, and shoes, emerging designer Robert Wun has become a rising star in the fashion world. Wun has dressed fashion mavens Billy Porter, Solange Knowles, Lady Gaga, Lizzo, Céline Dion, Issa Rae, Tessa Thompson, and Charli XCX. His collections have been featured in Vogue, Paper, In Style, and Wallpaper. Wun has also collaborated with film director Wong Kar-wai and designed costumes for the 2015 film Hunger Games: Mockingjay.

Between Reality and Fantasy is curated by Rafael Gomes, director of fashion exhibitions.