Who is dressing the modern day dandy?Meet the Next New designer: Junwei Lin
How to be a romantic in a digital age? Lane Crawford’s Creative Call Out Finalist and London College of Fashion alumni Junwei Lin thinks that everyone is, in their own way.
“Nobody's perfect and everybody has their own experiences. Something might have hurt you, people experience loss, everyone has their unique experiences with the people they meet and the relationships they form,” says the Xiamen native who at only 23 years old, has lived in Melbourne, London, New York and Shanghai. “I’m inspired by my own emotions at a certain moment, my own experience and comparing this with phenomenon in society and what young people are thinking.”
Often dipping into musings on human psychology and emotion, the designer’s menswear line references heritage fashion and subverts British dandyism – making it onto the pages of Schön! and GQ Magazine.
“Personally, I never wore very girly clothes, even from primary school I’ve always been into unisex clothes, shirts and such,” Lin explains, today in her hoops, tropical flowers button down shirt, and oversized corduroys from the latest collection.
Belting, utility, corduroy, contrasting plaids and pinstripe: it’s not hard to see the nods to the sophisticated men’s tailoring she fell for during her studies in London. Unafraid to also tap womenswear for men’s fashion, she makes bold new statements through inspired layering, intricate details and silhouette.
When so many others in fashion tend to chase trends with minimalism or streetwear, Lin wants to do “something that can last longer, be more timeless and more classic” whilst blending nostalgia with quirky tailoring and masculine utility.
“I’m reading books on British dandy styles, I really like cultural menswear, but my menswear can be totally worn by women too,” she smiles. “I felt like this was something I could bring to modern life!”