When Zoe Champion said that she and brand founder and CEO Wei Lin had gone back to PH5’s roots for spring, she wasn’t exaggerating. The designer explained that the brand is built around the factory in Dongguan that Lin’s mother, Liqin Cheng, runs, having worked her way up from an entry-level job. “A lot of times people think of Chinese factories as sweatshops, but I think deep down my mom really has a passion for knitwear and so do the people who work there,” said Lin. From the sounds of it Mrs. Cheng has created a homey atmosphere: in fact one of the season’s patterns was derived from a photograph of flowers she planted around the building; other motifs were from a nearby park where the staff like to relax.
This collection was concerned with roots both natural and cultural. A qipao-style dress and frog closures referenced traditional dress, as well as tapping into what Champion sees as a growing interest in Chinese culture. She cited the TikTok trend of “Chinamaxxing” as one example. “There’s a lot of rediscovery or discovery that’s happening at the moment,” noted Lin, who says she can’t walk anywhere without seeing a foreigner since China opened its border to many countries. “I think that really helped bridge the gap between what they thought was China or what the media portrayed as China and what China really is. People are traveling and they are seeing China with their own eyes.”
If you are looking for visibility, PH5 delivers. Because these technically marvelous no-waste garments are meant to attract attention (some even change colors in light), there is little to no gray area; you buy into the brand or not. Spring’s water lily dress, in which large and small patterns were mixed, read almost like a tapestry and was especially effective. The “mixed media” pieces (see the desirable corset with cropped wide-legged pants) were more harmonious than they have been in the past. With its bright colors, representational motifs, and signature wave hems, this brand is an eyeful.
