Beijing-based designer Xander Zhou has made a bold statement with his latest avant-garde menswear collection, dubbed “Pro A.I.Volution.”
“I wanna be a real human. I know what humans call love. I feel heartbroken,” the designer wrote in an Instagram caption.
After a three-year break, Zhou returned to the Shanghai Fashion Week runway with a collection inspired by an AI-powered future. Drawing on sci-fi themes and using new generative AI tools, Zhou’s showcase went all-in on its conceptual vision.
The collection depicted a reality where cyborgs and humanoids coexist together. Models in business attire held transparent, illuminated smartphones to their ears. They sported mechanical, reptilian tails. Audience members were dressed as researchers in white lab coats, completing the immersive experience.
Sci-Fi inspired designs @ Xander Zhou s/s ‘24; giving us a visual of a half human-half machine specie street style. pic.twitter.com/ExI6mDKV47
— 𝐒𝐀𝐅.🝮 (@italybutoncrack) October 8, 2023
This collection was on-brand for Zhou, representing the continued development of his longstanding experiments with “techno-orientalist” aesthetics. Despite the unconventional elements, the designs remain surprisingly wearable, walking the line between creativity and pragmatism.
Zhou has high hopes for the collection’s global appeal, and plans to bring it to Japan next.
Images via Instagram
