Yu Mei invites you to tonight’s digital debut of its Spring Summer 21/22 collection ‘UNDER THE SAME SUN’. It’s a significant day for Yu Mei—today the brand launches a new direct to consumer channel into Australia via a new shoppable runway concept. And that’s not all—Yu Mei’s partnership with global luxury website FARFETCH is set to go live.
‘UNDER THE SAME SUN’ examines the present moment with optimism and ease, showcasing a riotous accord of sunny day colours—a Crayola-hued blue and a solar-powered yellow, grounded by rich cocoa tones and a signature khaki green. After all, there is comfort in leaning into the current season’s chaos while knowing that we’re all under the same sun.
Styled by Sebastian Hunt, Fashion Quarterly goes behind the scenes ahead of tonight’s debut.
Read on for exclusive insights into Hunt’s styling of the digital presentation, debuting 8 pm tonight at yumeibrand.com.
SaveMart sourcing
Leaning into the Y2K low-rise look—complete with bare midriff—stylist Sebastian Hunt took a sustainable approach for Yu Mei’s Spring Summer 2021 video campaign. Venturing to his local SaveMart, Hunt sourced a range of tonal and oversized men’s suiting pieces in grey, brown, and beige.
As founder Jessie Wong explains, giving another lease of life to garments already available and in circulation was a natural fit for Yu Mei. “With our work supporting the Wellington City Mission last year, I saw directly how shopping second hand supports the community. For us, we want our production and everything we do to have as little of an [environmental] impact as possible, in line with our mission to become a regenerative brand”, says Wong.
And with Yu Mei’s successful circularity programme, the Buyback Initiative, entering its third year, Yu Mei plans to release its roadmap to regeneration in early 2022.
Playful yet powerful
“I wanted the models to look powerful. We dressed them in these masculine shapes but edited them to offer something more playful. They’re strong, but they don’t take themselves too seriously. We went for neutral brown and grey tones in the clothing so that the focus would be on the bright primary colours of the bags”, says Hunt.
Lucy
For Lucy’s look, the miniskirt was a former pair of pants that Adrian (Yu Mei’s Head of Design and Production) cut and stitched into a skirt. Lucy is pictured with the Yu Mei ‘Ch’lita’ bag in ‘beech’.
Rune
Hunt took a men’s shirt, cropped it at the bust, and stitched the bottom onto a miniskirt (formerly trousers) for Rune’s look. He chose a tonal thrifted blazer and added a crop underneath the shirt. Because the blazer was oversized, Adrian added a few stitches in the back to give it a flattering shape. Rune’s look was completed with the Yu Mei ‘Ch’lita’ bag in ‘cocoa’.
Ella
Ella’s look is Hunt’s favourite. He took a men’s suit and cropped the blazer, so it sits on the bust, adding a split to the inside trouser seams so that they scrunch over the boots. Hunt paired the look with the Yu Mei ‘Braidy’ bag in ‘sunshine’.
Charlotte
“I put Charlotte in beige because the earthy tones work well with her hair”, says Hunt.
Charlotte wears thrifted trousers and a blazer, a brown crop, and terracotta-coloured bike shorts. The belt is Yu Mei—previously seen at the AW21 Digital Runway Presentation. Charlotte is pictured with the Yu Mei’ Scrunchie Vi’ bag in ‘Sunshine’, and she switches it out for a ‘Ch’lita’ bag in ‘scorched Sienna croc’ for the runway presentation.
The finer details
“This blue [Yu Mei’s ‘matisse blue’] had to be paired with brown. The strap detail is fun, so I kept the look clean with just a pencil skirt that Yu Mei made for their last Runway video and a thrifted blazer. This one is all about the bag [Yu Mei’s ‘Suki’ clutch]”, says Hunt.
Made-up
The makeup brief was neutral with dewy skin, which Yu Mei’s make-up artist, Jade Spencer, nailed. Spencer is pictured applying touch-ups to models Christine and Ayan on set.
Watch the live premiere of Yu Mei’s Digital Runway Presentation from 8 pm on Thursday 28 October at yumeibrand.com.
