Windowsen’s 2021 F/W Couture was a queer & campy showcase of electronica & fashion

Much like chocolate and ice cream, electronic music and high-end fashion have always shared a close relationship. During Shanghai Fashion Week, designer Sensen Lii put everyone in awe with a theatrical and queer presentation of his brand Windowsen’s Fall/Winter Couture presentation alongside a tailor-made electronic soundtrack produced by Guangdong-born producer Rui Ho, as the two share a similar love on queer and campy presentations.

Sensen Lii has been known for his campy, racy and Lovecraftian style. Graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Lii returned to China in 2019, eager to stun the world with his talent. After working with global stars such as Rita Ora and Priyanka Chopra, he launched his own brand Windowsen. For the Fall/Winter 2021 Couture, Sensen Lii created a rather horrendous narrative with Barbie, as he staged Barbie hosting a wardrobe viewing party, only to reveal Barbie is in a deranged condition and her guests being otherworldly creatures in a modified Chinese zodiac.

The collection is vividly bubbly in electro-pop colours, blurring the construct of gender norms and boundaries with alien-themed queer and trans identities connecting to Windowsen’s metaphoric theme of mutation and extraterrestrials.

To further amplify Lii’s ambitious vision, Guangdong-born electronica producer Rui Ho contributed a five-track set that functions as the soundtrack for the fashion show. Titled 'Horror Pop Barbie', Rui sampled Aqua’s euro-pop hit 'Barbie Girl' and fused a lot of screaming and horrific laughter with heavy auto tune and vocal distortion that oozed a coquettish yet dangerous vibe, echoing RuPaul Drag Race’s catwalk anthem. The vogue-house essence shines through the pumping bass line and eerie screams, complementing the thematic glamour of Lii’s conceptual fashion show.

You can now listen to Rui Ho’s soundtrack 'Horror Pop Barbie' below to revisit the fantastical night.

[images via WWD]