Unleash the Warrior Within: JIAN YE’s Electrifying ‘SHAOLIN TONGREN 弐’ Collection Takes Techwear to New Heights

Tokyo-based designer brand JIAN YE has unveiled its 24 FW collection ‘SHAOLIN TONGREN 弐’. JIAN YE has been presenting a new theme every season for the past four years, and this collection was completed by taking inspiration from the Hong Kong film “The Eighteen Bronze Men of Shaolin Temple”. This is a concept that has continued from last season, and unlike the previous lookbook that utilized nunchakus and various martial arts poses, the slightly bizarre mask catches the eye, but the yellow set-up reminiscent of Bruce Lee shows that it has not lost the martial arts theme. This moment once again proves JIAN YE’s unique style of completing a collection that mixes various references such as biology, movies, and games based on the designer’s identity and interest in Asian culture.

The first delivery was released with the HYDRA set-up in crinkled material, the BASIC UNIT 01&02&03 utility set-up, and the ORBIT sweat-material line. What’s unique is that when you tighten the strings of the zip-up with prayer beads, the ample patterned hood covers your entire face. The BASIC UNIT was produced with a modular design that can be transformed into a mask, pocket belt, or cross-bag.

The item that consistently catches the eye in Gian Ye’s collection is definitely the mask. The mask contains anonymity and cultural context, and is used as a way to hide one’s identity while expressing it. Depending on the theme of the season, masks are produced for sale or presented in various forms such as bag masks and hood masks.

The AI-generated masks capture the symbolism of Stone Statues, which have been preserved across various countries and religions over millions of years. (Designer n00b, Jian Ye, says he personally does not have a specific religion.) Additionally, as you may have noticed, the reason why you can only find Asian models is because it represents n00b’s identity and pride as an Asian.

The main team members of Jian Ye include designer @n00bcyb0t, creative production @zaiyen.co, styling @yamakiiori, hair @hayatemaeda, sound @the2dollar, and photography @_tanase. The first delivery of this collection was released on the 14th, and the second delivery is scheduled for next month. It can be found at select shops across Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka, Shanghai Park Mall, and offline KREAM stores in Korea.

JIAN YE Official Instagram Account

Image Source | JIAN YE