Uma Wang Dress White 08

A bit about the designer: Born Wang Zhi in Hebei, China, she studied in Shanghai at Donghua University and at Central Saint Martins. Wang formed her own label in 2009 and became the first Chinese designer to show on the European fashion calendar, paving the way for others, and in 2022 became a member of La Chambre Syndicale de la Mode Feminine.

Presented digitally, Wang’s spring 2023 collection, like many others, was inspired by the possibility of travel following lockdowns, and the force and magnetic pull of nature. The designer experienced that firsthand during a recent visit to North Africa.

The neutral palette conjured the serene eternity of desert sands; coffee dye gave an earthiness to some of the materials. The second look was created from one length of a metal and cotton fabric that resembles tree bark. Sheer nylon was used, said Wang on a call, to evoke “a white cloud in the sky.” Just as Wang harnessed different natural elements—sky and earth, for example—so she combined menswear touches with soft draping, flou, and structure.