August 22 2022, London – Following a muted opening act titled ‘GENTLE LIVING’, the cinematic menswear studio further addresses human sentience. Through dusky hues, poetic music and tactile sensations, SHEK LEUNG continues to nimbly blend his crafts in filmmaking and cloth-making in the SS23 Collection. Noticing his family’s hours dedicated towards bringing motion pictures alive, it is unsurprising that he developed great affinity for cinematic tones. Emotional granularity is emphasised with blurred, grainy textures, forming a cohesive link between both primitive media. 

ACT II: A BREATH OF FRESH NOISE is an interplay between power and fragility. It retains the essence of overlooked raw moments and noise, in collaboration with artisanal milliner and shoemaker. Each piece arose as a result of years spent at Central Saint Martins, where he studied his BA and MA Fashion. After honing an eye for fine garment details and their interactions, Leung was drawn to create speckled textures of noise by hand, embedding them in his self-made fabric. He experimented with varying tonal thread arrangements and deploying cover-stitch techniques (which are traditionally used for garment finishings) across entire pieces, sublimating imperfections.

And he said, ‘until I die there will be sound’.

His latest collection expresses tranquil sensuality with translucent facades and subtle interlocking patches. He invites the burdened to come as they are, collectively marching on with style. This ensemble of unapologetic candour is fittingly complemented by an original track by Hong Kong based musician, Olivier Cong, exclusively composed for this collection. Fragmented individuals are to re-harness themselves, demonstrating resilience. For instance, his imagery of bolt-struck clothing acknowledges the ephemeral brevity of life - when meek pasts are reconciled with grace, it evinces a profound understanding of growth.

It was the simple, driven men who preferred unfiltered thoughts, that formed SHEK LEUNG’s muse. His choice of voile sheer fabricates the bygone times - resembling workmen flaunted wearing undergarments in public, solely due to its pragmatic comfort. In consideration of wearability, asymmetric drapes are made detachable and adorned with muted colours. Inspired by Mark Rothko, viewers, too, can own and be empowered by intense emotions.

Leung’s new collection continues to revolve around the desire to live organically, hence it particularly appeals to those who yearn to be tapped by breathing noises, capturing fleeting moments. His signature 3D socks feature neatly twisted, frailed edges, as the garment is to wrap around the wearer of the sculpture, giving life to one’s character, much like in film.

‘Nothing virile, nothing tender, nothing completely sane;
a superfluity of extreme sensibility, of delight in beautiful forms’

- The Fleshly School of Poetry: Mr. D. G. Rossetti. By Thomas Maitland (Contemporary Review 1871)

Perhaps life itself, longs to develop into an allegorical film of asynchronous critiques.

It acts as a darkroom, housing artful ripostes between the inspired, like Buchanan and Rossetti.


Leung believes all should welcome their innate, quaint auras to dwell in them. He cherishes the diminished noises at the crossroads of textile innovation and self-initiated film shoots. Leung proceeds as he distils past practices alongside Proenza Schouler and Burberry, stripping back to the core of human spirit. SS23 is a call for all to return and naturalise oneself. Our surroundings may be crude at times, but we may live as if we are merely in moving images. It seems this humble studio has formed a muffled message, garnering attention from further afield.

Revel in the woven intricacies of SHEK LEUNG’s fabric, vulnerably entwined with film. His works can be found physically in Paris Fashion Week and virtually in Shanghai Fashion Week, this September.