Dingyun Zhang.
DingYun Zhang is blowing up. Literally. Down. Padded. Puffer. Call it what you want, but the 25-year-old Chinese designer, with just one formal collection under his belt, has taken the world by storm with his elements-proof puffed-up gear. Just as the pandemic was hitting Europe, Zhang made his debut at Central Saint Martins’ MA show in February 2020 with a collection of oversized hooded puffer jackets layered up with baggy nylon trousers and polar fleece sweatshirts. It was ominously well timed. A month later, we were all seeking protective solace in what we wear. Haven’t we all wanted to have a ‘Bye, world…’ moment and hibernate at length in a big puffer duvet coat at some point in the last two years?
Zhang may not have had continent-crossing infectious diseases in mind when designing his collection, but it is the reality of the natural environment – specifically, the harsh winters of his birthplace of Nei Mongol and later his hometown of Beijing – that first drew him to clothes as a form of protection. ‘What interests me the most about outerwear is the need to shield the wearer from different extreme conditions. From a young age, I was exposed to many ancient Mongolian ethnic garments, such as the terlig [a type of coat] and gutals [a type of boot] which left a deep impression on me. For a long time now, I have been exploring how garments cope with extreme weather conditions, conducting research into how different cultures deal with harsh and extreme weather conditions.’ It’s not lost on Zhang that his primary audience on Instagram are for the most part Hypebeast kids who may not actually need a high-performance puffer jacket to survive sub-zero temperatures. Rather, they are collectors of dopeness – something that Zhang can also relate to, given that his initial gateway into fashion was actually through fervent sneaker culture. ‘Sneakers to me were a kind of museum object; I treasured them to the extent where I couldn’t even bring myself to wear them. While my classmates were all into Pokémon cards, I would sketch sneakers I saw on billboard advertisements and share them with my friends. I realised it was these small elements of hype culture in my world that helped shape and define the lens I design through. Once you get into collecting, you kind of get a sense of what works.’
The cult of hype surrounding Zhang’s work might also have something to do with a guy called Ye. During the second year of his MA course at Central Saint Martins, Zhang was tapped to work for Yeezy, beginning with bomber jackets and eventually instigating key sneaker designs for the behemoth brand. Zhang may not have put out many things bearing his own name but by the time he graduated, many had already been buying into his design imprint. Alongside developing the Ding Yun Zhang label, he continues to play a key role in shaping Yeezy. ‘Now I’m in a place where Ye trusts that I’ll be able to execute his vision on a bigger scale with more projects. I’m given the freedom to take certain liberties with projects I’m involved in, and I really appreciate that I have the opportunity to do so, especially with something as big as Yeezy. Working with Yeezy also helped bring out new ideas and ways of thinking I didn’t know I had within myself previously.’
While Zhang acknowledges the impact of social media and the Yeezy association on his profile, he tries to play down the hype and instead sees the sudden attention on his work as ‘a classroom discourse’ – an online dynamic discussion that just so happens to be about extreme outerwear. ‘I think Instagram is a very cool way for people to engage with my work in real time. I get to see the types of people that the things I make resonate with and who really responds to my idea of fashion. It has helped me understand who and what I’m designing for if I really pay attention.’ And yet Zhang isn’t going to tailor his designs for an audience or be dictated by likes as he throws artistic curveballs in the air. Look to his inflated human toadstool ensemble, conceived by surreal creative-direction duo Rottingdean Bazaar and photographer Annie Collinge – an unexpected use of Zhang’s skills. ‘I can either align with feedback or choose to work in a different direction to what people perceive my art to be.’
The duality of Zhang’s work is that on one level you have CL and Rihanna clamouring to wear his extreme pieces, while the words ‘functionality’ and ‘performance’ are emphasised time and time again, although not in the way certain workwear designers use them as sartorial virtue signals. By dealing with the outer edges of extreme performance under extreme conditions, the visual outcome is… well, extreme. ‘I’m inspired by the idea of obscuring the line between different types of functional clothing by creating pieces that can satisfy different aspects of life. For example, for my Moncler Genius collection, I was inspired by the way ice-fishing tents, paddling pools and life jackets can be inflated in aquatic environments; I combined these elements with forms of spineless sea creatures. Each piece can be standalone as a sculpture that comes alive when they are put on the human body, creating a form that combines our worlds together.’
The matter of the environment is also key. When Zhang talks about sustainability, it’s not a throwaway buzzword but an actionable way of working. ‘The human cost of fashion is often overlooked along the supply chain. I collaborated with factories that have regulations on safe conditions for garment workers, and an adequate quality of life.’ The same approach extends to materials innovation, the real newness nirvana of fashion, where changes are coming fast: Zhang is part of the new generation of designers to actually implement those changes. ‘I’d like to develop my textiles research to a level that can benefit the wider fashion industry, reducing the waste and pollutants of conventional nylons. I’ll put my efforts into researching biodegradable textiles with the properties of nylon, for the protection of the wearer from harsh environments and for functional transportation.”
The debut of the Ding Yun Zhang name may have emerged at the beginning of a pandemic, but during these tumultuous times the designer has managed to rack up an impressive array of collaborations, from Birkenstocks to the New York label Area to his very natural partnership with Moncler for their Genius project. With each project, as well as his ongoing work with Yeezy, Zhang is collating insight and experience to develop a standalone Ding Yun Zhang brand. He hopes it will encompass not just performance apparel but also footwear and lifestyle. But there’s another world awaiting us, one where Zhang’s vision could go into new dimensions and truly explode beyond physical boundaries and material sustainability. ‘It would definitely be cool to see my work land in places like the Metaverse. There’s some interesting ways my work can be interpreted that wouldn’t be limited to things like body-type and proportion, hurdles I have to overcome in real life during fittings. I would like to think that my work offers a new dimension for people to express themselves.’
For now, Zhang is still working in a world of closed borders, unsure waters and an unsteady climate. But there’s mettle in all that aerated nylon. It’s not hyped hot air that’s blowing Zhang’s work up. It’s a resilient self-belief that’s rarely seen in someone so young. ‘Once you graduate, the roadmap gets a little more tricky because suddenly you’re uprooted from this routine of having classes, which you’ve had for most of your life. When the demand for my work became more apparent, I really had to shift my focus and dial in on how to really make everything happen in a way that’s sustainable. There were times when things got overwhelming, but I had to maintain a sense of purpose. I knew I couldn’t turn my back on the path I’d set myself on; I knew that I’m positioned here for a reason.’
