Bad Binch TONGTONG SS24 showed at New York Fashion Week last Friday, and it was straight out of another dimension. As is to be expected from Terrence Zhou’s NYC-based brand, Bad Binch TONGTONG did the most for SS24, discarding the conventional style runway for a choreographed dance presentation performed by models with elongated alien heads.
The show was set inside the Tribeca Synagogue in NYC against the backdrop of its impressive, curved interior wall, where instead of walking up and down a runway, models were choreographed into a hypnotic dance sequence by renowned choreographer, Stefanie Nelson. Known for her fluid, expressive, and provocative works, Nelson’s choreography was actually intended to reflect Creative Director Terrence Zhou’s emotional journey: the struggle between the known and unknown, and a conclusive surrender to the universe – an acceptance of something bigger.
And in this scenario, the “something bigger” that Zhou wants us to accept is the existence of aliens, or rather Zhou’s interpretation of the extraterrestrial form. The collection itself portrayed this through a series of ballooning, tentacled ensembles, with faceless animal heads, dragging skirts, and looming claws held up by their wearers. In fact, there were nods to the extraterrestrial throughout, from the bulbous shapes of the models’ heads to the strange silhouettes of Zhou’s garments.
Impressive silhouettes and styles are nothing new for the brand, as Bad Binch TONGTONG’s designs have always experimented with foreign shapes (remember Zhou’s spider suit at his Spring 2023 show?). The common factor in Zhou’s strange designs is that he prioritises emotion over function, a trend less followed in today’s era of high functionality. As a result, Terrence Zhou has gained himself a reputation for being bold, imaginative, and unconventional, and SS24 was no exception.
The collection was also intended to be a kind of metaphor for life, showcasing the chaotic and unpredictable nature of our existence through the unconventionality of the collection and the show in general. Zhou basically invited us to peer into the inner workings of his creative experience, as unpredictable, raw, and emotional as the designs put before us, and the result is the sense of being confronted with something a lot deeper than what we’re used to seeing on the runway.
Bad Binch TONGTONG’s SS24 show was a wholly different experience from what we expect at NYFW, from the location to the garments to the designer’s message as a whole. We always expect big things from Terrence Zhou but SS24 was literally out of this world – or at least Zhou’s interpretation of what that might look like.
More on Culted
See: Peter Do’s Helmut Lang debut: A balance between newness and nostalgia
See: Proenza Schouler introduces its first monogram for SS24
