Daydream Nation
is a fashion/theatre project by brother and sister Kay and Jing Wong,
both Central St Martins graduates. Their aim is to design garments that
tell stories. "Daydream Nation is the name of a Sonic Youth
album," says Jing, "but it only struck me one day when I read about a
theatre director called Phelim McDermott who believed that society has
a 'Racism against Daydreamers'. Being born in the rigid Hong Kong
education system that stifles creativity, we found it our mission to
cultivate a culture of imagination."
Their AW 08 collection,
"Good Night Deer", tells the Kafka-esque story of a deer hunter who
wakes one day and finds himself transformed into the deer he killed.
Accompanied by the caterwauling band Naked with Horses, who are dressed up in deer head-gear, the models slowly act out the scenes of the tale.
Jing's
specialty is theatre and Kay is the authority on fashion. Although
billed as a fashion-meet-theatre experience, this performance is of
course a vehicle to showcase the designers' pieces. "The idea came from
a comic I saw on the internet," says Jing. "A couple are going to bed,
the husband turns to his wife and says 'good night honey' - and she's
really a pot of honey, and she turns around and says 'good night
dear' - and he's really a deer. This is where the name for the
collection comes from. The name reflects that it's an autumnal
collection, the colours are dark."
The result is more creative
freedom that either a conventional theatrical experience or a
run-of-the-mill fashion show could allow. By creating a catwalk
narrative, the garments are allowed to come alive. Some of them are
unbelievable creations - like the two-man trouser suit which forms the
deer - and the majority of garments get the space and time that they
wouldn't on a conventional catwalk. It's clear from the performances
that you'd be able to move around freely in Jing and Kay's fey
creations.