This year’s Modo fashion show took “juxtaposition” as its main theme, but what emerged was miles away from a singular interpretation. Instead, designers approached the concept with striking diversity. They paired timelines, cultures, materials, and ideologies in ways that harmonised the political and the personal.
The sheer labour behind the show was evident. In the opening sequence, a video accompanied by live music revealed the making process, grounding the spectacle in material effort.
This reflected in the garments themselves, most memorably in Aadi’s design, where his hand-dyed fabric quite literally stained the body, turning his hands purple before the show. It was a reminder that fashion was not just conceptual but intensely physical.
One of the most prominent threads running through the show was a fascination with corporate culture. Across multiple collections, the symbolism of the office was both mocked and aestheticised.
Neckties became the object of choice, reworked into skirts, sculptural wings, and layered textures. These designs seemed to question whether corporate fashion is being critiqued or quietly reabsorbed into desirability. Due to the high incomes within the corporate world (and the purchasing power that follows) it is no surprise that its visuals continue to dominate contemporary fashion. The result was social commentary that resisted easy conclusions— was this satire, or complicity?
Elsewhere, designers pushed beyond fabric entirely. Team Gareth and Emani embraced an “anything but fabric” approach. They produced robotic, futuristic silhouettes that nudged toward outer space and post-human aesthetics. Similarly, Kiyan and Tanjin’s space suit, which was complete with a helmet that hovered between motorbike practicality and astronaut, played with collapsing the boundary between the everyday and extraterrestrial.
Cultural juxtaposition formed another powerful strand. Laila’s phulkari-inspired prints brought South Asian textile traditions into the spotlight, while Asli and Minahil’s designs intertwined South Asian and Somalian influences with phenomenal sensitivity. Rather than presenting these cultures as oppositional, their work found harmony within the hybrid, suggesting that juxtaposition can also be a place for synthesis.
A standout moment came with Annabel’s designs, where a shift in music transformed the runway into a Berlin rave taking place under a bridge. Traditional Chinese prints and silhouettes were reimagined through this setting, with intricate cutouts and elaborate detailing. It was one of the clearest and most beautiful examples of the show’s ability to merge cultural reference with contemporary subculture.
Certain aesthetic motifs recurred throughout. Veils and lace appeared repeatedly, raising questions about their spot in contemporary fashion. Their prevalence seemed to nudge toward a broader gothic resurgence in pop culture, recalling texts like Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights, as well as the haunting visuals and music of artists such as Ethel Cain. Project Nicole, in particular, leaned into this, using veiling (through a range of veils, masks, and lace cuts) to illustrate both concealment and revelation.
Fur also emerged as a key material, often layered over or contrasted with corporate staples like suits and ties. Zon and Olive’s designs exemplified this tension, pairing indulgence and excess with rigid, professional forms—an awesome demonstration of contemporary social tensions. Anchored by the rawness of fur, Lily’s designs unfolded as a temporal study, moving from cavemen through Tudor and Renaissance formality. Her fantastic designs suggested that fashion is always in dialogue with its past, even as it projects into the future.
Ultimately, the Modo fashion show succeeded not by defining juxtaposition, but by expanding its discourse. Through critiques of corporate culture, explorations of cultural hybridity, or experiments with time and material, the designers demonstrated that juxtaposition is less about opposition and more about (easing) tensions. The result was a show that didn’t always resolve tensions, but perhaps didn’t need to. It made the viewers contemplate what contradiction really involves, and the possibilities within its combinations.
Photograph credits to:
Songju Kang (@by.songju)
Cecelia Maduekwe (@ceceliamaduekwe)
Gemma-Reese Rogers (@gemmareeserogers)
Nychole Kwan (@nycholekyk)
Rivi Cohen (@riviscamera)
Oliver Scott (@shotswithsongs)
Designer credits:
Aadi — @aadislore
Annabel — @annabel_peridot
Gareth — @garethvolka with Helpers: @em._.ani @angelahabbie @erika_islamova
Laila — @green.teabee
Nicole — @nicoleccchan and @project.nicole
Minahil — @minahil.h1
Asli — @asli_mohamed24
Tan — @tanxjn
Zon — @li_zon_
Olive — @olive.in.excess
Model credits:
Skye Zhuo @skye.zhuo big fur&white shirt&black trousers
Demetra Mykoniatis @_d_e_m_e_t_r__a_ wings
Alexandra Larabi @alex_lrb_ tie skirt +fur
Eunis Li @eunisLz white puffer
Lily Salter @lilysalter_ (Gareth - Feather)
Aditi Baskar @aditi.baskar green flowy