Phillip Lim made their return to New York Fashion Week in Chinatown on Sunday afternoon, presenting the 3.1 Phillip Lim Spring 2024 collection inspired by the brand’s love story with the ever-evolving tapestry of New York.
“Through the pandemic, we used the time to take a step back, reflect and decide how we want to show up,” said Lim. “Who is 3.1 Phillip Lim today? What do we stand for? What is our uniform? In the four years away from the runway, I branched out, focusing on new personal projects, new vehicles to explore other parts of my creative process.”
Wen Zhou, the CEO and Co-founder of 3.1 Phillip Lim, added, “Mindfulness, Love, Unity and Community are the common threads, and the core of what we have stood for at 3.1 from day one when Phillip and I founded the company. After four very globally challenging but rewarding years, we have decided that this is the right time to return.”
Today, both Lim and Zhou are moved by hurdles they have overcome, which has ultimately shaped the collection, elevating their brand values into new heights.
“I used my voice to take a stand for what I believe in many times from my personal platform and I realized that the brand must do that too,” Lim explained. “I can no longer separate myself from the brand anymore, nor do I want to, just like I cannot separate my roots and my Asian heritage from who I am as a designer. So four years later, I proudly say that 3.1 Phillip Lim is an Asian American fashion brand for change.”
Zhou echoed the sentiment. “We are a New York Brand,” she said. “We have grown our business here, in this neighborhood, with the community that supports and loves us. They need to see us back here. We need to be back here. NYFW needs us to be here.”
Lim was encouraged to take a leap of faith to present the fourth and final chapter of the brand’s New York series during one of the most anticipated times of the year in fashion.
As Lim put it, “The community we built has inspired me to come back. New York has always been my muse – this raw, romantic, unapologetic place; a place of contradictions. The energy and hustle happening on every street corner is like a ballet. I’ve been telling this New York story for years through my clothes, but now, in the last year, I’ve been calling it out, saying thank you to the city that has birthed and nurtured me and the brand for almost 20 years.”
New York City has fueled 3.1 to be what Lim always imagined even in the midst of uncertain times.
“More specifically, we presented this show in Chinatown,” the designer said. “It would be remiss of me to celebrate New York without paying homage to Chinatown – in specific pieces in the collection, in the show location, even in the music and the set which are meant to evoke the everyday of Columbus Park: where the constant stream of youth, elders and everyone in between congregating harmoniously, as I refer to the park as a ‘community living room.’ Community has been such a big part of shaping and reshaping my perspective these past four years.”
Lim is inspired by all the life that walks through the loud streets of New York City. Yet the vision of 3.1 Phillip Lim comes from narratives written by Lim.
“Asian Americans have finally, collectively embraced one another and each others’ stories,” Zhou offered. “After decades in the shadows harboring ‘minority feelings,’ we have moved to the center stage. Since 2005, Phillip and I have carried the torch to make Asian Americans seen. We strive and persevere to maintain independence, and by simply existing for almost two decades, we have fans far and wide.”
Without a doubt, these stories contribute to how people see their Spring 2024 collection. Zhou added, “Identity politics simmer and rage depending on day, and beyond Identity, there is community. And beyond politics, we must tackle economics. The brand is an ecosystem of real change to amplify Asian American voices by simply existing. People will see the Spring ’24 collection, and hopefully they will vote with their wallet to show their support.”
For this season, Lim presented cultural moments at NYFW that speak to New York City’s uniformity.
“The Spring collection is our take on the New York uniform through the lens of 3.1 Phillip Lim. It is deeper than what is presented on the surface or just another season, it is about celebrating the ‘states of dress and undress’, the spirit and spontaneous style of NY that makes our home so enigmatic and magical. From dress codes to zip codes. Finding beauty in both glory and grit while keeping it cool, easy, chic – like only NY can do,” Lim said.
The work sparks conversations that bring light to embracing self expression and having the power of creativity. In the last four years, there has been much transformation as they continue to fight for what they love and who they love, approaching their 20th Anniversary.
“Fashion is like your armor. It is your cloak,” Lim said. “What you wear can largely govern your feelings and your emotions. So be intentional. This new collection and all my past ones, tell my story. Until you wear it. And then it is yours.”
