PONDER_ER SS21

SS21 COLLECTION PLEASURE TO BURN Captivated by vintage cigarette commercials and advertising campaigns, especial- ly in the 1950s & 1960s, PONDER.ER investigated how the traditional archetype of the masculine had been presented visually in the past. Through this collection PONDER.ER continued to explore the concept of “Liquid Masculinity” through playing with these outdated notions of masculinity with imaginative textile manipulations and placements of details. Western-style shirts are reinvented by incoporating chain-embellished pipping details; calssic denim workwear shapes and details are exaggertaed and liquefied, constructed with delicate see-through textiles with dip-dyed effects previously seen in the brand’s last collection. Knitwear remains a key aspect of the collection, a draped t-shirt made with stainless steel yarn is seen combined with a half tank top through an experimental part-knit technique, morphing two shapes into one. Recycled nylon tapes and paper yarns are utitlised to construct fully textured hand crochet pieces with original graphics printed on top. The element of collaboration has evolved during this uncertain time, accessories designed and produced in collaboration with London-based jewellery brand SWEETLIMEJUICE will be unveiled as part of “PLEASURE TO BURN”. A nod to the old-fashioned western style is seen through scarf prints and graphics with crushed cigarette boxes paired with decorative floral and rope patterns, hand-drawn by a Hong Kong print artist. And last but not least, a large-scale bamboo sculpturemadebylocalbambooartisansinhongKongwillalsobepresentedintheSS21conceptfilm. The classic rugged cowboy look is being reconceived with a contemporary mindset, eventually leading to a gender-neutral outcome that embraces diversity and self-identity. Through “PLEASURE TO BURN”, PONDER.ER offers its audience a cigarette break to toxic masculinity and the still lingering social restrictions on gender roles.