All the Best Looks from Singaporean Designer Grace Ling’s Debut NYFW Runway
Titled ‘Neverland’, the New York-based designer’s debut collection featured 3D-sculpted hardware and ombré fabrics.
As the fashion industry evolves to be more inclusive, we’re seeing more emerging designers hailing from different backgrounds who all aspire to bring something new to the scene. One standout case is Singapore-born Grace Ling, who just debuted her Spring/Summer 2024 collection at New York Fashion Week. The creator of the iconic Butt Bag (as seen on Christine Quinn and Winnie Harlow), Ling has been making waves in the US with her pieces that weave together fashion, sustainability and technology, dressing stars like J.Lo and Charli XCX. Ahead, the best looks and details from ‘Neverland’ that we adore.
Surrealist Metal Hardware
As a designer, Ling has been using 3D digital sculpting and 3D printing in her processes to create sustainable products with zero waste. In ‘Neverland’, these objects find their place on floor-length skirts and structured blazers. Buttons, closures and blood-drawing (not really) accessories, the chrome works in cohesion with the garments, playfully drawing lines between human anatomy and the art of objects. One of Ling’s first surrealist explorations, the Butt Bag makes a comeback in this collection, slung against the monolithic silhouettes. Our personal favourite? The statement chrome hands that sit squarely on the shoulders, delicately holding a slinky black skirt in place.
Peekaboo Silhouettes
One of the key design elements that strutted down Ling’s runway was this ombré fabric that left us needing more. With this fabric, the human body is both revealed and concealed, toying with ideas of censorship of the skin through fashion. The veiling of the body through precise tailoring softly creates and distorts the body’s natural lines, drawing the eyes down the body with subversive elevation. With the black, charcoal and white looks on the runway, we were drawn in by the little details that showed a sliver of skin, like the dropped waist seam on tailored pants.
Sharp Beauty Elements
Grace Ling is all about the details. Given her education in fine arts, it seems only natural for Ling to pay attention to the little beauty elements to complement her designs. We especially loved the long stiletto nails on the runway. Across a variety of designs, the killer look was the off-white nails with a blood-red border, matching a surrealist chrome piece necklace adorned with a drop of blood. A Grace Ling classic, the sculptural hair designs, really took things over the top – but in the best way. In contrast to the sleek femininity of the garments, the bold, almost architectural hair accessorised and added some oomph to Ling’s NYFW debut.
With her attention to tailoring and eye for the eccentric, Grace Ling is proving to be one of the top designers to watch as she grows on the global stage. ‘Neverland’ seems to just be the beginning of a bright venture into the fashion scene for the young Singaporean.