In their S/S 24 collection, the Shanghai-based brand Staffonly Studio embraced the theme of valuing the process behind creation, focusing on its beauty and significance. This collection responded to a modern-day reliance on AI-generated images, where a simple typed prompt yields instant results.
Such immediacy, though convenient, leaves little room to appreciate or even linger in the creative journey, argued Staffonly's Shimo Zhou and Une Yea. The two designers, who originally founded the brand in London in 2015 as a menswear label, therefore used the collection to explore the value of slowing down, even to procrastinate, as part of the creative process.
AI made a return in the brand's S/S 25 collection, entitle "Lost in Errors" and showcased in October during Shanghai Fashion Week. This collection reimagined workwear, introducing "tailored disruptions" to traditional forms.
Zhou and Yea's ongoing fascination with the concept of "staff" has previously paid homage to diverse professions, from office clerks to butchers. But for Staffonly, uniforms serve as a foundation for narratives that build vision and shared identity. In this case, for example, they explore the growing shift from physical tools to digital ones, which often renders humans mere accessories in a technological landscape.
Inspired by this clash between human form and technology, "Lost in Errors" reflects on the chaotic impact of "error mapping." In a world driven by acceleration and instant access, we're inundated with images, news, and information.
Despite seeming authentic, these snapshots are frequently AI constructs or deepfakes. Staffonly's collection reminds us to pause and wonder, in an era of swift technology, what remains real?
On the runway, this narrative came to life through models who wore shredded masks, hats, and helmets with printed human faces concealing their own. One model donned a pumpkin-shaped headpiece with a printed human face and eye holes creating an eerie effect, as though the viewer was peering into a void.
These "deepfakes," digitally replicating and superimposing human features, introduced glitches to the runway, with models occasionally stumbling or faltering, as if caught in an invisible interference. This glitch effect extended to the garments themselves: pockets were placed asymmetrically, or became oversized pouches affixed to shorts; gloves incorporated face prints, fragmenting the human form further.
Even workwear and working tools became an illusion - clothes printed with a plywood pattern mimicked hard surfaces, adding an unsettling twist, while leather bags were shaped like paint cans and trousers and overalls with wood-grain prints echoed traditional work materials.
Amid these elements, a playful interlude featured a romantic Goth dress paired with oversized cartoon-like boots, and knitted jacquard sweaters and bags with motifs by British illustrator Harry Hambley (aka Ketnipz). His gentle humor and inner universe added a warm touch to the collection. The final voluminous capes brought back the glitch drama: the last one, matched with a beige trench coat, featured a large print of a human face and was also covered in slashes.
The distorted fonts and collaged images on a green screen in the background of the runway complemented the showcase, plunging the audience into a glitchy digital reality. The images incorporated the typographic project Nonsense Saver by Shanghai-based studio Kaukau. This typeface was conceived by Kaukau as a critique to the viral spread of misinformation, visualizing the emotional impact of fake news and underscoring the trust crisis in today's digital age.
As a whole the designs in this collection evoked a sense of confusion and disorientation, but within this process there was a reaction, a rebellion against the polished, tech-dominated world.
Deconstructed elements like the pockets - errors, perhaps - were embraced, symbolizing a resistance to the perfectionist standards of life and fashion. In exploring this theme, Staffonly drew inspiration from German filmmaker, artist, and writer Hito Steyerl, known for her work on image politics and digital media. Steyerl's essay "In Defense of the Poor Image" discusses how low-quality, compressed images - "poor images," as she calls them - challenge the glossy, high-resolution aesthetic of digital capitalism.
Staffonly's press release for this collection quotes Steyerl: "Poor images mock the promises of digital technology; here, so-called 'errors' are not only accepted but encouraged, becoming a form of resistance against the pristine facade of digital capitalism." According to Steyerl, "poor images" offer indeed a countercultural critique of a hyper-consumerist, perfect digital world by embracing flaws and degradation.
Therefore in this context, Staffonly's use of "errors" serves as deliberate, spontaneous defiance against the technology-driven illusion of perfection, prompting questions about authenticity, identity, and human consistency. By disrupting digital precision, the design duo praises the necessity of imperfection, like in the previous collection they celebrated procrastination.
But there's also humor: disorientation becomes a way of life in a world that demands order and propriety, a way to celebrate mistakes and disjointedness.
At the end of the show, the models came out all together, yet their perfect poses were disturbed by a final "glitch," that actually proved they were alive, they were human beings and not fashion zombies, and therefore prone to mistakes.
Guess that if Staffonly's designs fail to resonate with an audience (a collaboration with a major workwear brand such as Carhartt would actually benefit them as they would get more known), the duo may well become a voice in tech philosophy and find a future in digital critique.
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