一條城市人行道本身并不具備特殊意義，只是一種抽象的存在。唯有與臨近的建筑物、功能性場所，或者其他人行道結合在一起時，它才會產生意義…… 街道與其中的人行道是城市的主要公共場所，也是最為重要的組成部分…… 如果一個城市的街道看起來有趣，那么這個城市便會顯得有趣；如果街道看起來乏味，那么這個城市也會顯得乏味。
簡·雅各布斯，“人行道的功能：庇護”，《美國大城市的誕生與衰亡》（1961）
以城市一隅的人行道為背景，XANDER ZHOU AW 2023 & PRE 2024 系列 “街角 3.0” 描繪了都市游牧者的未來面貌。在這個步行友好區域內，人們行動自如，馬路中央甚至搭建起臨時健身房。有人在 Technogym 健身自行車上練習平衡術，有人若無其事地抱著巨型健身球過街。由錯位制造的荒謬感指向另一種意義上的城市，它不僅是物理意義上被探索的空間，更是由科技介入的體驗。
在最新系列中，部分單品成為軀體的延伸結構，借由服裝設計提升人體性能，服務于未來市民隨心而動的生活方式。剪裁夾克配備維可牢搭扣系統，以供自由裝卸公文包和專用工具包；褲子側面的搭扣則可根據個人需求靈活調整松緊。護肩、矯形器和保暖腿套等元素亦貫穿其中。當設計師將部分設計輸入反向圖像搜索引擎時，他發現引擎將這些元素誤讀為了冰球裝備，于是有意延續這一誤讀，在廓形中融入冰球運動的影子。
為了考察讓人工智能加入創作過程的可能性，設計師嘗試用圖像 Prompt 與 Blend 指令來生成混合頭飾。他收集參考了形形色色的路人日常穿戴，并在此基礎上延展出對街頭概念的新理解。例如將海軍冬帽與棒球帽結合，或是為面罩賦予鏤空結構和金屬色澤。
除卻日常意義的街頭，該系列也包含一系列的街頭風格單品。低腰工裝褲使人回想起 90 年代的嘻哈音樂人，同時預言 80 年代戶外時尚的回潮（人們彼時設計多個口袋的目的是攜帶更多徒步旅行和露營用品）?；A款T恤以新鮮扎束造型登場，指向街頭滑板青年揮汗如雨時的著衣習慣。致敬街頭服飾文化之余，這些設計意在把玩和重塑這一傳統。
作為肚兜的變體，圍裙在這個系列中再次出現，可究竟誰才是這件圍裙的主人？是碼頭上的漁民、樹林里的伐木工，還是工作臺旁的鐵匠？這些答案或許全部適用。在這里，工裝服的美學價值得到了重視，無需被勞動和職業所定義。在未來世界的街角，外表造型不再是推測身份的確切依據，它可以提供觀察的線索，但也預留了想象的空間。
XANDER ZHOU AW 2023 & PRE 2024 NEWS RELEASE
STREET CORNER 3.0
A city sidewalk by itself is nothing. It is an abstraction. It means something only in conjunction with the buildings and other uses that border it, or border other sidewalks very near it… Streets and their sidewalks, the main public places of a city, are its most vital organs… If a city’s streets look interesting, the city looks interesting; if they look dull, the city looks dull.
Jane Jacobs, “The Uses of Sidewalks: Safety,” The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961)
Titled “STREET CORNER 3.0,” XANDER ZHOU AW 2023 & PRE 2024 offers a glimpse into a future cityscape where sidewalk-surfing urban nomads roam the street corners. In this pedestrian-friendly zone, people are out and about, and fitness enthusiasts have taken the opportunity to set up a makeshift gym right in the middle of the road. One is focused on a balancing act on the Technogym Bike Personal, while the other crosses the street with a wellness ball tucked casually under his arm. The seeming misplacement creates a sense of absurdity—the city is not explored as a grounded reality, but rather as a technologically-mediated experience.
To accommodate the on-the-go lifestyle of future urbanites, some pieces are designed as extensions of human form, enhancing performance with sartorial solutions. Tailored jackets now come equipped with Velcro fastener systems on the back for easy attachment of briefcases and specialized kits, whereas pants feature them on the side for adjustable functionality to suit individual needs. In the same vein, shoulder pads, knee braces, and leg warmers are included as well. As the designer later on tested, reverse image search engine understood some of these elements as ice hockey gears, a misinterpretation that was intentionally reiterated and reenforced through the silhouettes.
Entertaining the idea of incorporating artificial intelligence into the creative process, the designer experimented with image prompts and blend commands to generate hybrid headgears. He pooled and referenced familiar, everyday hats worn by different people on the streets, and therein developed a new form of streetwear. Watch cap meets baseball cap. Face shields are hollowed out and metallized as accessories to complete the look.
Meanwhile, the collection features a range of street-inspired pieces. Low-rise cargo pants is a nod to both the hip hop artists in the 90s, as well as the outdoor fashion of 80s, when extra pocket space were introduced to carry more hiking and camping gears. Tied up in the front, basic tees are styled with a twist, reminiscent of skateboarders hitting the streets and working up a sweat. While these designs pay homage to the tradition of streetwear, they also play with and reinvent the very idea.
Aprons, as mutations of dudou (a traditional Chinese form of the bodice previously featured in XANDER ZHOU collections), reappear in this collection, but for whom? Fishermen at the dock, lumberjacks in the woods, or blacksmiths by the workbench? All answers apply. Here, utility wear is appreciated for its aesthetic value, and no longer defined by labors and occupations. At the street corner of future, it becomes increasingly difficult for us to presume one’s identity based on their appearances, which offer not only clues, but also room for imagination.
