The heartbeat of North Africa thumps from within Uma Wang’s latest collection.
The brush of oat grass in the thready pile of a jacket, the spill of sand dunes in overlapping silk panels or the dappled shade of a Lebanon Pine in the subtle color of a coffee dye. The delivery is deeply Uma, and simultaneously not — the layers of texture, fabric and moody color are a delightful evolution of her already elegant sensibilities. Inspired, as so many others, by restriction-free travel, Uma Wang sensitively captures the desire for wild beauty.
Titled A Gaze into Wilderness, Uma’s pieces are part safari, part high fashion. She combines androgynous, straight-line jackets with flowing palazzo pants and cross-tied tops. Far from fussy, her supple, liquid fabrics are structured, unstructured and restructured by a well placed tuck or button — each piece intended to be worn, layered and enjoyed in a multitude of ways.
In her notes on the collection, Uma mused about the concept of existing beyond boundaries, and the humility one feels when faced with nature. She equates wilderness with freedom and strength — all things she upholds and celebrates through her designs. Within each piece, she presents the opportunity to embody the coveted qualities of the earth — the versatility of shifting sands, the steadiness of a baobab or the lightness of a cloud gently floating by.