The second edition of the St. Moritz Art Film Festival (SMAFF), directed by Stefano Rabolli Pansera, has rung down its curtain on Sunday 3 September. Took place in the Swiss town of the same name, which has much in common with the theme of the competition: “Becoming Landscape”.

With the given title, competing artists and directors were therefore asked to reflect on the relevance and meaning of the landscape today. 57 films competing between digital experiments, historical perspectives, philosophical and anthropological reflections which revealed, as declared by the creative director himself, not only technical complexity but also depth and poetic sensitivity, often told in first person by the directors present in the room, mediated or interviewed by colleagues and critics.

Among these is Lydia Ourhamane’s work Tassili, which the director brought, a non-local crew to the desert between Algeria and Libya for the first time. They went on a physical and spiritual journey, which lasted two weeks, in a normally and voluntarily inhospitable nature, preserved from tourism and the risk of deterioration.

Moving camera on a long walk in a pristine valley with no human interaction and no conversation, the spectators observe and reflect, gets lost and finds themselves. They probably relive the same intense experience as those who worked on the production of this film, who declared, upon returning, of not knowing how to describe the emotions and the passage of time on that massive and mountainous plateau in the Sahara Desert.

Kanaval by Leah Gordon reflects on Haiti’s discovery attributed to Christopher Columbus, on the condition of slaves before and after the French colonization and on carnival as an integral part of the Haitian identity. The identity was once deprived from the Haitian before returning to their possession at a later time, retaining some elements of European culture, in search of a new post-revolution identity.

Matteo Parisini tells us about the universe of Luigi Ghirri with his work Infinito, the Italy of the 70s, consumerism, historical quotes and artistic contaminations. He starts from the architecture of his territories and ends at metaphysical and suspended landscapes. The sky as the great and final protagonist of his works: becoming landscape par excellence.

Last but not least is the experimentation in the digital field, together with the support of artificial intelligence and the use of elements borrowed from the gaming world. The visualization of subjects through the eyes of a soldier in “Call of Duty” mode, human simulation through the characters of “The Sims” and the possibility of witnessing the same scene from three different points of view thanks to a sophisticated control of cutting-edge technology as illustrated in Theta directed by Lawrence Lek and winner of the Best Film Award: an accident, a car went off the road and got stuck in the woods at night.

Three different active elements on the scene: the car, the object, still turned on and still in a nature that incorporates it. The human, having got out of the vehicle, an emotional and psychological subject, lives and waits helplessly for aid. A fox, a natural and external subject arrives, observes and moves around the car and the person, and then returns to the woods, to its nature habitat.

Among the winners is also Warp by Raffaella Naldi Rossano, who snatched the Special Prize for Emerging Artist. According to the jury, “the film transports the viewer through various narratives and temporal planes, producing a surprising effect and an unconventional audiovisual panorama” and “offers a frame of reference for reflecting on contemporary issues linked to the Mediterranean, to the relationships with the preservation of the territory marine and ecosystems, as well as the consequences of climate change”

“Love at First Sight” is the name of the prize from the exclusive partner, Kulm Hotel St. Moritz, awarded to Laguna Negra by the Peruvian director Felipe Esparza Pérez. “Sophisticated blend of documentary and fiction. Its meditative rhythm produces a sense of sacredness, in line with the indigenous traditions explored in the film.”

The St. Moritz Art Film Festival, in its second edition, promises to become a regular event and we can only continue to support it.

Simple, structural and somewhat sophisticated. London-based designer Syuan Jhen Lin showcased her latest project “The Statue of Ambiguity” on August 3^rd, 2023 at London’s Finsbury Park during the gig of hip-hop singer Refound and DJ Joy.

Born in Taiwan, Syuan Jhen Lin relocated to London to pursue her fashion studies at London College of Fashion after winning a design competition of wedding gowns. Hailing from Asia and living in Europe, her design is an eclectic fusion of the oriental and occidental culture. She specializes in pattern-making and garment construction, and is proficient at converting her avant-garde vision into enchanting storytelling.

Titled “The Statue of Ambiguity”, Syuan Jhen’s latest collection is a reflection on how society shapes our predetermined images of behaviors, or the so-called stereotypes, on others. These stereotypes tell us how to perceive a person by the way they look, the way they dress or the way they carry themselves; and oftentimes, lead to categorizing others in a somewhat polarizing opposite.

However, things are not always how they seem to be from the surface. We tend to forget that we are all independent units that have multiple façades. Our characteristics can be viewed differently by different people from different angles. The world is non-binary, there is actually a large area in between called the ambiguity. That state of ambiguity is the element which makes our stories more lively and multi-dimensional.

Inspired by the ambiguity in our personality, Syuan Jhen wants to manifest her theory by playing with the texture and pattern in her design. Considering clothing a soft sculpture attached to the human body, she blends the elements from both menswear and womenswear to create the unique silhouettes that best express her vision. Throughout this experimentation, she wants to challenge the duality of traditional garment and create something neutral for everyone.

The experiment seems pretty successful. The juxtaposition of different elements makes her design extremely interesting. Just like our multi-faceted personalities, the shape and form of her design are not one-dimensional. It seems to be a normal top from the side; however, it becomes an undulating structure while seeing it from the front. The same concept applies to the trousers and the hat, looking plain from the front while being a sculptural form from different angles.

Currently, Syuan Jhen is preparing for the launch of her own brand. With her past experience in bridal wear, evening gown and ready-to-wear design, she wants to use her garment to challenge the societal norms and promote a more inclusive gender perspective. “Fashion wields the power to influence ideas and disrupt established paradigms.” She said, believing this concept to be innovative and impactful enough to inspire transformation in our society. The future of our society is unknown, so is hers. But we believe that with these proactive visions, we could create a more inclusive, diverse and welcoming community for those who are in their state of ambiguity.

Hailing from Beijing, Paris-based fashion designer Dawei Sun founded the eponymous fashion house DAWEI in 2016. Graduated from L’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in 2005, Dawei Sun has interned, worked and creative directed in brands like John Galliano, Balenciaga and Cacharel before deciding launching his own label.

In occasion of the launch of his Resort 2024 Collection, CAP 74024 shared a lovely talk with Dawei Sun on his journey in the fashion world in the past 15 years, the story behind the foundation of his own label, and his philosophy of life and design.

Hi Dawei, how are you today?

I am good, thanks. Enjoying Paris before my regular travel to Beijing.

Are you currently based in Paris or in Beijing? 

Our studio is in Paris and we have an atelier in Beijing. Normally, I split my time between the two cities. But the pandemic has restricted my freedom of travel. Hence, I spent most of the past two years in Paris, and then after each fashion show I traveled back to China, where my family lives.

So how does the division of labor and the workflow of the brand go?

Most of the research, design and fabric collection take place in our studio in Paris; while sampling and final product inspection are done by our atelier in Beijing. We also have professional exterior teams handling our marketing, sales and public relations. We are a small but well-structured team.

Would you like to share with us a bit of your background and what is the story behind the foundation of the brand?

I first moved to Paris in 2001 to study in L’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne (which has merged with Institut Français de la Mode in 2019). After my graduation in 2005, I started to intern and work in different brands until 2010, when I co-founded the brand Belle Ninon with my then business partner. A few seasons after the launch of our first collection, we were recruited by Cacharel as their creative directors. We stayed in Cacharel for a couple of years; during that time, we still designed a couple of mini collections for Bell Ninon in order to keep the brand alive.

However, designing for two brands and four seasonal collections were really exhausting. So, after our departure from Cacharel, my business partner decided to take a break from the fashion world. I realized that I couldn’t manage Belle Ninon’s more feminine design alone, so we shut down the brand. I also took a break for around two years, but my interest in fashion never faded. Considering that I still want to design in the style I like and to grow together with the team I’ve been working with for many years, I founded DAWEI in 2016, and this is where we are now.

It must take a certain amount of courage to restart everything from the scratch again.

Indeed. In fact, it was around the time when my first child was born. The birth of new life somehow rekindled my passion to fashion and encouraged me to start doing something that I’ve always wanted to do, so I decided to “give birth” to my own brand DAWEI.

What’s the biggest difference in between of designing for other brands and designing for your own brand? 

When we designed for other brands, we were trying our best to respect the style and requirements of the brand and design accordingly. By the time I started DAWEI, I was hoping to combine my preferences with my aesthetics, and to design from my own perspective. I think the biggest difference between them is the change of roles and the state of mind.

You have interned and worked in major fashion houses like Balenciaga and John Galliano before being appointed as the creative director of Cacharel. What have you learnt the most from these experiences that helped you to develop your own brand?

The most influential designers to the young designers of my generation are definitely John Galliano and Alexander McQueen. I was lucky to have the chance to learn alongside John Galliano. Learning from him has broadened my horizon because he was someone who has been exposed to many different cultures and has a wide range of interests in many things. Through the experience, I understood the essence of teamwork and acquired the skills to be a good designer. Whenever someone’s tenure at John Galliano ended, the team will tell that person: You are now a qualified fashion worker.

Also, top designers like John Galliano and Nicolas Ghesquière have their own ways and techniques when dealing with different problems in design. These might not be my usual methods, but they can serve as my reference when I encounter some specific or unexplored problems.

After creating your own label, the design is to stick more to your preference, aesthetics and originality. Where do you usually get your inspiration from?

A lot of my inspiration during the pandemic actually came from the movies I watched in lockdown. When we are allowed to leave our house, I get expired by the exhibitions I visited, or some contemporary architecture I stumbled upon. I like to explore what is happening at the moment, so some current events and trends could be my source of inspiration as well. Also, I love to go to nature. The colors I see in nature inspired me a lot on my use of color.

I sometimes enjoy seeking inspiration from the books I read. Even if it’s simply a sentence or a paragraph that has nothing to do with fashion, I could find a correlation between them and base my design on that.

How many seasons do you have every year?

We have four collections every year. Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter main lines, resort collection and pre-fall collection.