The APUJAN Casebook
by Brian James and Leigh Maynard
Photos by Chris Yates
Apu Jan, the London-based fashion designer, Creative Director and founder of eponymous label APUJAN chose to showcase the brand’s first physical London Fashion Week show since before the pandemic amidst the opulent splendour of Somerset House. A venue steeped in both history and fashion history; it was a fitting setting for the designer to present his first show before a live London audience since February 2020.
A designer renowned for melding the avant garde with high impact glamour and irresistible wearability, there was a palpable sense of anticipation among the audience who thronged the iconic location to view the brand’s runway return. They weren’t disappointed as the SS24 collection entitled ” The Casebook of Kaiju” delivered everything we’ve come to expect from APUJAN and more.
Comprising over one hundred designs the collection was creatively curated to feature thirty looks for the catwalk and while the designer’s avant-garde aesthetic was visible in a number of trademark fantastical headpieces it was also an assemblage of sumptuously tailored, gorgeously wearable pieces. These included signature spring -summer fine knits, with the designers knitting techniques and manipulation of yarns and fabrics continuing to evolve season by season. Stunning printed evening gowns and dresses also featured, while there was a nod to utilitarian workwear and an array of beautifully cut trousers pared with asymmetric bandana and floral shaped tops. Some menswear pieces also appeared, a diversification which first saw light with AW23, and which Apu continues to explore.
As always with the designer the inspiration for “The Casebook of Kaiju” was grounded in his love of literature and fantasy with this season finding him pondering both the monsters of mythology and the monsters in our minds. Flanelle sat down with Apu to ask him about these inspirations, the conceptual process which brought them to the runway and the brands return to that physical runway.
Congratulations on your beautiful new collection. You often use books as inspiration for your collections, tell us more about the themes you explored this season and why they resonate so much?
The reference book list includes “A Wild Sheep Chase”, “Moby-Dick” “The Fall of the House of Usher” “Annihilation I”, “der Schwarm”, “Black and White Plum”, “Drowning an Old Cat”, etc. The theme of this season contains a nod to the story of monsters. This monster is not necessarily a specific monster, but a symbol of an upcoming transformation. Maybe it is AI or something else. We don’t know yet whether he is good or bad, but we knew he was coming.
Your work features diversified knitting and original fabrics, tell us more about the materials and techniques you have used this season and how do you continue to evolve your process and use of them each season?
In addition to the floral arrangements used on props or some new forms of accessories. In this season, we used thinner yarns and fabrics, used more splicing techniques, and also tried to make changes in some details, such as the newly developed brand metal buttons. There are also puzzle embroidery and so on. These are some very trivial developments and accumulations. It is these accumulations that form our brand.
What message do you want your collection to convey for SS24
Our theme includes a nod to monster stories. Before the monster appears.
You will first see the footprints, the forest, the boat, and parts of the monster. There are also some investigative reports, some news, some researchers dispatched and even the military. It means that the entire society feels the existence of this character or event but does not know the meaning and future it brings.
How would you like someone who wears APUJAN to feel in SS24 clothes?
As before, we wanted the costumes to be timeless and fantasy. With some elements of traditional oriental clothing, hoping that the wearer can feel the comfort of the fabric and material, making the wearer low-key but confident and comfortable.
This season you collaborated with DJ So Lonely, how did that come about?
I have watched his live performances before, from big venues to small ones. After being introduced by a friend, I collaborated with him on some other projects, including the combination of his theatre music and design. During the epidemic, he helped our brand create the music for the show video. This time, of course, my priority is to take him to London for a live performance. The music is all adapted and adjusted for the theme and story of the show.
After a 3-year hiatus showing your collections as films, how did it feel to be back on the catwalk? Is there still a place for film in your work?
I’m very happy and miss everything about the physical show.
There is always something irreplaceable about a live music performance. I think in the future, brands will take turns to use these two ways of showing (physical or digital). Sometimes it will be a video, sometimes it will be a physical show, both of which have different communication.
What can we expect to see in your new Taipei store?
With a complete store, we have more derivative products based on different themes. There are many items that have never seen on the runway before, and also some special products that we have cooperated with other brands. We also used 3D printing and some special technologies to create a sci-fi space. This store is a place where we can directly communicate about our work, which is very meaningful to us.
With over ten years of collections – what advice can you offer other young designers hoping to achieve this level of longevity.
Time has flown by, and it’s been ten years, but in the grand scheme of the brands’ history, a decade isn’t that long. We still explore and learn. We’re always making mistakes, we’re always experimenting, but on the other hand, we’re also getting some special opportunities to cooperate with others. We learn more about brand communication, fabric techniques, and more about the relationship between people and clothing in these opportunities.
The Casebook of Kaiju features over 100 outfits. Why did you decide to produce so many for this collection?
In recent seasons, we have shown about 30-40 sets of clothing, so the production of each season’s clothing probably requires at least 100 sets, and doesn’t include more accessories and color matching, which is a large amount of development for us. But the developments can be accumulated. Our production and development speed will become slightly faster with experience, and it will also allow wearers to have more choices. However, it is still far from enough. More clothing will be needed in the future.
After the collection launch, what can we expect from Apu Jan for the rest of 2023?
We return to the life of traveling between countries before the epidemic. After the fashion show, we returned to Taiwan and opened a store in our hometown this year. We will hold some events here and will also hold another showroom event with 19 rooms. In addition, we have helped design uniforms for several fine dining restaurants and are also preparing for some cooperation projects with other well-known IPs.
With SS24’s “The Casebook of Kaiju” APUJAN has gifted us a collection imbued with both an artful and edgy elegance. A collection that demonstrates a designer who is continually evolving while remaining true to the distinctive DNA which has characterised the brand since its inception. One defined by beautifully tailored pieces that are made with an authentic alchemy, and which have seen APUJAN become a highly recognized and respected name in fashion circles.
In mining the seams of literature and fantasy for his inspiration, Apu Jan is a designer who is literally rewriting the narrative, transforming those influences into fashion that provides the same unapologetic escapism and joy as these literary works. “The Casebook of Kaiju” is the latest instalment in that celebratory merging of fashion and fiction, and we’d suggest you might want to book some time to appreciate APUJAN.
Flanelle would like to thank Apu for taking the time to talk to us and to Becca, Christabel and all the team at Black PR for their help.