Allina Liu’s SS25 Nod to Paganism and Midsommar

Liu is creating her own safe heaven cult that's ridiculously hard to say no to. 

Image Courtesy of Lindsey Media and Allina Liu

The ethereal music radiates off the walls, encapsulating you as you first enter. Stained glass peeks small, colored sunshine over the pillars guests are lounging on. Everyone seems aligned with the characteristics spelled out in the immersive presentation: deceptive innocence with bow-driven outfits, poignant iteration of chic denim, and witchy inspiration leather.  The attendance is distinctly female, aligning with the divine feminine approach Allina Liu constantly honors in her work. Liu is creating her own safe heaven cult that's ridiculously hard to say no to. 

Inspired by Pagan traditions like Midsommar, Liu takes us into a sinister yet soft world. Her models are placed into a large circle, standing on small patches of grass.  There are two rows; the first has all-white garments featuring delicate scalloping around hems and necklines and open back lacing.  The second row had etched denim with straps wrapped around legs and peplum hems to add body to the stiffer structure. At the center, a dancer in a black biodegradable leather harness on top of a leather pleated dress. Her movements are commanding the power and attention of everyone in the room. The models wouldn't be complete with their wide grins, expertly sending quiet shivers down the spine. 

Image Courtesy of Lindsey Media and Allina Liu

Weaving through the girls, you are entranced by the room's movement. Models interchangeably sway and move toward the middle, where the divine feminine (the biodegradable leather ensemble) is placed at the top of a small cliff of moss, tufts of grass, and gatewire.  Another nod to differences between the feminine callers is the variety of modesty, styles, and interpretations of each white garment. Somewhere relaxing, long textured trousers naturally gathered at the waist, whereas a bubble hem top matched over a long maxi skirt. The insidious environment is Liu's response to the patriarchal silence of women's display of connectivity and power. Femininity is not fearful and ostracized but revered by its hardened delicacy.