Fashion often celebrates an anniversary by looking backward. JENN LEE, however, marked its ten-year milestone at London Fashion Week by setting fire to its past.
Stepping decisively into a dark, tailored future, JENN LEE just transformed the very notion of what constitutes ‘fashion heritage’ into a provocative, rebellious act of modern elegance. Staged inside the Village Underground, a venue perfectly suited to London’s subcultural underbelly, this collection—inspired by the Eastern literary classic: Dream of the Red Chamber, was a manifesto for a new era defined by exaggerated tailoring and a profound, dangerous elegance. This isn’t just fashion; it’s an initiation.
Provocation, Versatility, and the Female Gaze
JENN LEE is playing a much smarter game than relying on the adage “sex sells.” This is subversion as style. Sexuality and power are placed front and centre, but the message is controlled and complex. Signature BDSM products alongside fetish accessories from UPKO weren’t hidden; they were central to the silhouette, giving powerful imagery of submission and provocation that is squarely aimed at the female gaze. The implication is control: submission as a choice, power as an aesthetic.
Crucially, this vision of power is intergeneration. The show featured a range of models, from young to old. Bound in corsets and ruching. This powerful choice demonstrates that this collection isn’t just for the modern woman; it’s for all women. It offers a new definition of ‘girlhood’ and connects women through their own asserted sexual power.
The brand’s enduring key feature—the zipper—is everywhere, transforming garments into customisable tools of self-expression. The versatility offered by the zip allows the wearer to control boundaries, protection, and reveal, making the clothes incredibly adaptive. The choice of modesty or revealing is entirely up to its wearer.
The Collection: Architecture of Subversion
JENN LEE’s London Fashion Week SS26 collection gave us a masterclass in controlled tension. LEE officially retired the raw-edged deconstruction of their past in favour of sleek, sophisticated forms. This foundation was set with pieces handcrafted by a qipao artisan, where delicate, traditional craftsmanship (like hand-tied knot buttons) provided the base of the new collection.
The standout Fan Dress was a study in sculptural texture. It utilised intense layering and sophisticated pleats to evoke the delicate folds of Eastern fans and screens. But LEE immediately subverts this spiritual elegance: dragon and phoenix frog buttons—ancient symbols of power—were audaciously ripped from their traditional placement and repositioned as tattoo-like visual motifs. This isn’t simple adornment; it’s a declaration of emancipation, breaking a spiritual boundary to signify rebellion.
Then came the darkness: the square-shoulder leather jacket, a reconstructed 1970s vintage piece, immediately screams ‘90s cult cinema. Defined by its sleek structure, the tailoring evoked a severe, vampiric glamour—giving undertones of ‘90s vampires and the raw-edged aesthetic of films like The Craft. The collection ultimately becomes the gothic wardrobe we all grew up yearning for. The entire look is able to captivate its viewer, daring you to look away from its dark poetry.
The beauty team ensured the message was unambiguous: hair moved between “refined and messy,” while the makeup featured black and red cracked lips. Most arresting of all was the collaboration with Salient Class, which saw models accessorised with delicate acupuncture needles, turning the sensation of pain into a beautiful, fragile visual poem. It leans into not only the concept of beauty is pain but plays on the extremities of pain or pleasure
The ‘Phygital’ Aftermath: Entering the JENN LEE Temple
For their anniversary, JENN LEE didn’t want attendees to just see the show; they wanted them to inhabit it. The collaboration with Taiwanese tech platform Portal:M delivered an essential epilogue—the brand’s first public-facing digital fashion 3D ‘phygital’ showroom.
This was a full-scale creative immersion. Through VR headsets, viewers could enter the JENN LEE temple. A gothic virtual reality space that fused the collection’s contrasting Eastern heritage and dark atmosphere. Viewers explored the garments digitally, using the classic zipper motif as a narrative device for “protection” and “emotional tension.”
Crucially, the physical exhibition allowed attendees to explore the coveted world of acupuncture firsthand, echoing the opening dance by Liu I-Ling and the extreme beauty looks. This digital and physical fusion ensures that the provocative spirit of the collection remains palpable long after the runway lights fade.
Final Takeaway
The JENN LEE SS26 catwalk was a revolutionary statement. It transcended a mere fashion show, evolving into a multi-sensory manifesto that confidently merged gothic elegance with ancestral power. From structural audacity of the tailoring to the intentional erotic tension and celebration of all forms of female strength, this was a decade-defining moment that officially welcomes us into JENN LEE’s fierce, refined and enduring future.
Images Courtesy of Dyelog PR and JENN LEE
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