Rihanna, Doja Cat, Madonna love his clothes: Sensen Lii, Chinese fashion designer, on alien looks, working with Beats By Dre and being a Britney Spears fan

Sensen Lii’s most recent runway show, in Paris, was indicative of everything the Chengdu-born designer stands for – futuristic, alien and fantastical fashion

The show, featuring a collaboration with Beats By Dre, was packed with chain mail, fur, pixelated prints, horned tops, and caged bras, with plenty of skin on show

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The closing look from the Windowsen autumn/winter 2024 runway show. Chengdu-born designer Sensen Lii talks to the Post about his out-of-the-box aesthetics. Photo: Windowsen

Published: 7:15am, 13 Mar 2024

Set against the backdrop of a rainy Friday night in Paris, the Windowsen runway show was everything a fan of the brand would expect: like a deranged Frankenstein, the Chengdu-born designer Sensen Lii held court in a dark, dingy and rather sleazy club: Le Consulat on Avenue Parmentier.

Taking place off the official Fashion Week schedule, it stood in delicious contrast to the overt commercialism of the average catwalk show.

Drag queens of all shapes and sizes navigated the catwalk in high stiletto heels and sculpted chunky platform heels, making unimaginable contortions.

It was a performance with a capital P. And to say it played to the room is an understatement; at times, it was difficult to tell the models from the guests.

A look from the Windowsen autumn/winter 2024 runway show. Photo: Windowsen

The brand’s Kill Angels collection for autumn/winter 2024 has echoes of the costumes in Kevin Costner movie Waterworld. The emphasis was on delivery and attitude; this was more about futuristic concept and spectacle than pushing design into new territory. The looks were showcased with frenetic energy.

The Y2K-inspired, Day-Glo clothes – think tiny gym skirts, chain mail, cropped fur coats, pixelated prints, horned tops, and caged bras – are an acquired taste; plenty of skin was on show. The collection was modelled by a cast of fantastical characters – aliens, to be precise. Lii is all alien, “from inside to outside”, he says.