The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2026 - Issue 39

bitecatwalk APUJAN T aiwanese label APUJAN once again proved that fashion can still function as storytelling, not just spectacle. Presented at Northumberland Avenue, the brand’s SS26 collection, ‘The Extraordinary Voyage of Captain Peach’, unfolded less like a conventional runway. Instead, it felt more like a dream sequence suspend- ed between folklore, memory, and modern anxiety. Drawing inspiration from the Japanese tale of Momotaro, the boy born from a peach who journeys to defeat demons, designer Apu Jan turned the narrative into a meditation on contemporary existence. He did not deliver the mythology literally. Instead, the collection used the story as an emotional framework to explore isolation, courage, and identity in the digital age. The result was an intellectually layered presentation, one of the season’s most thoughtful, balancing fantasy with deeply human observa- tions. Visually, the collection moved with cinematic fluidity. Flowing chiffon dresses printed with painterly motifs drifted alongside sharply structured tailoring. Lightweight knitwear and technical sportswear pieces added an almost futuristic precision. APUJAN’s signature jacquard textiles stood out on the runway, rich with hidden symbols and coded storytelling. Ghost motifs appeared repeatedly throughout the garments, as metaphors for self-doubt and the invisible pressures of social media culture. Attention to detail made the collection particularly compelling. Embroi- dered ‘read receipts’ and handwritten letters were woven into fabrics. Ref- erences to East Asian school romance mingled with fragments of online communication, lending a nostalgic air. These clothes invited audiences to look twice. Beneath the softness and whimsy sat something more melan- cholic, a reflection on how intimacy, identity, and memory are increasing- ly filtered through technology. The staging amplified this atmosphere beautifully. Collaborations with Asian cinema art directors brought dramatic theatricality to the presenta- tion. Stylised demon masks transformed the runway into a surreal battle- ground between vulnerability and chaos. The visual symbolism remained elegant and restrained, but not costume-like. This allowed the garments to remain central. Another standout was the live performance by Taiwanese musician Nichi- haru Hibito, also known as DJ So Lonely. His experimental soundtrack blended folk, Lo-Fi, electronic textures, and UK Garage influences. This mix created a hypnotic soundscape that mirrored the collection’s emotion- al duality, nostalgic yet futuristic, playful yet haunting. The layered use of toy instruments, ambient festival sounds, and distorted folk melodies gave the show an immersive quality. In this presentation, APUJAN sincerely offered a world with emotional texture. ‘The Extraordinary Voyage of Captain Peach’ emphasised the stories we attach to them and the resistance found in imagination itself. By blending literature, folklore, craftsmanship, and social commentary, APU- JAN delivered one of the season’s most poetic and emotionally resonant collections. https://store.apujan.com FASHION WEEK LONDON Spring/Summer 2026