Who’s next? That’s the question talent spotters ask at the annual Central Saint Martins MA show, held at London Fashion Week every February. From this year’s designers, following in the steps of John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Simone Rocha, the one most-likely-to-make-it may well be Joyce Bao.
 
Redefining femininity through the lens of an Asian-American woman, her influences are as diverse as her own dual heritage. She blends design techniques inspired by deteriorating vintage garments and the nuances of Eastern and Western armour, with her clothes reflecting the duality of strength and fragility of women.

After Bao’s six-piece collection graced the runway, we met at her dedicated workspace in the MA Fashion Studios to unpack her debut. She’s wearing a delicate lilac tunic with hip-baring, frayed cut-out sides, paired with slouchy grey joggers tucked into sleek black leather boots. Her final collection hangs nearby – a masterful blend of soft quilting, plush velvet, open-back tunics, micro-skirts, and barely-there shorts. The clothes are made from natural fibres in mesh and gauze. She meticulously hand-dyes the fabric to create a spectrum of pastel hues, ranging from near-transparent pale blue to ethereal cream and warm diluted peach and lilacs. And then she’s added bursts of bold saturated red accents.
 
Her collection is titled Woman: I am everything: without the assumptions. “It’s about challenging the expectations and misconceptions people place onto Asian-American women and women in general about their femininity,” Bao says. “Some looks are so delicate, they look as if they could break,” she adds, tracing her fingers over the flimsy silhouettes. “But that’s the whole point. I want women to find power in fragility and strength in falling apart. Vulnerability is a superpower and I want women to feel empowered in being somewhat exposed.”
 
For Bao, emotional experiences influence her creative process. “For my graduate diploma, my work was interlinked to my experiences of psychology and therapy. My latest MA collection explores this, but through a new lens. At times, I’ve felt fatalistic about the evolution of the collection as though things were predetermined to go wrong. I was stuck in this mindset where everything had to go according to plan… but I’ve ended up just letting things flow naturally.”

Born in Michigan to Chinese immigrant parents, she grew up immersed in Chinese culture before uprooting to a Michigan middle school, and remembers always finding solace in clothes. “It was a really big change, especially because my English wasn’t very good. I couldn’t really talk to people, so I’d dress up,” she says. To express herself, Bao deliberately wore unconventional outfits to spark conversation: “It was a strange, backwards way to make friends,” she says.
 
“Picture my six-year-old self, decked out in a near-neon, hot pink scarf – not around my neck, but cinched as a belt over my tiny skirt,” she laughs, eyes glazing as she reflects on her upbringing. “Out of nowhere this lady says, ‘Oh. My. God. You’re so fashionable!’ It’s etched into my memory as my first-ever fashion moment.”
 
Straight after high school, she pursued a degree in Fibre Science and Apparel Design at Cornell University in upstate New York, applying her technical skills to design internships alongside school. There followed stints at The Row, Calvin Klein and Coach, but it was her experience at hot New York label Vaquera that marked her biggest turning point. “It was exhilarating because it embodied everything I love about fashion – uninhibited creativity and spontaneity.”

To this day, such embrace is still what guides her craft — and MA collection, drenched in this sense of liberated experimentation. “Although my initial inspiration was the colour palette and armour, testing the quilting techniques on different fabrics added a sense of controlled chaos,” she reflects. And then there are her intentionally frayed pieces, including a low-waisted gauze dress inspired by a “1920s dropped-waist silk dress” in her own closet.

She has a love for by-gone eras, citing Anna May Wong – one of the first American-Asian film stars – as a key muse. Wong garnered mixed reactions because of her dual heritage – simultaneously a source of pride and critique. “She’s beautiful, yes,” Bao says. “But she also represents partial mastery to me, which I can relate to.” She doesn’t fully align with everything Wong represents, she adds, but finds a connection with her shared bilingual roots and similar inner critic telling her she hasn’t fully mastered either.

But there is strength in duality, Bao says. “It’s not about straddling two worlds, it’s about owning them both. You can encompass the best of both.” She lists a series of oxymorons – “vulnerable and strong, fragile and tough, feminine and powerful…It’s about celebrating our contradictions and complexities.”

So, what’s next for Bao? Ironically, she envisions a career path marked by duality, balancing work for established brands while preparing her own label. “Perhaps my future will entail embracing opportunities in both realms.”
 
Already setting her sights on next season, Bao teases a hint of what’s to come. “I’m eager to explore the reimagining and restyling of past looks, presenting them in unexpected ways,” she shares. “The upcoming collection will build upon the foundation laid by the current one, keeping my signature story and palette. I couldn’t be more excited for it.”