Since his arrival on the Paris Fashion Week official calendar nearly a decade ago, Chinese designer Sean Suen has consistently demonstrated immaculately tailored structures and isn’t afraid to experiment. He has nothing more to prove, he is a great designer, but for the first time, I felt as though he really had something to say about beauty, duality, and culture. We are at a crossroads in fashion, and it’s refreshing to see a designer take the time to reflect on the complex notions of beauty, as a creation and embodiment.

Mei Lanfang, a legendary figure of his era and most notably for his work in the Peking Opera. Over his life, he portrayed over 180 female characters. For Spring Summer 2025, Sean Suen takes inspiration from Lanfang’s ability to transcend gender and societal norms, an elegant man off stage and a beautiful woman on.

“Dual Identities“ are present throughout the collection from classic elements found in Peking Opera costumes, such as cloud collars, flowing sleeves, jade belts, silk balls, and tassels to the Western-style men’s wear and formal attire that Mr. Mei favored off-stage. But its hard not to draw the comparison to the designer himself, and the dual identities he must have internalized as the fashionscape becomes more and more homogenous and the dialogue around beauty has been eradicated. Sean has something to say, and he is finally saying it.

Check out the collection below: