NY Fashion Week: Designer Jason Wu Takes a Cue From a Legendary Chinese Artist

When designer Jason Wu decided to ask the venerable Taiwanese artist Tong Yang-Tze, a legend in her homeland, to collaborate on his upcoming collection, a Zoom or phone call would never suffice. “I flew to Taiwan for one day to get her permission, because I needed to,” Wu explained to The Hollywood Reporter on Sunday following the debut of his Spring 2025 collection.

Tong, 82, has been working on a pair of oversized paintings highlighting her much-heralded take on fusing Chinese calligraphy with contemporary art; both works will debut in the Great Hall of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on November 21 and represent Tong’s first major project in the U.S. “She is an icon in Asia, and I wanted to celebrate her work because she deserves to be celebrated — also because she’s 82 and has more energy than me,” Wu said.

The result of that request was unveiled Sunday at an open-air space at Hudson Yards, where Wu debuted a Spring 2025 collection that blended Tong’s artistry with the designer’s thoughtful approach to minimalism and fluidity. “It looks so modern, yet it’s been her work all along,” Wu said of Tong’s free-flowing prints. “They’re timeless while also challenging the way one would think; even if you’re Asian, she’s challenging you on calligraphy that’s been around for thousands of years. Her work is moving ink, because it’s not just words, it’s visual.”

Tong’s calligraphy and brushstroke treatments on a grand scale were employed throughout Wu’s collection, from sporty jackets and breezy separates in silk chiffon to dresses with asymmetrical hemlines and deconstructed details. In between those looks, Wu crafted designs that felt equally artful, in neutral hues of ivory or black, as well as pale rose and terra cotta. The muted palette was presented around a 21-foot steel sculpture Wu commissioned from designer Elise Co. “I want things that are everlasting and to create a thread that connects everything,” he explained about the overall presentation. “But it’s not just Elise Co and Tong Yang-Tze, it’s also the hair and makeup artists, the people in my workroom — I want all the creatives behind the scenes to be seen. It’s overdue.”

Ultimately Wu’s intention also is to challenge definitions of American fashion. “We’re supposed to believe American designs are only commercial, but they’re not,” he said. “America is about culture, and we’re the best of pop culture. As an independent designer in New York, it’s so important to me to be part of American fashion and to stay strong, because there are less and less of us. I’m independent and a small business owner, so we may not get all the resources of some of the bigger brands, but we get to show what we want to show.”

Wu’s artful, independent streak has earned him a loyal fan base, with Diane Kruger, Amanda Seyfried and Viola Davis among the stars who have worn his designs on red carpets. But he laughed when asked if any of the designs on Sunday’s runway might be seen at the upcoming Emmy Awards, especially a diaphanous ivory tulle gown with a banded strapless silk neckline. “I was up all night and only went to sleep at 5 a.m.,” he noted on Sunday afternoon. “I don’t know who might make requests, but I do know we made that gown last night in our studio. Maybe I’m too honest in admitting that, but that’s the thing about independent designers: We get to execute a vision, and we have to do it with pennies and make it look monumental. But that’s OK, I don’t need all the money in the world.”