Designer: Lynn Zhao

THEME: The collection explores the duality of performative toughness versus private release. Zhao identifies the shower as the ultimate "emotional refuge"—the only place where the modern "warrior" can stop performing and let the water mask their tears.

By translating the rigid logic of Medieval plate armour into fluid, textile counterparts, she creates a new visual language for protection. Instead of cold steel, she uses weighted jersey and structured wool to mimic the segmentation of a knight’s harness. The "Soft Warrior" doesn't fight an external enemy; she wears her armour to protect the process of healing.

Institution: London College Of Fashion

The Sketchbook (The "Aha!" Moment)

The collection found its pulse when Zhao looked at a shower curtain. She noticed how the heavy plastic draped in deep, tubular folds—remarkably similar to the fluting on a 15th-century breastplate.

She began sketching the "logic of water in motion," mapping how droplets run down the curves of the body. This led to her breakthrough technical details:

• Curved Seamlines: Following the path of rinsing water.
• The Hardware: Repurposing shower-curtain ring buckles as structural fasteners, allowing "armor" to be shed in seconds.
• The Palette: A thermal map of a breakdown and recovery. Deep burgundy represents the "heat" of high-pressure stress, transitioning into watery greens and "steam-washed" yellows as the wearer finds their center again.

The Twirl Stage

The "Twirl Stage" is where Zhao’s technical mastery over weight and gravity truly reveals itself. In the studio, these garments were engineered to reconcile the heavy drape of wet fabric with the protective structure of a shell. As the wearer turns, the arched panels and Fauld's-like waistlines don't just move; they respond with a rhythmic, mechanical swing that mimics the articulated joints of a medieval harness. Because Zhao opted for sculptural jersey and wool rather than rigid synthetics, the "armour" possesses a unique kinetic memory—collapsing into soft folds at rest and flaring into defensive, curved silhouettes in motion. It is the visual representation of "rinsing"—a fluid, sweeping energy that feels as though the fabric itself is shedding the day's weight.

The Catwalk (The Final Reveal)

The Catwalk is the moment the steam finally clears, revealing a silhouette that is both formidable and heartbreakingly tender. As the models emerge, the high-gloss runway mimics the slick surface of a wet tile floor, catching the light on the shower-curtain ring buckles that click rhythmically with every step—the only "metal" in an otherwise tactile world. The heavy burgundy wools ground the show with a sense of internal pressure, while the watery greens and pale, steamy yellows seem to float, creating an ethereal trail like heat rising off skin. It is a masterclass in "soft power": the arched panels and sculpted bustlines give the models the stature of a knight, yet the way the jersey clings and drapes suggests a deep, human vulnerability. The final look—a monumental, segmented coat that echoes a full suit of armour in washed pink—proves that being a "Soft Warrior" isn't about being fragile; it’s about having the courage to be seen.