RUIbuilt | Paris Women’s Fashion Week AW25
Words by Aurola Gyorfy, Photographs by Julian Gomez Succo
What happens when I allow myself to be seen? The gaze of another locks onto me with raw transcendence, and in that vulnerability, my body starts to heal.
RUIbuilt’s FW25 collection, titled EDGE OF TOUCH, blurs the line between garment as an act of self-definition and the interpersonal language of healing. Designer Rui Zhou shows how clothing transcends function, becoming an extension of the body—a shell that's in constant dialogue with our form, where its absence holds just as much power as its presence.
The collection is showcased through the performance of Kominato Yotsuha, who delves into the relationship between body and garment—especially highlighting how societal norms dictate this connection. The presentation explores the relationship between external surface and the factors which dictate one’s movement. Throughout the performance, the audience looks on as the model reclaims their autonomy —flipping the narrative that the body is but a medium defined by clothing. RUIBuilt dispels the notion that it is merely a carrier of gaze into fragmented notions of self-determination.
Yotsuha repeats mundane, intimate acts of ‘being seen’ in a setting surrounded by seashells and fruits as they adorn the white linens atop a bed in the centre of the room—echoing the sensual stillness of a Courbet painting. As she traces the contours of her body and steps away, her outlines linger on the paper pinned to the wall, creating a palpable tension between her physical figure and the traces left behind. It’s a slow-burning attentiveness, flickering between her and the audience, like a quiet confrontation with the self. At one point, Yotsuha locks eyes with her reflection, studying her face and body, tied in black netted lace ornamented with beaded white pearls. It becomes obvious as the pieces fall together, a common thread unites the collection, that of healing through ritualistic repetition—a non-religious ecstasy where the body dismantles, heals, and rebuilds itself on its own terms.
The intricate knots and ties, reminiscent of traditional body-binding techniques, cling to the skin, dividing the models form into tangled segments. These shorelines between flesh and garment engulf one another, creating a space of intimate expression and emotional release. The inclusion of leather further deepens this narrative, embodying the sensation of a second skin, emphasizing the notion of merging identity with garment. The pieces don’t just cover or protect; they expose, heal, and redefine the boundaries of self – they redefine the edge of touch.
