THE NOTEBOOK OF A DETECTIVE’S ASSISTANT
This season, APUJAN moves into the cool, methodical terrain of detective fiction, infused with a faint retro sci fi pulse. Where last season leaned into romance, this chapter is rational and restrained. It unfolds from the perspective of an observer figure reminiscent of Dr. Watson beside Sherlock Holmes, retracing investigative journeys through notes, documents, and half remembered images. The runway becomes an evidence board. The garments, clues.
Returning to London Fashion Week with a cinematic presentation, APUJAN once again dissolves the boundary between fashion and film. Directed by the brand’s Creative Director Apu Jan, the AW26 showcase embraces a film led format, expanding the label’s hybrid universe where clothing, cinema, and sound operate as one narrative system.
The film is shot by award winning cinematographer Ko-Chin Chen, recipient of multiple Golden Horse and Golden Bell Awards, with production design by Otto Chen, winner of Best Art Direction at the Taipei Film Festival. Rising Taiwanese actress Chloe Hsiang guides viewers through a world of deduction and memory, her presence anchoring the collection’s atmosphere of quiet suspense.
The narrative drifts between imagined professions and shifting identities. A photographer attempts to capture ghosts. A tailor mends shadows. An actor prepares for costume fittings. An archivist catalogues dream files. Each role is embodied by catwalk models, their looks functioning as narrative evidence. The camera lingers like a detective’s eye, tracing seams and silhouettes as if searching for motive.
Visually, the collection is grounded in a disciplined palette of black, grey, blue, and white, echoing the precision of a detective’s world. Rose shaped silhouettes appear across coats and dresses, softening structured forms with subtle romance. Technical outerwear, developed in collaboration with Taiwanese textile mills, underscores APUJAN’s commitment to material innovation and local craftsmanship. Knitted jacquard vests, asymmetric necklines, and recalibrated tailoring gently distort classic proportions. T shirts embroidered with paper airplanes resemble marginal notes in a case file, poetic interruptions within an otherwise controlled system.
Sound deepens the intrigue. Long time collaborator Ching Hung, known as DJ so lonely, composes a retro sci fi score using toy electronic instruments and analogue synthesizers inspired by the 1980s. Repeating arpeggios pulse like coded transmissions. Low frequency textures hum beneath the surface. The effect is minimal yet quietly emotional, reinforcing the sense that something is always about to be uncovered.
Beyond the runway, APUJAN continues to extend its narrative reach. Recent collaborations span from Japanese idol Ten Yamasaki to institutional and cultural projects with Weiwuying National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, Taichung Green Museumbrary, KOBO eReaders, and EVA Air, whose loungewear famously worn by G-Dragon gained cult status. Each partnership reinforces the brand’s cross disciplinary dialogue between fashion, technology, and pop culture.
With The Notebook of a Detective’s Assistant, APUJAN returns to its core line with sharpened clarity. Rational yet romantic, precise yet speculative, the collection affirms the house belief that clothing is never mere styling. It is the opening line of a story, waiting for the wearer to complete the plot.
