Chloé Prize Winner
Canadian designer Steven Tai’s whimsical, humorous womenswear collection is based on the “concept of the Nerd, because I am a nerd too.” He was inspired by stacked piles of books and magazines at the designer's atelier. Tai took the concept of pages – in itself a reference to bookworms, or classic nerds – and applied it to heavily-constructed versions of stereotypical "nerd" garments, from woven tailored shirts to high-waisted, cropped pants. Layer after layer of fabric evokes the pages of a book throughout his collection. Purposefully “ungainly” silhouettes combine with essential dorky accessories — from glasses to chunky footwear — for a look that spells Geek Chic.
'I'm kind of a nerd myself. I wanted to combine my love of books with the silhouettes of the nerd, but show the confidence of the nerd as well. That's why the shapes are exaggerated. It's the confidence in the way clothes are worn that makes a person attractive. Everything has some sort of check, because that's the key nerd pattern. The pants use 80 meters of fabric, and the beaded shirt (shown behind the designer) uses 800 pen nibs that are battery operated to move. That's what makes them shimmer.' said Steven Tai.
