CAPSULE COLLECTION: SOFT ARMOR

“Soft Armor” is a fashion capsule collection by Zehua Wu that reimagines armor as both sensual and protective. Wu developed a custom bead-weaving technique that fuses Chinese bamboo weaving with Western beadwork. Drawing inspiration from traditional bird feather motifs and flame symbolism in Chinese ritual, the collection features sculpted looks that shimmer with tension—fragile yet fierce, delicate yet defiant. Each piece required over 100 hours of meticulous hand-beading, forming soft, luminous armor that wraps the body like mythic protection. “Soft Armor” introduces a new material language of cultural hybridization and embodied strength.