For Fenty’s first collaboration, A Sai Ta of ASAI recreates pieces by Fenty in the style of his cult ‘Hot Wok’ tops
In the first major collaboration since the birth of Rihanna’s LVMH-owned brand Fenty earlier this year, the designer and musician has eschewed the usual big-name collaborators for young British designer A Sai Ta of namesake label ASAI, best known for his cult ‘Hot Wok’ tops (in February, four fans told us why they love the garment). The announcement comes after Rihanna posted a slow motion video of herself in one of the label’s ‘Hot Wok’ dresses in October, which is currently on 6,000,000 views.
The collaboration sees Ta reintepret pieces from Fenty’s ‘City Bloom’ release – inspired by “the everyday style of powerful women, who are as comfortable in their softness as they are in their strength” – taking a floral-print dress and matching long-sleeved top, and recreating them in the style of his ‘Hot Wok’ pieces. “The customised pieces are intricately executed in the style of ASAI’s cult ‘Hot Wok’ design,” Fenty said in a statement. “This collection celebrates some of the two labels’ shared codes: freedom, and a distinct sense of community.”
Community is crucial to Ta, who first begun selling the ‘Hot Wok’ style via his Instagram account, delivering the tops in takeaway noodle containers. Outside of the ‘Hot Wok’ tops – which now come in various iterations, including the aforementioned dress – his collections, shown as part of Fashion East, are an astute blend of colour, hand-worked technique, and motifs which borrow from the London-born designer’s Vietnamese and Chinese heritage. “I guess, essentially, [my collections are] about playing with familiar things – but recontexualising them,” Ta has told AnOthermag.com.
Those wishing to purchase the collaboration would be advised to move fast: with a limited-edition collection of just 24 pieces, available at London’s Selfridges from today, it won’t be around for long.
