Penultimate is a brand founded and headed by designer Xiang Gao, a project that feels more like a reflection of her personal journey and experiences than a clothing label. A Parsons' graduate, Xiang spent two years at Raf Simons' Calvin Klein where her practice was shaped by visual research--near endless examination of archival photography that pictured Americana, American cowboys, quilts, and the like. The experience not only taught her about the depths to which true understanding could extend, but also helped her begin to appreciate visual cultures and craft practices that may have seemed outdated. Xiang is quoted saying "Let’s say all those quilts and the cowboy boots, those Western motifs. In finding new ways to use them, I eventually found it quite beautiful."
This curiosity, the research background, and respect for craft forms the foundation for Penultimate, where Xiang uses her study of visuals to filter, remix, and remake her subjects into something incredibly fresh. There's the 70s Psychedelic wearable art of Kaisik Wong that shines through here, or the flash of traditional Chinese culture and dress that pops up there. One can tell the source material is explored with unparalleled rigor because the way its synthesized is so deft and artful regardless of how disparate it is. Schiaparelli meets Tibetan ceremonial dress in a knit sweater, Cowboys meet Buddhist cave-temple paintings in marbled silk western shirts. Nothing is off limits for Xiang, who has explored quotidian American staples like Chinos and white button downs, Chinese Tai Chi uniforms that every grandpa wears to do their morning exercises, borderline kitschy deadstock buttons, and the ultimately democratic track pant. But the ecclectic influences and idiosyncratic combinations all make sense considering Xiang is simply reflecting on the many cultural influences that inherently make up her identity. As an Asian American myself, I was stuck asking the same questions Xiang was at the start: "why should I care about American fashion, westernwear, the cowboys everyone is so obsessed with?" until I saw Penultimate's earnest exploration of them and how entire new universes could be created through that lens of study and appreciation. It just shows the inherent kindness of the brand, the way it uses clothes to say 'there's possibility in anything if you look hard enough.'
