SEMI-FINALIST OF THE 2025 LVMH PRIZE

PENULTIMATEby Xiang Gao

Penultimate is a collection of wearable art, designed in Shanghai by Xiang Gao. Born and raised in Wenzhou, China, Gao earned her master’s from Parsons School of Design and spent two years working for Raf Simons at Calvin Klein 205W39NYC before she launched Penultimate in 2018 in New York City. A celebration of craftsmanship, the designer draws from her Chinese roots and life in America and employs mixed-material assemblage techniques that nod to the 1970s Wearable Art movement. In fusing found materials with modern silhouettes, Gao creates imaginative capsule collections at a slow and steady pace. Every piece boasts its own story.