By Cookie H. FW25
BY COOKIE H - Fall Winter 25
Born with Chinese roots but shaped by experiences that took her through Malaysia and New Zealand, By Cookie H carries the imprints of displacement and reinvention. A life constantly in motion, where deconstructing, reimagining and reconstructing are daily encounters. From the start, her approach to fashion was different, she began by pulling apart second hand garments and reassembling them long before she graduated with a degree in fashion and fine arts. This became the foundation of By Cookie H, every piece is a narrative and every detail speaks to the imperfection, unpredictability, and beauty of life itself.
At the heart of her work is a philosophy rooted in personal experience. Moving from one country to another, learning new languages and constantly starting over. Natural dyeing and garment dyeing are important to her image, as it serves as a metaphor for this adaptation. Just as you never know exactly how a garment dyed piece will turn out, life’s circumstances are equally as unpredictable. She uses materials that transform through their dyeing process, using black and green teas amongst other natural ingredients, to create delicate pieces that shift with time. Her emphasis on craftsmanship runs counter to the dominant manufacturing landscape in China, where she is currently based. In a country defined by speed and mass production, she insists on handcrafted, artisanal work, and personally oversees all crafting processes in her atelier. Each piece is a testament to patience and dedication, which centers around her label's mantra that “Good Things Take Time.”
Cookie’s design language is deeply tied to emotion. She spoke to us about the feeling of never being truly understood by those around her. This theme is woven into her work and even reflected in her studio name, which is called Lonely Dreams. There is a theatrical quality to the way she processes this solitude, as the brand’s mainline is called Clown Play. It captures this duality and embraces both the melancholy and the performative aspects of her identity.
Beyond the mainline, Cookie has multiple sub-labels that further illustrate her storytelling approach. Anonymous Lab is her accessories and jewelry line and it extends her artistic language beyond clothing. As a single mother, Cookie’s life revolves around her child, and that connection spills into her work. That’s why C for Courtney, her childrenswear line, emerged naturally from this motherhood. What began as making garments for her own child evolved into a fully realized sub-label.
For Fall-Winter 2025, By Cookie H refines and expands upon her core values, offering a collection that is as tactile as it is emotive. Two tone coats blend multiple materials in a collage-like effect, skirts are layered with five different textiles stitched together into a single, harmonious piece, and exposed linings spill from blazers as if revealing the garment’s own hidden narrative. There are kimono-inspired coats and oversized wool coats, while there are also poetic nods to Victorian influences in the voluminous dress silhouettes.There is an undeniable fragility in her work, but never weakness. By Cookie H’s work reminds us that identity is never static. It is something we build, unravel, and reshape.
LOOKBOOK
OFFICIAL LINKS:
