The Garden of Forking Path – Selenee Spring 2025 LA Fashion Show at NeueHouse Hollywood

MT Yang, designer of Selenee, debuted her fifth collection for Spring 2025, titled The Garden of Forking Path, on March 16, 2025, at NeueHouse Hollywood during Los Angeles Fashion Week. VIP guests were photographed on the red carpet while guests mingled and sipped on delicious cocktails with hors d’oeuvres served on gold platters. In attendance were actress, producer, and social media star, Mercedes Blanche (The Boys); Amanza Smith; K-pop sensation fX band member Amber Liu; Actress/writer Shuang Hu, TV and fashion personality Kelly Bensimon; model and musician Jarry Lee; model/influencer Sonya Esman; fashion influencer Roxy Manning; and TV and fashion personality, Derek Warburtonbb amongst many others.

Everyone invited had a passion for the avant-garde luxury label. Speaking with VIP model and influencer Diarra Sylla, who was wearing the Shattering Earth Body Suit, I asked “What got you interested in the brand?” She replied “Well I actually didn’t know about the collection until [I got an email] and I did some digging and I absolutely love the collection, and the way it fits on my body, honestly it’s everything. This screams my name.” Amber Liu of K-pop sensation fX band member fame stated, “I was introduced to it online and I saw the photos and I was like, this is really sick. I didn’t know that fabric could keep that shape. She does an awesome job creating really, really cool silhouettes. I thought that [the collection] was extremely unique and really, really creative.”

Originally a lawyer, Yang always knew she was more of a visual artist, painting and creating large sculptures to satisfy her creative edge. Selenee was born with a dream – to build an avant-garde luxury brand focused on how her designs figure into a larger figurative art space. The Spring 2025 collection focuses its inspiration on an important author and poet named Jorge Luis Borges, who wrote a short story called “The Garden of Forking Path.” The short story explores themes of multiple realities as well as the non-linear nature of time and fate as each decision spins off onto a new path.

Beginning with influencer and model Sonya Esman and culminating in a grand finale featuring a red ruffled bow gown, the fashion show on Sunday evening featured a maze of mirrors around which models wove to simulate one walking through a maze. The experience actively engaged the audience as models constantly changed poses while in front of the mirrors, moving them from passive viewers to intimate acquaintances with the brand, forming a deeper connection with the brand’s message. According to MT Yang’s partner, James Meyers, the concept behind the show was “that there are many different levels of what could happen depending on where you go in the maze . . . there’s a progression you will see in the show where it goes from adolescent to more mature, finishing with flowering intricate designs.”

The collection features the theme of a labyrinth in the finest of details like “cuffs featuring a split design, mimicking the branches of the labyrinth, and a layered skirt that embodies the imagery of multiple intersecting spaces.” Combined with 3-dimensional tailoring, the line contains exaggerated, puffy shoulder work, corseted coats, leather sweatshirts, wool blousons, suit dresses, along with capes, checkered pants, and dresses. It was edgy and modern, with artistic vibes throughout as the collection was an ode to a work of literature.

James went on to say that the brand is “Influenced by today’s styles, today’s materials.” The collection features both modern and vintage cuts, with James’s statement ringing true as The Garden of Forking Path contains a myriad of wool, leather, cotton, and silk in greys, houndstooth, and red along with the staple black that defined many of the pieces seen in Sunday’s show. The Spring 2025 collection is made with the idea of sustainability in mind with careful sourcing and ethical production methods as every garment is crafted to last for many seasons in the future, making each piece a timeless statement.

Merging art and technology (previous collections utilized 3D printing) with fashion makes Selenee a brand that goes beyond tradition, seeking to set new trends through its continuously evolving avant-garde collections “challenging the status quo while embracing innovation.” Please visit: www.selenee.co to purchase items from the collection, ranging from $480.00 to $5,800.