Why Robert Wun Literally Torches His Haute Couture After Hundreds of Hours of Work

Beauty isn’t always pristine; sometimes, it’s more magnetic when it flirts with imperfection. That tension—between polish and patina—is exactly where designer Robert Wun is thriving right now. His couture moves with cinematic drama and a whisper of danger, inviting us to look closer, feel more, and relish the unexpected. If you’ve ever winced at a snag in silk or a spill on satin, you’ll find his work strangely comforting—and undeniably captivating.

From Outsider to Couture Insider

The slow burn of recognition

For years, Robert Wun worked just outside the British fashion ecosystem, building his vision with little institutional support. He studied in London, launched his eponymous label in 2014 after an early boost from Hong Kong retailer Joyce Boutique, and kept going—quietly, stubbornly. Despite a decade in the city, he never appeared on the official London Fashion Week schedule.

Wun applied for British Fashion Council grants from 2014 to 2018. By the time his brand reached its third year, he was no longer eligible. The approval he sought never came, so he simply stopped asking for it.

An unexpected French embrace

Everything shifted in Paris. Nominated for the 2022 ANDAM Fashion Awards, Wun stood in the back of the room, fully convinced he wouldn’t win—until his name was called for the Prix Spécial, a runner-up prize worth nearly $120,000. The judges later told him the decision between first and second had been tight. It was the first time he truly felt seen.

A Couture Path Forged in Fire

Sponsored into haute couture

It was Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s president of fashion, who advised Wun to show in Paris during Haute Couture Week—the rarefied arena reserved for fashion’s highest craft. Couture status isn’t self-declared; it’s governed by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) and the French Ministry of Industry, and sponsorship from an FHCM board member is essential.

With Pavlovsky’s support, Wun returned to the runway in 2023 for the first time in a decade. The collection, titled “Fear,” was conceived and produced in just two months.

Fear as an aesthetic language

Wun channeled raw nerves into garments that dramatize the accidents we dread. A silk dress, complete with gloves and a face-shielding hat, appeared deliberately splashed with red wine, the glass carried as a confrontational prop. A “scorched bride” ensemble—ivory gown and veil punctured with burn holes—was crafted using incense sticks, lighters, cigarettes, and strategic 3D-printed scorch marks to preserve key seams.

These gestures aren’t gimmicks. They’re emotional shortcuts to a universal truth: even the most exquisite things can be marked, and that doesn’t diminish their beauty—it rewrites it.

Caption: Wun’s “Bleeding Love” gown, worn by Beyoncé on her Cowboy Carter tour, turned red stains into jeweled storytelling.

Caption: Fire as technique: accidental burns became an intentional signature—sculpted, controlled, and emotionally charged.

Inside the Studio: Unassuming Walls, Uncompromising Craft

In an unremarkable East London building, scaffolding and all, Wun’s team presses patterns in heat-hazed rooms and shapes one-of-a-kind couture that can cost up to £150,000 (around $200,000). The contrast makes the work feel even more electric. It’s the kind of space where obsession, not opulence, leads the way.

Dirty Looks at the Barbican: Desire, Decay, and the Beauty Between

A debut London exhibition

This season, Wun’s work makes its London exhibition debut at the Barbican in “Dirty Looks,” a show celebrating contemporary designers who embrace deterioration, decay, and the romance of imperfection. Mannequins wearing full looks from his collections are being delivered straight from his East London studio to the gallery floor, including a yellow, 1970s-style pleated suit singed with precision.

Caption: The wine-stained dress from Wun’s Spring/Summer 2023 haute couture debut now sits center stage at the Barbican.

Why it resonates

You don’t need a couture budget to feel the message. Anyone who’s ever stained, snagged, or singed a favorite piece knows that flash of panic. Wun reframes that story, transforming anxiety into allure—and reminding us that flaws can be gorgeous.

Full Circle: From Student to Showcase

In 2008, a young Wun visited the Barbican for his first fashion exhibition: Viktor & Rolf. The cinematic staging stayed with him. Now, his designs appear in the same institution, adjacent to icons like Alexander McQueen—a rare, satisfying loop closed in his own time.

The Malibu Elixir Takeaway

• Perfection is compelling; imperfection is unforgettable.
• Couture can be both elite in craft and democratic in emotion.
• The marks we fear can become our most distinctive signatures.

A Note to the Next Visionary

Wun’s journey distills to a mantra worth keeping close: you don’t need to fit a mold to matter. Bring what only you can offer, pursue it with intensity, and protect that inner spark—always.

Ready to lean into beauty with a little edge? Let’s celebrate the textures of a life well-lived—stains, scorch marks, and all. If that philosophy speaks to you, come along with us at Malibu Elixir and make your rituals a touch more fearless today.