But that is not necessarily the purpose of his creations. Even though you can purchase a pearly white shark tail, green lace double hoop dress or, slightly more wearable Tea Hat from his Bad Binch e-store. The goal, Zhou says, is to re-contextualise mundane objects and open up an emotional dialogue between the garment and the viewer.

Zhou's ginormous garments — perfect for our era of social distancing —transform bodies into the giant orange phallus, lopsided tubas, lampshades and giant spheres a la Violet Beauregarde. And the precision in the execution of these deceitfully simple designs points towards the designer's stint as a Mathematics and Engineering student before pursuing his passion for arts.

Although elaborate in shape, Zhou's creations are predominantly monochromatic. “The tendency to over-design comes from fear of doing 'not enough'," the designer says. "When I designed my first collection, I started to question the intention of my work — was it coming from fearful insecurity or genuine passion?" Now, Zhou's design ethos is all about "stripping away unnecessary decorations and focusing on shapes.”

Below, the Wuhanese designer tells METAL how the tragedy in his hometown has affected his work, discusses if editorials in glossy magazines translate to sales and talks about his garments' potential both IRL and URL.