My Image

The fashion label RUE AGTHONIS and its designer SYL (Yanling Sha) grew up in Shanghai and moved to New York to study at Parsons School of Design. Her inspiration stems from the places she loves, Shanghai, New York, Paris, and London. Living and creating in New York she uses her surroundings as inspiration – the freedom, and uniqueness of the city. Her passion stems from the French theatre with its dramatic costumes and truly unique Parisian tragedies to the modern woman. She values luxury in the most unique of places. She has given us at .Cent a selection of her personal images of things around her life that inspire her. Read more here in My Image

A Southern French name is intertwined into a fashion brand’s name. Rue meaning street in French. The designer cleverly removed the second “A” in the street name “AGTHONIS”, turning the brand into a street of fashion itself. At the same time, it also implies SYL is opening up the street to creative freedom.

Rue Agthonis currently carries both womenswear and menswear in their line, and that fully expresses the exquisite craftsmanship and the luxury of the brand.

The Pont au Change, A bridge over the Seine in Paris that radiates drama, so much so it was even featured in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables, an inspiration to me

” This picture of Paris on an eerie day represents its drama and inspiration to us. France inspires our designs to create and narrate all kinds of imaginative fashion stories that are sexy, funny, cheerful and exciting through luxurious yet non-flaunting costume and design”.

A bookshop in Paris near the Palais Royal, a peaceful pit stop near one of the busiest places in Paris.

“It’s the people of Paris that inspire us further, with their charismatic charm and intellect that is always so chic”

A serene spot in one of the busiest cities in the world, London, taken in May, during the pandemic.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has caused people to rethink the harmonious coexistence and relationship between humans and nature that can be found through emotional tethers and physical bonds. Throughout our collection we project these bonds into the production of the garments and the ideological constructs of each season. The images of the serene water and plants around perpetuate peace in a destructive world”.

New York City in the Summer 2019, it really is the City that Never Sleeps.

“A New York based brand, we take inspiration from our city. Our ideology focuses on fashion being neutral, it should never be limited to height, age, gender, race or ability which is what New York stands for along with us”.

Another peaceful yet eerie part of London, taken on the Hampstead Heath which is usually packed, yet this summer it was a different story.

“This haunting yet beautiful image in the woods is reminiscent of the fragmentation of the state of the world, which we’ve interweaved into our SS21 collection, extracting the sky blue colour of the world and using it as a colour for our summer tweed”.

New York City, a hub of the future.

“Furthermore, we couldn’t possibly leave out the future as one of our most important inspirations, always looking ahead with excitement for what’s to come in the wave of fashion and technology, something that can be felt in waves throughout New York”.

A Polar Bear jumping from one melting ice cap to the next, which is something we hope to make prominent in our collection.

“Global warming and Climate change has caused the melting of the ice sheets in the Arctic. Heavily impacting the polar bears and their habitat, Rue Agthonis has implemented a polar bear series of garments into the SS21 collection to explore the topic of our relationship with nature, calling on people to protect animals and habitats, arousing public attention to the environmental protection and sustainable fashion.In contrast with the sad and corrupt world where global warming exists we want to remind people of positive light and all the good that the world can be through nurture, like how the mother bear nurtures her cubs so that they can have a safe and healthy life on earth where they’ve lived for generations”.

David Bowie, one of the many iconic music inspirations that consistently inspires me.

“With theatre and the dramatic arts being source of inspiration for us, we couldn’t possibly exclude David Bowie from our inspiration, from their androgynous and dramatic style juxtaposed with such a gorgeous and enchanting aesthetic.”

RUE AGTHONIS’ SS21 Collection is inspired by Beauty in the smallest of things. Beauty inspired by the modern women and the comfort of security, they’ve followed the classic details of their previous seasons, but have implemented exciting patterns and style to express empowerment, creating a sense of security through fashion in their own way. They intend on that sense of security to give women the tools to bloom to the full potential of beauty.