_{Image: Joshua Lee, The New Order, 2024 (detail), Image: Luke Foley-Martin.}

In The New Order, Tāmaki-based designer Joshua Lee presents a new body of work that straddles both formally grounded and free-form expression. The exhibition consolidates Lee’s effort to develop new design systems based on principles of longevity and sustainability. At the heart of the project is Lee’s collection of refined menswear, which elevate denim as a durable modern material through which to produce designer workwear.

However, when entering the exhibition, we are also greeted by large steel structures and bespoke cast aluminum supports, which present exploded views of the clothing and carry his distinctive visual language into sculpture and experimental object designs. In this way Lee liberally traverses the boundaries of high-end fashion, design, and social practice, in an effort to conceptualise a broader philosophy of making.