By: Bernard Ramirez

Folding Structure into Emotion

Under the white glow of her Chicago studio lights, Shuoyi Chen — known professionally as Anastasia Elektra — shapes paper into clothing that defies definition. Her process begins with high-performance paper substrates, chemically treated for flexibility and water resistance, then folded into sharply geometric silhouettes that move with the body like sculpture. What appears delicate is, in truth, remarkably strong.

Each piece “behaves less like fabric and more like architecture,” she says. “I don’t sew structure into the cloth — I fold it out.” This technique, inspired by origami and structural engineering, dismantles traditional tailoring. Gone are seams and darts. In their place, her clothes ebb and rise like miniature buildings — flexible yet precise.

Her Chicago Architecture collection made its formal debut at Chicago Fashion Week, where it stunned audiences with its audacious translation of the city’s skyline into wearable form. Each garment in the collection functions as a miniature architectural study — trousers echoing the rhythmic setbacks of Marina City, coats mirroring the Willis Tower’s vertical thrust, jackets capturing the geometric elegance of the Chicago Tribune Tower. Through intricate folding and proprietary paper treatments, Elektra transformed iconic steel-and-glass landmarks into three-dimensional menswear that moves with the body while maintaining structural integrity. The runway presentation demonstrated how architecture could inform not just aesthetic inspiration, but also actual garment construction — proving that engineering and emotion could coexist in the same seam.

Paper, Science, and the Rebellion of Fabric

Inside her studio at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, test tubes sit beside sewing machines. Her method feels more like laboratory research than fashion drafting. She experiments with chemical coatings that lend paper water resistance and elasticity. The results are garments that behave like structured textiles while supporting the brand’s zero-waste foundation.

To the untrained eye, paper seems fragile. In Elektra’s hands, it becomes language — tactile, tensile, temporary yet dignified. Early skepticism from peers raised questions about whether men could move comfortably in paper. Then she poured water over a sample. It bent, flexed, and kept its geometry intact. The tension between fragility and strength runs through every piece.

Her engineering discipline sets her apart from conceptual avant-garde designers. While many embrace theatricality, Elektra fights for functionality as well as depth. Every fold is mapped to body mechanics. Every angle serves a structural purpose. She creates sculptures that breathe and convey expression through geometry.

The commercial side of her brand, the Architectural T‑Shirt Collection, distills these theories into accessible garments. Each design retains the architectural precision of her high-concept work, while the material ensures comfort for daily wear. It is designed as a dialogue: the experimental work initiates the conversation, and the T-shirts invite others to join in.

Redrawing Masculinity

Traditional menswear defaults to restraint — precision suits built for conformity. Elektra shatters this with her concept of men dressed in engineered complexity. Her designs do not flatter for appearance. They provoke self-reflection. Each fold and line demands awareness of form and stance. Wearing her garments is, in a sense, a performance.

Her shows at Chicago Fashion Week stunned the audience, which was expecting another spectacle. Instead, viewers witnessed kinetic architecture — models moving like origami figures unfurling mid-step. Her distinctive visual style has led to recognition at Miami and Los Angeles Fashion Weeks, highlighting her presence in the field of experimental menswear.

Collectors now treat her Architectural Paper Collection as a form of sculpture, acquiring pieces to display rather than wear. Fashion critics cite her as a designer linking material science with psychological storytelling — each garment an equation in form and intent. The commercial success of her T‑shirts, paired with the artistic acclaim of her sculptural work, signals a rare synthesis between artistic purity and market resonance.

As she prepares for shows in Berlin and Copenhagen, Anastasia Elektra continues rewriting the codes of menswear. What began as a student experiment has grown into a new chapter for material design. Her collections remind audiences that fashion carries both inquiry and rebellion — structured proof that feeling may yet be measured in the language of form.