Fast Fashion Apócrifo: Kang Haoxian

In Fast Fashion Apócrifo, Kang Haoxian (1989, Shandong, China) confronts the fragmented cultural landscape shaped by consumerism through a unique blend of fast fashion aesthetics and unorthodox narrative strategies. The artist explores in this exhibition the contradictions given in an industry that thrives on speed and disposability, while increasingly cloaking itself in the language of ethics and sustainability.  

The title itself—Apócrifo—suggests an ironic lens. It speaks to a kind of “false fashion,” a cycle of imitation and illusion in which both environmental concern and personal expression are simplified. For Kang, this dissonance is representative of a deeper crisis: a system that offers short-lived satisfaction while quietly reinforcing long-term ecological and emotional detachment.  

Rather than simply critiquing fast fashion, Kang seeks to reimagine it. Through painting, he slows this speed of visual and material consumption, inviting viewers to reflect on time, care, and permanence. His works aim to elevate fashion from ephemeral consumer goods to objects of attachment—"life companions"—charged with emotional and ecological significance.  

At the heart of Fast Fashion Apócrifo is a call for transformation. Kang proposes an aesthetic intervention, where speed is not rejected but reoriented. By engaging with fast fashion through art, he reveals its potential to catalyze deeper, more meaningful values. In doing so, he challenges us to reconsider how we consume, not by turning away from the system, but by reshaping our relationship with it. 

Kang Haoxian graduated in Fine Arts. His works have been exhibited in China, USA and Europe. He lives and works in Beijing.