“I dream of a breakfast in the Sahara and dinner in New York.”

— Luke Tanabe

2021 marks the 60^th anniversary of the internationally renowned brand PORTS, where founder Luke Tanabe, a man passionate about travel, pioneered tailor-made fashion for the professional woman. With a global mindset, Tanabe predicted a trend towards globalisation, believing that every individual could be a "world citizen." Entrenched with this mindset that one’s identity transcends geography, he set his sights on the world at large. This guiding principle became ingrained in the brand’s philosophy for generations to come.

For this important occasion, the PORTS Group has collaborated with UCCA Lab (under UCCA Group) to present a retrospective exhibition called "Time Traveller." Threaded by the narrative of time, this retrospective explores PORTS' fashion journey, igniting the viewer's explorative spirit. 

The Modern Art Museum in Shanghai is a deliberate location for this exhibition: situated by a riverbank, echoing the original location of PORTS’ Toronto Queens Quay Terminal headquarters. Upon entering the exhibition, viewers are greeted with PORTS' "Immense Wheel of Time," transporting the individual from modern-day Shanghai to 1961 Toronto, where the idea for the brand was first incubated. This exhibition has commissioned three international artists to create pieces that reflect an interpretation of the futuristic theme, considering time and travel in all aspects.

Chinese contemporary artist Liang Yuanwei interpreted PORTS' travel spirit into an innovative artwork named "Travel Notes." The installation and painting lead the viewers into the landscape's spiritual realm, experiencing time travel from Liang's unique point of view. Swedish contemporary artist Camilla Engström created three oil paintings for PORTS, all of which reflect a distinct flowing rhythm. Brushstrokes and use of colour represent the gentle flow of time, escorting the viewer into a dream-like utopia. PORTS also commissioned Chinese media artist Liu Di to stage a PORTS fashion show illustrating the distant future, in collaboration with cutting-edge designers from London’s Central Saint Martins.

Establishing a transportive experience that reflects both the movement of time and place is a foundational element of this PORTS experience. Renowned French designer, Nathalie Crinière, was brought in to plan out the exhibition space, deliberately establishing a dialogue between the art and the brand. Each space within the exhibition highlights the design concepts for the Fall/Winter 2021 collections of the six fashion labels under the PORTS Group, inspired by classical art and cultural phenomena from six different eras in the past. The sections are imagined as six unopened birthday presents, saluting PORTS' 60^th anniversary, while conveying the spirit of the brand's multi-faceted cosmopolitan culture.

The multi-layered connections between different components in the exhibition bring together an ongoing dialogue between design, art, and space, while reflecting the profound influence of the postmodernist spirit in fashion design. Postmodernism takes inspiration from art movements and concepts of prior periods, to create a new visual shorthand. Dense with references to art history and pop culture, this postmodern spirit is duly reflected by PORTS' slogan, “LOVE THE PAST, EMBRACE THE FUTURE.” The past is constantly recycled, so that the new and old may co-exist in a continuum, opening up more possibilities for the evolution of fashion.

We invite you to set sail on the PORTS vessel, to “dream of a breakfast in the Sahara and dinner in New York," and continue this journey in search of a hopeful future.