Penultimate Men's Tops

Launched in 2018, Penultimate is the brainchild of New York-based designer Xiang Gao. Conceived after completing her master's at Parsons School of Design and a two-year tenure with Raf Simons at Calvin Klein 205W39NYC, Xiang crafts collections reminiscent of the 1970s wearable art movement.

Each collection tells the story of the designer's journey, seamlessly merging inspiration from Xiang's Chinese heritage with her life experiences. The result is a series of idiosyncratic combinations that find equilibrium through the lens of Xiang's identity. Whether drawing inspiration from periods of lockdown, her travels or Chinese mythology, Xiang skillfully translates each source into playful interpretations, challenging conventional notions of what is wearable and what is not.