There aren't too many people in the world who think acne is fashionable. Muto Guo is among the very, very few.
For his debut presentation at Milan Men's Fashion Week on Monday, Guo—the Malaysian designer who was a recent semi-finalist for the prestigious LVMH prize—had his makeup artists paint the models' faces with an array of particularly red and angry-looking zits. A few of them sported just a handful of blemishes, but others looked like a six-month Accutane regimen wouldn't cure their skin.
Guo, whose work is colorful and whimsical, hasn't offered any explanation for putting pockmarks and pustules on the otherwise clear faces of his models, but his clothing offers some hints. His spring 2017 collection is entitled "Picnic in the Society," and all of the looks referenced things children might wear at such an event: a twee knit bib says "Time to Eat, Y'all!", and the two oversize buttons on one double-breasted jacket close over a cutout mouth, making a smiling face.
So perhaps making your models look like they're at the height of adolescent sebum production is a continuation of that theme: a quirky celebration of the beauty and utter awkwardness of being young.