The collection drew inspiration from a traditional Chinese patchwork representing community love.
The starting point for Feng Chen Wang’s fall collection was the “hundred families robe,” a tradition that see new parents visiting 100 relatives to gather material used in a patchwork robe symbolizing love.
It led the London-based designer to think about opportunities for connection. In this, she riffed on the homophony between her first name in Mandarin and the word for sewing or knitting together textiles. Another homophone, the phoenix, continued to appear in painterly laser treatments on denim or as quilting.
Par for the course of Wang’s “gender-liberated approach” and knack for deconstruction were eye-catching volumes and intriguing details that left a more feminine impression on blowsy jackets. She also added drama — and a fur trim — to a straight coat, and turned trouser legs into skirt panels.
Reprising the idea of found materials, she also collected antique jacquards in traditional motifs, using them for a geometric patchwork on a cropped peacoat. The size of the pattern had been dictated by the width of the swatches.
New here were accessories inspired by Chinese locks, and models wore makeup from Wang’s upcoming limited-edition collaboration with Estée Lauder, to be released in April. Also unveiled here was a new exclusive model developed with Nike, dressing the sports specialist’s Air Max with a sculptural bumper shaped like a phoenix.
They, along with the giant knot closures taken from traditional clothing, were further examples of her witty application of her Chinese heritage.
Feng Chen Wang Autumn Winter 2023 Collection
You and I …
Knitted together …
Hand to hand, knot by knot …
