The designer speaks to Man About Town about her anniversary collection and what it means to celebrate 10 years of her brand.
A little commotion please, for Feng Chen Wang. At Paris Fashion Week, the designer, who has bases in both Shanghai and London, toasted 10 years in the game with her Spring/Summer 2027 collection.
“It’s all about the right timing and staging to bring two different backgrounds together. The SS27 collection was inspired by two distinct cultures: the classical Western art of [Sandro] Botticelli, and the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, the freedom-finding Chinese scholars of the Wei and Jin dynasties,” Wang tells Man About Town over email. “I think for me, the point of the collection is about creating a dialogue between two artworks from completely different eras and contexts. It is exactly this conversation, exploring their differences and fluidities, that makes things interesting.”
On the runway, these influences merged through shirt collars which draped over jackets, renaissance-style ruffs pushing through striped jackets, and panelled, almost robe-ish denim. An opening look combined translucent fabrics with a lotus leaf collar, created using real leaves to make patterns on the fabric through heat to make each piece unique. Hems were left unfinished, mirroring the imperfections of Bamboo manipulated and worn on the body. And tailoring, while softened through blouse-like shirting, remained assured in its stature.
The offering is the embodiment of Wang’s trademark design language, pulling on influences from both East and West, traditional as well as contemporary. And this season’s collaboration with Under Armour – a first for the brand following Wang’s appointment as Long Term Creative Partner – exemplified this approach. It incorporated Chinese red and pankou knots to sporty hooded tops and swishy tracksuits. And it rounds out an offering reflective of what guys wear today, where life moves in and out of dress codes and movement, and clothing needs to cover all bases. It’s fitting for Wang’s consumers, who she describes as “global citizens who truly know and connect with multiculturalism. They could be based in the East or the West; they are global travellers. Age, race, and gender don’t define them.”
Menswear has changed a lot in 10 years. We’ve had streetwear-infused high fashion, quiet luxury, and a big push on preppy stuff of late. Wang has weathered the rapidly changing fashion ecosystem by staying true to her own design DNA. “Over the past decade, our core identity has always remained a constant: a dedication to different craftsmanship techniques, a love for deconstruction and modularity, and an open approach to design that blurs gender lines,” says Wang. “As the brand has evolved, we are constantly pushing to develop new technical fabrications and unexpected silhouettes. It’s a balancing act: keeping our house codes recognisable while continuing to innovate and push the brand further.”
