Feng Chen Wang is a Chinese born designer who now resides in London. After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2015, she began her own line, bearing her name.
Her debut showings were at New York Fashion Week. However, now her line is a fixture on the London Fashion Week menswear schedule. Though to say that she designs menswear would be too reductive. Instead, her modern yet minimal, tailored yet futuristic takes are best described as unisex. As an example, her Fall/Winter 21 collection was inspired by what is often referred to as the Chinese Phoenix, the fêng huang. Beyond the similarity in sound to her own name, she was drawn to the mythical creature’s duality, its embodiment of both the male and female. That season’s showing featured both male and female models wearing the designer’s knitwear and tailoring.
Perhaps though the idea of duality is best represented by the number of collaborations she has already been apart of in the short existence of her line. While maintaining her own voice and vantage point, she has partnered with major brands on special editions of some of their most iconic pieces.
With Converse, she played with the idea of two parts coming together, reworking the classic into a split design. With UGG, the classic boot is reworked into a convertible design allowing it to be transformed into a summer appropriate sandal. And while she has partnered with Nike and Levis as well, perhaps the collaboration that placed her on the largest stage was working to design the uniforms for the Chinese flag bearers at the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. This design featured a modern take on traditional Chinese suiting and an eye-catching puffer jacket. The jacket with its homage the mountains and rivers of China also symbolizes global connection, all humanity coming together as one.
In all of her collections, there is a consistent reference to something beyond the clothes themselves. Pulling from her own experiences or views on the world, she weaves observations from her own life into the work.
References
CFDA. (n.d.) Feng Chen Wang. https://cfda.com/programs/designers/nyfw/nyfw-mens/designer/feng-chen-wang
Feng Chen Wang (n.d.). Feng Chen Wang. https://fengchenwang.com/
Leitch, Luke. (April 13, 2021). Feng Chen Wang: Fall 2021 ready-to-wear. Vogue Runway. https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2021-ready-to-wear/feng-chen-wang
Zhang, Tianwi. (February 4, 2022). Chinese designers shine at Beijing Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. WWD.com. https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/chinese-designers-beijing-winter-olympic-opening-ceremony-1235062311/
A Wren Says 