Feng Chen Wang AW23 Show, Paris Fashion Week

You and I…
Knitted together…
Hand to hand, knot by knot…
– Feng Chen Wang

The idea of connection lies at the very heart of Feng Chen Wang’s Autumn/Winter 2023 offering
– not only between individuals, cultures and communities, but time periods too: the present and
the past. The Chinese word ‘缝’ – pronounced ‘féng’, which means to sew, to stitch, to knit
together – is key here. ‘鳳’, also pronounced fèng, means phoenix, symbolises the union of yin
and yang, and relates to the designer’s own name and her signature motif.

The Autumn/Winter 2023 collection features much of this ‘meeting’ and ‘knitting’; much coming
together of disparate parts: from the male and the female, to the eastern and the western; the
traditional and the modern. We see Wang’s gender-liberated sensibility on clear display, as well
as her union of traditional Chinese techniques and modern western styles; and her seamless
incorporation of tailoring and denim. Even the colour palette follows this alchemical approach
– for amid a cool sea of black, white, grey, indigo and khaki, comes a blaze of warm pink and
fiery orange.

This season, Wang was thinking especially about the original Chinese “Hundred Families Robe”
tradition, whereby, 100 days after giving birth to a child, parents will visit 100 people – from family
members to friends and neighbours – and receive a piece of cloth. These fabric donations are
then sewn together into a patchwork robe, a shared symbol of love. Similarly, this season, Wang
gathered surplus fabric from seasons past, splicing them together in a way that is not only
sustainable but symbolic.

The phoenix – Wang’s signature motif – appears in a printed quilted fabric and a printed denim,
which melds old and new with the incorporation of a traditional Chinese landscape painting
technique. On this denim, the motif appears as a literal ‘blueprint’ via the designer’s also signature
indigo dyeing technique. The motif appears throughout the collection, across clothes,
accessories and remade Nike footwear.

In addition, the London- and Shanghai-based designer partners with Estée Lauder for a limited
edition make-up collection with exclusive decoration designed by Wang herself. The collection
will be available from April 2023.

This season introduces the traditional Chinese knot – a precursor to the modern button. Wang
vividly remembers her grandmother waking up every single day and fastening the knots on her
blouse. Beyond the function of fastening two different parts of a garment, these knots take on
the meaning of bringing two separate entities together; knotting together generations, cultures
and communities. Wang’s own version of these knots appear sized-up, making a statement on
coats, jackets, and scarfs.

In a time when society is more fractured than ever, and we are leading ever more isolated lives,
Wang’s collection extols the beauty of unity, of community and coming together.

Explore the collection at:
fengchenwang.com

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