by : Rebeca Riofrio
Angel Chen showed their SS17 collection as part of London Fashion Week on Friday 16th at 18.30.
ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Inspired by the ancient book ‘Shan Hai Jing’, a historic text depicting various stories of monsters from land and sea, Angel Chen SS17 rests on the borders of Chinese heritage and craft innovation. With direct references of the stories themselves, pieces feature iconic symbols, characters and ceremonial embellishment as well as original illustrated embroidery by Angel herself – which has now become a signature of the studio.
However, driven further than ever before, experimentation with a selection of boundary-pushing fabrics and new techniques like dissolvable embroidery fillings has resulted in lighter garments with an even more outstanding level of detail.
These methods, combined with the addition of multifunctional pieces that can be worn dozens of different ways, takes the principle of unisex to a new level. With garments able to transform for both sexes and occasions, ancient culture is blended seamlessly into the now.
COLOUR PALETTE
A bold combination of both past and present; soft pinks, cream, pastel greens and inky denim sit alongside iconic blood red – framed with delicately transparent silver to harmoniously marry the two.
TEXTURES
SS17 includes Chinese denim, real silver and gold thread embroidery as well as a newly developed ‘Silk Acetate’ from Japan. A plastic raffia, cotton yarn and treated cotton woven fabric is the star of the season – exclusively produced for Angel Chen in France.
ABOUT ANGEL CHEN
Angel Chen is a unisex fashion label with a multilayered aesthetic, enthusiastically described as ‘Chinese Punk’ by the press. Having trained at the prestigious Central Saint Martins College in London, Angel was named as one of the “Top 5 graduate designers of the year” by i-D magazine, before going on to work for houses Marchesa and Vera Wang.
Now based in Shanghai, Angel Chen shows collections in London, Paris and across Asia – boasting stockists like Urban Outfitters, H. Lorenzo and Lane Crawford as well as a Forbes ’30 under 30’ title in 2016.