Fashion Scout the international showcase for fashion pioneers is excited to announce the London based eponymous brand WEN PAN as the winner of the globally acclaimed SS20 Merit Award. Created in 2009 and now in its tenth year, the new talent initiative supports the winning designer across two seasons and has been created to support and develop new designer businesses on a global level.
In winning this season’s Merit Award, WEN PAN will receive a fully sponsored catwalk show with Fashion Scout during London Fashion Week SS20 with space to host press and buyers. The Merit Award provides aunique platform for the brightest new designers, with many going on to become established labels within the international fashion industry. Wen Pan follows in the successful footsteps of past winners including; Eudon Choi, Phoebe English, David Koma, Roberts|Wood, Han Wen, Xiao Li, Katie Ann McGuigan, EDDA, i-amchen and AW19 winner Tolu Coker. The Merit Award is a highlight event and acts as a key draw for UK and international press and buyers each season
Selected from hundreds of applicants by a judging panel, the relaxed layeredaesthetic of WEN PAN, drew attention to from industry experts including Martyn Roberts – Fashion Scout’s Founder and Creative Director, Contanza Lombardi – Next Gen Buyer at Browns, Niamph Tuft –Fashion Revolution andHannah Craggs–Trends at WGSN. Using their expertise, the judging panel gathered in June 2019, spending the day looking through designs and portfolios to establish this season’s Merit Award Winner.
WEN PAN is a London based womenswear label launched in 2018 and now in its third season. The brand fuses the spirit of oriental recluses with romantic grunge aesthetics. By using raw fluidity and layers of textures, WEN PAN evokes characters in a balance of subtlety and freedom. The design journey always starts with human traces and the attitude from the common people, ending with timeless deconstructed pieces, which translate brokenness into delicacy.
WEN PAN shows an image of quietness in chaos, and celebrates the confidence in imperfection. The brand appeals to women with a similarly strong sense of individuality as they offer garments that nourish women’s needs of style on an emotional level. WEN PAN provides a way to project their strength of character and translate an attitude through a piece.
The brand explores the beauty of brokenness, traces of human presence, Chinese ancient recluses and the 1990grunge. The SS20 collection will return with contrasting floral prints and textures, mixing fragile linen layers and sheer silk fabrics with rough cotton drapery and asymmetric cutting. Wen continues using utility wear with workwear detailing in a palette of muted greens and faded sandy cream.
Having shown previously in Shanghai and Paris, WEN PAN boasts a global stockist list including; Opening Ceremony, Espejto, YMOYNOT, Young British Designers, CHUSHI and Selfridges, where her AW19 work is currently part of the Design Gallery Installation. Her work has been internationally recognised by publications and platforms such as Vogue, View, Stylist, China Times, Essential Homme, S Eleven Magazine, Textile View and Lovesome. Wen graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2015. Before launching her namesake label, Wen undertook several successful stints at renowned fashion houses including Christopher Kane, Alexander McQueen and Uma Wang.
On hearing the brand had won the Merit Award WEN PAN said, “It is such an honour to receive the Fashion Scout Merit Award. I feel very grateful to have this great opportunity, which provides a wonderful platform to share my point of view about beauty and femininity: a delicate balance between prettiness and roughness.”
Fashion Scout’s Founder and Creative Director Martyn Roberts comments: “We are extremely excited to award WEN PAN the SS20 Merit Award following the exceptional AW19 collection presented at the Selection Panel. Her brand was an easy decision for the judging panel to award Merit to, due to her originality and beautiful draping and pattern cutting skills. Fashion Scout are excited to give WEN PAN the opportunity to continue building the brand and profile on a global scale.”
WEN PAN will showcase at Fashion Scout in the brand-new venue this September. The three-day LFW showcase, which runs September 13th-15th, has moved from Freemasons Hall, it’s home for the past 8 years to Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square. Fashion Scout’s relaunch sees it takeover 22,000sqft of the contemporary basement venue, with its unique architectural style that combines industrial elements and blank wall canvas, ideal for showcasing the work of Fashion Scout’s designers.
The event will continue to host both UK and International designers across high impact catwalk shows and dynamic presentations, plus introduce a new exhibition area of emerging talent. With an unrivalled heritage spanning 28 seasons Fashion Scout is the ultimate and largest independent platform to showcase emerging and established design talent during London Fashion Week.