FENG CHEN WANG FALL 2022
Things may be going swimmingly for Wang right now, but this season she was drawn to notions of imperfection. Her signature chopped-and-screwed shapes—this time arriving in the form of hybridized trench coats with puffer details, asymmetric denim jackets spliced with golden padded sleeves, and some intriguing shirting featuring layers of contrasting blue and white panels—dovetailed nicely with this search for the beauty found in flaws. But for Wang, it ran a little deeper, too. She noted that when we can accept the imperfections of what we own, those things hold greater longevity. Wang showed the clothes in a gallery space she curated remotely—featuring an array of paintings and textile pieces of contrasting textures—that was carefully set up to highlight the seasonlessness of her clothes. “Do we need everything new every season, and to then throw it away after six months and buy something new?” Wang said.
To take this theme over the finish line, she also looked to a handful of references from the history of her homeland. One was the delicate lines and floral details of bodiless lacquerware, a craft tradition that originates from her native Fujian province. Emerald green lacquer was referenced in gorgeous dark green marbled prints across jackets and shirts that had a suitably mind-bending aura for a collection that was intended to defy expectations.
Finally, there was the continuation of Wang placing her new mascot of sorts, the mythological fenghuang, or Chinese phoenix, at the center of her vision, this time as a new logo. “The phoenix in Eastern culture is genderless, and sometimes switches between female and male, which felt like a good symbol for us,” said Wang, also noting its parallels with her own name. Wang’s cohesive, desirable offering this season—with just the right amount of warp and deconstruction to please those who prefer the more avant-garde end of her spectrum—proved that her success over the past year has been firmly well deserved.
Images courtesy of Feng Chen Wang.