Susan Fang
Canadian-Chinese designer Susan Fang, based in London and Shanghai, will unveil a collaboration with Victoria’s Secret for the Chinese market during her fall 2024 fashion show in London on Monday.
“I will be designing some pieces from this collaboration at our show on Monday. “They go so well together, especially with bras because we have so many sheer dresses, and they go so well together as a whole,” Fang quipped.
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Following its runway debut, the capsule collection will be available in stores across China in April, shipping through May 20; This is a relatively new holiday date among younger generations in China for lovers to show their love for each other, as 520 sounds like “I love you” in Chinese.
For this love-themed capsule, Fang said she blended airy fabric, lace, embroidery, sheer beads, and floral patterns reminiscent of butterflies dancing among plants with Victoria’s Secret’s classic bras and panties.
It also offers pajama sets with embroidered edges and cutouts in the shapes of hearts, butterflies and clovers, camisole nightgowns that can be worn multiple times, and t-shirts with a raised heart-wing logo that reads “Fly with” in cursive script. Love” and outerwear, like a lightweight summer jacket in rainbow colors.
“I’ve always loved Victoria’s Secret since high school. Since we are now spending more time at home, my desire to design underwear and pajamas has increased greatly after the pandemic, as many people around me are looking for more decorative pajamas. The timing was perfectly aligned, as Victoria’s Secret began collaborating with designers last year. [starting with Rui] “We show strong support for Chinese designers and creativity,” Fang said.
During the development of the capsule, Fang said she paid attention to cost as she wanted “the final products to have the same price point as the main collection.”
“Quality was also an important point. It was about finding the most suitable fabrics and the best shape for the female body. We wanted the user to feel the joy of intimate clothing many times. “From a personal perspective, it was a meaningful project for me because they were very experienced in every category and were very open to trying new ideas,” he added.
On a personal level, the designer believed the Valentine’s Day theme was a “magical match” for her when she married her Dyson engineer husband last weekend.
Fang, which was shortlisted for the 2019 edition of the LVMH Prize, has been exhibited as part of the official London Fashion Week calendar since 2022.
The designer has exhibited several times at Shanghai Fashion Week in recent years, earning him a number of awards including the inaugural Yu Award and Lane Crawford’s Creative Call, and major collaborations with brands such as Zara, Nike, Ugg, Swarovski and Chinese smartphone maker Oppo. .
Kazna Soldier
Kazna Asker is reimagining the way fashion brands operate, with community and philanthropy at the forefront of the brand. The first designer to present her hijab collection at Central Saint Martins’ graduation master’s fashion show, this season asks “What are we fighting for?” advocates coming together collectively against difficulties.
“Sometimes the pressure gets too much individually, so it’s important to put the action behind the community,” the designer said.
“My fashion world combines my Yemeni heritage with my British upbringing, so my collection continues my love letter to Sheffield and Yemen by combining the two worlds, whether through fabrics, silhouettes or colours,” explained Asker.
“I think this time my collection really explores the power of femininity behind the struggle and the power of the women in my life.”
Using entirely stock-made materials, the technical streetwear is combined with traditional Middle Eastern woven upholstery fabrics, and the silhouettes are inspired by abayas, headscarves and jilbabs, as well as tracksuits the designer saw while growing up in Sheffield; here he also developed his passion for community work. , an important aspect of its brand.
“Last year, I worked closely with Reach Up Youth in Sheffield to launch a campaign for equal treatment of teachers of color in Sheffield, working directly with Sheffield City Council on this campaign. This campaign inspired the development of my film, ‘Fight for me, Sheffield’, which I presented at LFW in September,” said the designer.
The soldier most recently teamed up with Spread Salaam to create upcycled football jerseys to raise money for the charity Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP), raising over £1,500 for the charity last month.
Amber W. Smith
Born in rural America and based in London, Amber W. Smith’s brand re-imagines her upbringing through her personal aesthetic and values.
Looking to his father, a bowhunter, for inspiration, Smith found beauty in the bow and arrow.
“It’s a beautiful fusion of feminine curve and masculine line, and she translated that into silhouette and pattern cutting, eliminating darts to create flat shapes and seeing the volumes and drapes that result when worn,” she said.
Tributes to archery are also included in the details, with twisted waxed cotton cords reminiscent of bow strings, archery fingertips, chest guards and belts.
“As someone who left the rural American Midwest for a big, expensive city, I was intrigued by the different class connotations of hunting in the two places and how that was reflected in the clothing,” the designer added.
The designer said the wool suiting and wool cashmere blends pay homage to his adopted country’s historic hunting clothes, which were “much more aristocratic than my father’s hunting clothes.”
In nod to Smith’s personal beliefs (he hasn’t eaten meat for 17 years), the leather jacket in the collection is made from second-hand leather coats that have been unpicked, cleaned and softened, then recut using wet felted wool. What Smith developed is reminiscent of a rotting deer, but he quickly adds: “No deer were harmed in the making of this collection.”
srvc
Founded in 2021, Srvc sees clothing as an extension of the self: a way to embrace and hold, to defend and protect.
“I wanted to armor the Srvc woman,” said creative director Ricky Wesley Harriot, stating that he saw his daily morning commutes as a source of inspiration. “The city can be incredibly harsh and difficult. To create a uniform that resonates with our woman, enhancing not only her silhouette but also her strong presence.” I wanted.”
Body-hugging fabrics (cable knits, technical stretch fabrics, denim reworked from vintage and second-hand jeans) straddle the line between technical wear and tailoring, providing the wearer with comfort and mobility. The palette of gray tones is an industrial tone inspired by the London where Harriot grew up, full of tower blocks and concrete.
Silhouettes that reflect this feature strong shoulders and toys that showcase what they have and what they don’t.
“Our clothing continues to explore the element of personal style and choice, so the silhouettes we recommend can be reworked and tweaked to further work the wearer,” he said.
Harriot says she hopes the idea of diversity and inclusivity embedded in the clothing will be maintained in Srvc’s future.
Charlie Constantinou
When you ask Charlie Constantinou about his brand, his answer is simple: “Adaptation, function and color.”
Constantinou collaborated with 66 North for a second time for the fall 2024 collection, drawing inspiration from the outerwear brand’s homeland, Iceland. The designer said that the collection, which showcases women’s clothing for the first time, deals with “how we can dress for extreme weather conditions in our daily lives, balancing both the outdoors and the city, and adapting in between.”
Zippers, cords, and even the fabric itself have been redesigned to streamline form and function.
“This season we’ve transformed our signature expandable duvet into a much lighter but much warmer version featuring recycled down and mineral dye. “This textile not only beautifies the garment, but also allows the garment to stretch and contract on different sizes,” added Constantinou.
Using only deadstock fabric in white or neutral tones, all garments are then dyed in-house; The color palette is derived from the blinding whites and icy blues of Icelandic glaciers and the earthy reds of volcanic rocks.
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