The first thing Angel Chen said over Zoom after her spring 2022 show in Shanghai is: “It is my dream. I have wanted to do this performance show for my whole life.”
Staged in the West Bund Dream Center, the show brought together dancers, led by Ma Xiaolong and Zhang Yashu, and the Shanghai-based Indian artist Amey Sali, for a performance that told the story of a love between two dancers. Chen was inspired by traditional Chinese stories as well as films like 2000’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and 2002’s Hero for both her collection and the show.
The season marks a pivot from the luxurious streetwear she typically designs for something deeply rooted in historically Asian silhouettes. Long robe-like coats with wide sleeves and curved backs in lightweight silks, silk organzas, and Cupro make up a bulk of the collection. Some are sheer, embroidered with phrases written in Chinese characters; Chen translated: “When the stars start to rise, and when the spring becomes autumn, and when the winter becomes summer—no matter which season we meet, I will always love you.” Others are hand-painted by Chen and Sali using techniques from his art practice, dipping, marbling, swirling, and blotting dyes and paints into the fabric.
“Amey’s art is big and spectacular, so I didn’t cut small shapes,” Chen said. Even if the overall effect of her silhouettes is one of whooshing and swirling, she’s tailored each piece to be slightly different, either with large folded pleats at the back, high slits to allow various ways of belting at the sides, or cascades of ties down the front. Underneath, Chen has created hand-bleached and dyed oversized sets and several delicate ballerina dresses. (Before she was a designer, Chen trained in ballet.) “It’s really simple and clean shapes,” she continued.
As our call concluded Chen reflected on the spirit of Shanghai during Fashion Week, “It feels like a new city,” she said of the post-COVID mood and subsequent influx of designers and uninhibited ideas. Chen has been one of Shanghai’s boldest, most thoughtful designers for a long time. Hopefully the new energy in China brings even more attention to her work.
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