Culture
14:41, 21-Sep-2017
Milan Fashion Week kicks off with Chinese fashion
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Chinese designer Angel Chen opened the first day of Milan Fashion Week (MFW) alongside Gucci, No. 21 and Fausto Puglisi Wednesday.
The Shenzhen-born, London-trained and internationally-based designer Chen, debuted her Spring/Summer 2018 show Wednesday, with fresh designs taking inspiration from tribal handcraft.
Angel Chen. /Photo via i-D
Angel Chen. /Photo via i-D
According to Vogue Italia, the starting point of her collection is a modern tribe that transposes the elements of tribal handicraft – of Cameroon’s Bamileke-Bantu, Nigeria’s Yoruba and Ethiopia’s Nyangatom people - into an urban landscape.
"We want to break boundaries," Chen said backstage.
Angel Chen's Collections Fall Winter 2017-18.
Angel Chen's Collections Fall Winter 2017-18.
Chen’s sexless brand also gives expression to strong and unique personalities keen to stand out from the group and pursue the freedom of open spaces. Chen said her collection also took cues from a futuristic Noah’s Ark tale.
The designer referenced a host of animals destined for the ark, including tigers, cranes and insects that appeared in the shape of large backpacks. Many of the looks were sporty — black and red body suits — or technical, as in the diaphanous floor-length anoraks.
Prints that featured tigers and crocodiles among other animals represented Asian allegories, Chen said.
"I would say the shape is contemporary, but the meaning is more cultural," she said.