You want some bubbly, dahling? Designer Susan Fang had Shanghai Fashion Week spectators frothing at the mouth with a kaleidoscopically explosive SS22 collection flanked by some diaphanous floral headpieces. Bring on the Stoli-Bolli and some nibbly things, we say. Fact. Check!
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BLOOP BLOOP x SUSAN FANG x COMMON PLACE SS22. Design, installation and set up by BLOOP BLOOP
Who?
Originally from China, Susan Fang grew up in Canada and the United States.
Fang’s strikingly original, handcrafted aesthetic conjures up a romantic world of pure escapism. From stark white canvases vibrant with paint-stained prints or fades of flora to more cutesy accessories crocheted or beaded by hand, the woman’s creative mind is the OG vault of designer imagination. Something many, we won’t be naming names here, try to imitate but have yet to emulate. The copycat in se is a fashion fail, boo boos. #TemperTeachings
Fang uses her eponymous SUSAN FANG label to translate her worldview into conceptual fashion pieces. The brand is inspired by notions that relate to the concept of beauty by large and the instinctive fragile allure of Mama Nature. Her precise mathematical formulas of rhythmic repetition create a fashionable force of charismatic chaos.
It’s a hot and haute mess — #weheartit.
BLOOP BLOOP x SUSAN FANG x COMMON PLACE SS22. Design, installation and set up by BLOOP BLOOP
What?
The SUSAN FANG vision is to not be led by trend or style, or even an aesthetic, but to stretch beyond the realm of design as to convey a mirage of artistic illusions.
Every season, Fang takes a newfangled approach to her topical matter to conjure up something that is new and innovative. History, too, lends Fang a helping hand in her quest for innovation. The Book of Changes ( 易经| yìjīng in Chinese), unveils the laws of nature. For those not in the know, this book is an ancient Chinese divination text and among the oldest of the Chinese Five Classics, i.e. the Book of Odes, Book of Documents, Book of Changes, Book of Rites, and the Spring and Autumn Annals. Moving on. Very important here are the fractal, aka never-ending, patterns nature displays, these include tree branches, animal circulatory systems, snowflakes, lightning and electricity, plants and leaves, river eco-systems, clouds, and crystals.
In Fang’s mind, the natural fractal formula demonstrates how everything is connected and helps her find the underlying reasons for why people consider something to be beautiful. She then uses that unveiled frame of reference to create a new design. “This is why I love womenswear; there are so many things in this world that I’m interested in, it allows me to think of many concepts. Maybe it’s this curiosity that gives me endless inspirations to create. I can only create this freedom for myself in my brand,” Fang told The Business of Fashion in 2019.
SUSAN FANG SS22
When?
The SUSAN FANG brand was brought into this world in 2017 following Fang’s graduation from London’s Central Saint Martins.
Fang has been consistently recognized by industry professionals and was selected for Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in 2019 and 2020. She was also shortlisted for the 2020 LVMH Prize.
During Shanghai Fashion Week SS22, Fang took to the city’s runway for the eight time in her brand’s existence, as well as hosted a showroom at COMMON PLACE — design, installation and set up by BLOOP BLOOP floral-et-alli arrangement services.
SUSAN FANG SS22
BLOOP BLOOP x SUSAN FANG x COMMON PLACE SS22. Design, installation and set up by BLOOP BLOOP
Where?
Having gained a host of industry experience at hardcore houses including Stella McCartney, Céline and Kei Kagami, Fang felt inspired, along with her love of cultural influence, to set up her brand that would break down her worldview into pieces of conceptual fashion.
At only four-years-old, the brand already has an enviable list of retailers, from local heroes such as Chengdu’s concept store Hug to London’s iconic Selfridges.
The label is further stocked internationally at prestigious stockists, including Browns, Farfetch, Net-a-Porter, Selfridges, Dover Street Market London/Singapore/U.S., Machine A and IT.
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Why?
Fang does not allow herself to be restricted as she always designs anything that pops into her mind, illustrating something incredibly pure and boundary-pushing.
The createuse‘s objective for her label is to create an alternative in the fashion industry, surpassing the design territory to capture an illusion of artistic fantasies as opposed to not being identified by any style or trend.
Crack open the bubbly via
IG: @susanfangoffiical
And just for good measure, for all you florae fans out there:
IG: @bloop______bloop
IMAGES: COURTESY OF BRYANT, BLOOP BLOOP
CREDITS SUSAN FANG SS22:
Art direction: Foggy Ma/刘馨/zouzou
Hairstyling：徐友华
Hair：郑非、王海、少玉、唐明、世豪、程成、东生、Robbie
Catwalk direction: 魏晓@WI-MODE
Model casting by WI-MODE
Collection directors: 唐婕、郝好、小郝、大鑫@WI-MODE
Lighting by Bruce Tang
Interior design and decor by 唐慧莲 & Tracy Guo
Makeup by Valentina(Ruby HongRu Natalie Freya xiaoxiong Swing)
Nails by Lazy Island。
Floral arrangements by Bloop Bloop
定点图 by RORO
Catwalk photography by RORO/Qingru/Mason Wang/ Kimiko Chan/Pan Jiahui/Kin Kin
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Perpetually in pursuit of the greater good that is “China Fashion”, van Paridon set up The China Temper to help promote the dynamite dynamic fashion scene sprouting within Beijing, Shanghai, and China overall. Catering to anybody and everybody who reads English and/or Chinese, Temper covers all the basics and bases. From China's street style scenery to its budding photographers, internationally renowned designers, and underground quirks plus phenomena: We present one hot-hip-happening current collective weaving The New "Made in China" tag.
The term “Made in China” is undergoing the ultimate 21st Century makeover. Escorted by the increasingly strong influence of a new thinking among China’s younger generations, regarding individuality and the expression thereof, the fashion scene in the Middle Kingdom is exploding. And stretches far beyond what meets the eye. It’s appliqué, one might say.
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