Susan Fang

Words by Katie Farley

Seasoned traveler and contemporary fashion designer Susan Fang unveiled her unorthodox womenswear label in 2017 shortly after graduating from Central Saint Martins in London. Perception and mathematics drive her creative control, where every collection explores a unification that comprises of innovative textile, colors, and silhouettes, that permeate originality through a sea of garments and accessories.

Born in China, thus raised in Canada and the United States, Susan made the transition to London to pursue her education in fashion. Attaining vital industry experience at design houses including Stella McCartney, Céline and Kei Kagami, Susan was inspired, along with her love of cultural influence, to establish her brand that would decode her worldview into pieces of conceptual fashion. “During my childhood, I never settled in one place for more than three years, so I was forced to adapt to an openness towards different cultures and perspective, and it has become my innate interest during younger ages to explore this through fine art” explains the designer. “Thus, when I entered fashion it transformed into different expressions for clothing.”

Susan further elaborates, “Each collection focuses on a new theme and to create something that is new and innovative. In the past there were a lot of studies of Yi-Ching the law of nature, Chinese pictographic words to find the origin of expression and meaning, Fractals the formula for nature, Joseph Albers Theory of Color, everything is connected to help me find the hidden true reason for why something may be beautiful and how I can use that origin 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, and maybe it’s this curiosity that gives me endless inspirations to create. I can only create this freedom for myself in my brand.”

Differentiating from other designers, Fang does not allow herself any restriction in the realm of creation as she always designs anything that is imagined, illustrating something incredibly pure, where each collection pushes the boundary. Fang's objective for the label is to achieve an alternative in the fashion industry, surpassing the design territory to capture an illusion of artistic fantasies as opposed to not being identified by a style or trend.

“Our new season AIR.WASH SS19 inspiration is still from nature, fractals and elevated by print this time”, says, Fang. “We also used innovative play for print, scanning from 3d strips of old magazines in shapes of flowers, spray painting layers of flowers over our fabric to create floating prints of flower silhouette, taking surface patterns of Brighton rocks, etc. Every process is super fun, and we create discoveries for ourselves.” Susan Fang’s enchanting designs are delicate yet delightfully daring in equal measures, with a pioneering and surreal aesthetic that instills a complete sense of fantastical freedom.