survey_24 — Contemporary Fashion Designers
1. Ma Ke — 马可 (b. 1971, Changchun; lives in Zhuhai)
Founder of the Exception label and of the "Wu Yong" project: clothing as handwork and an ethical refusal of the fashion industry.
- Two projects— the commercial label Exception de Mixmind and the art project "Wu Yong" (无用) with hand sewing and natural fabrics.
- Venice — Wuyong was shown at the 2007 Venice Biennale and became a film by Jia Zhangke.
- Position — a deliberate refusal of shows and seasons in favour of a garment made by hand and made to last.
No images: campus photography is not published in open sources. Sources: Exception / Wuyong · Press on Chinese designers
2. Guo Pei — 郭培 (b. 1967, Beijing)
A couturier working as an artist: embroidered costumes comparable to monumental objects.
- Couture — the only Chinese house admitted to the Paris haute couture syndicate.
- Craft — embroidery in gold and silk, with workshops spending thousands of hours on a single dress.
- Museums — the costumes have been shown in museums in the USA and Europe as works of art.
3. Uma Wang — 王汁 (b. 1970s, Hangzhou; lives in Shanghai)
A designer who treats fabric as a painterly surface: faded tones, draping, hand finishing.
- Material — the ageing and dyeing of fabrics, an effect of time on the surface of the garment.
- Paris — shows on the official calendar of Paris Fashion Week.
- Sculptural quality — the silhouette is built by draping rather than by cut.
4. Xander Zhou — 周翔宇 (b. 1982, Beijing)
Menswear as a futuristic script: gender ambiguity, techno and theatre.
- Menswear — a redefinition of the male silhouette through soft forms and androgyny.
- London — shows on the London Fashion Week schedule.
- Imagery — work with digital aesthetics and science fiction.
5. Shangguan Zhe — 上官喆 (b. 1984, Xiamen)
Founder of Sankuanz: streetwear assembled as a collage of advertising, politics and subcultures.
- Collage — logos, slogans and images sewn into provocative outfits.
- Xiamen — working outside Beijing and Shanghai, closer to the manufacturing base of the south.
- Shows — appearances on the London and Paris schedules.
6. Angel Chen — 陈安琪 (b. 1991, Shenzhen)
A generation of graduates from London schools: colour, technical fabrics and the craft of South Chinese workshops.
- London — trained at Central Saint Martins.
- Craft — working with Chinese embroidery and technical fabrics at once.
- Industry — collaborations with major sportswear and fashion brands.
7. Feng Chen Wang — 王逢陈 (b. 1989, Fujian; lives in London)
Menswear about family and memory: constructions from a single piece, national identity.
- Personal history — the collections are built around family and childhood in Fujian province.
- Construction — the garment is assembled from a minimum of pieces, the silhouette close to architecture.
- Shows — London and New York, collaborations with sportswear brands.
8. Samuel Guì Yang — 杨桂东 (b. 1987, Shenzhen; lives in London)
Quiet fashion about an Eastern image: silk, layers and a deliberate incompleteness.
- Method — the garment is built on layers and unfixed details, like a draft.
- Material — silk and linen, dyed by hand.
- London — shows on the fashion week schedule.
No images: campus photography is not published in open sources. Sources: Samuel Guì Yang · Press
9. Xuzhi Chen — 陈序之 (b. 1989, Hangzhou; lives in London)
Knitwear as sculpture: hand weaving and texture instead of print.
- Knitwear — the pieces are assembled by hand weaving, each outfit an object with texture.
- Method — treating yarn as the material of sculpture.
- Shows — London Fashion Week, a finalist in international competitions.
No images: campus photography is not published in open sources. Sources: Xuzhi · Press
10. Chen Peng — 陈鹏 (b. 1985, Shanghai)
Volume and scale: the puffer garment as a grotesque form of the body.
- Silhouette — hypertrophied volume, the garment changing human proportions.
- Industry — collaborations with major brands and museum presentations.
- Shanghai — production and work with local workshops.
No images: campus photography is not published in open sources. Sources: Chen Peng · Press
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