Stocked internationally at 70 retailers, including Bergdorf Goodman, Selfridges, Lane Crawford, Luisa Via Roma, 10 Corso Como, Galeries Lafayette, Chen is part of a new wave of young Chinese designers making an impact globally.
A graduate from Central Saint Martins, Chen moved from her native Shenzhen to study in London at age 17. During her placement year, the designer interned for Marchesa, Vera Wang and Alexander Wang in New York. Following her graduate collection, Chen was chosen by i-D as one of five designers-to-watch and launched her eponymous label the following year.
While the two did not experience Central Saint Martins simultaneously, their personal lives and works share many similarities. Both benefited from multi-cultural assimilations and both now devote themselves to shaping a leading role in their works – either fashion or art.
This collection incubated in a digital conversation between artist and designer sharing works, bouncing ideas, looking back at their experiences in the light of the evolution of their respective creative processes.
Jiajias creations, exclusive to the ANGEL CHEN SS21 collection, are a continuation of his solo exhibition "Elegant, Circular, Timeless" presented at SPURS Gallery in Beijing earlier this year. The vibrant colors, the "Eyes", the messaging, all pivotal elements in the works of Wang Jiajia, take on a new dimension when adorning Chen’s garments.
Angel Chen’s colorful approach to fashion and fusion of East and West has become her trademark. The same way Angel expertly manipulates color, she instinctively and naturally inserts Wang’s artistry in the collection.
The result is an impactful collection strong in vitality and sentiment. Chen’s signature styles find stamina against Jiajia’s works in print by adding a cover of transparent sequins, and her choice of carefully sprinkled upcycled Swarovski crystals, to further spotlight color strokes. Angel’s maturity is evidenced by the contrast between the playfulness of tie-dye in colors that mirror Wang’s art and hinting at her time in Netflix’s Next in Fashion, against a debut series of evening looks made out of black sequined separates and color neutral dresses smartly styled with her Canada Goose collaboration pieces.