Sustainability wasn’t a starting point for Central Saint Martins and Redress Design Award alumni Wen Pan, rather it was “common sense” when starting a brand in today’s world. Using dead stock as the base for her designs, Wen is influenced and inspired by the stories it tells. While production may be limited, her creativity is not. “The design journey always starts from human traces,” she says. “This trace can indicate a mood, a scene, or a story. In the end, my designs are deconstructed pieces which translate brokenness into delicacy – I like to celebrate the beauty of imperfection and the strength of softness.”
Growing up in Hubei province, China, Wen studied literature before realising a passion for the arts. After graduating in womenswear from London’s Central Saint Martins, she cut her teeth at the likes of Alexander McQueen and Christopher Kane, before launching her London-based label in 2018. “The starting point of the label was ‘Poetic Resistance,’ which I felt in the society I grew up in. 1990s China was filled with so many contrasting elements,” she says. “I was in Shanghai once and saw an old ‘nail house’ standing in pink and blue dust, with busy roads surrounding it. It looked so isolated. I could feel a resistance through that scene – rough but pretty, quiet but strong. That was the aesthetic and spirit I wanted to tell through my garments.”
It was this scene that went on to inspire Wen’s SS20 collection. “It’s inspired by human traces in abandoned family houses in Shanghai – the memories formed over time, families moving in and out and generations passing through the walls.” There are soft floral and tartan patterns reflecting washed-out wallpaper and worn fabrics, alongside distressed denim and an abundance of floaty white dresses, trench coats, wide-leg trousers and bell-sleeved shirts.
This spring also saw Wen collaborate with Hong Kong upcycled fashion brand R Collective on an exclusive capsule collection for NET SUSTAIN, Net-A-Porter’s platform for a covetable curation of eco-conscious brands. The everyday-wear four-piece collection includes the Bermondsey cropped houndstooth wide-leg trousers in upcycled wool, providing a fresh take on tailoring, and the belted Dalston Trench. “This collection was inspired by the trace left after washing clothes,” Wen says. “It shows that you don’t need to make a loud statement to support sustainable fashion.”
Editor
Alice Riley-Smith
