Intrigued by the rituals of mourning and funeral ceremonies, Yuhan Wang presents an Autumn Winter collection infused with the beautiful spirit of melancholy. “In the Victorian era, young , strong minded women prepared for death in life incorporating symbols and black lace in special occasion attire. That foresight is invaluable in cherishing life in the now,” says Wang.
Wang, who debuted on the Fashion East platform, is presenting her first collection as a solo designer consolidating and expanding upon the east west fusion, delicate feminine sensibility and time warp Victorian silhouettes that make up her signature. New to her lexicon are ‘walking suits’ featuring a mid calf fishtail skirt and a waisted jacket cut in frayed edge floral tapestry print or reversible fake astrakhan lined gold hammered satin. Elegant Sunday best coats in black and blue jacquard with exaggerated lapels have a bohemian air while black lace is introduced in flounced blouses.
Wang’s trademark ruched and draped stretch satin dresses feature the designer’s hand drawn rosebuds alongside a goldfish and water grass print. “The goldfish represents a prosperity and health. Flowers represent vitality. I like to abstract my prints so they appear out of focus or not immediately recognizable,” says Wang who also includes a Monet-esque water lily motif on a short pile fake fur dressing gown coat. Fabrics span the ready-made and the handcrafted with decorative appliques made from Chinese dead stock cotton lace. The refined silhouettes allow for a real freedom of movement and are set off by Louis heeled fabric button boots, pumps and whimsical pearl jewellery.
Yuhan Wang grew up in the seaport province of Weihai, China and studied fashion at Tsinghua University and transferred to the School of Visual Arts in New York where she majored in graphic design. A chance meeting with students from Central St. Martins prompted her to apply to the B.A. course where she received the first runner up for the L’Oreal Young Talent Award. Wang followed with M.A studies and graduated in Spring 2018. The brand can be found at stores including Dover Street Market: NYC and LA, Beams: Tokyo and Browns.
PR: Raven
Styling:Yeon You
Art Direction: Riccardo
Casting Director:Madeleine Østlie & Oscar Miles @ AAMO Casting
Make-up:Janell Geason using Aveda
Hair:Jon Reyman using Aveda
Nails:Lauren Michelle Pires @ D+V Management using The Gelbottle Inc
Jewellery:Kay Guo
Knits:Elaine Lip
Music:Kiran Kai
With special thanks to:
Mum, Dad, Sister Wei, Brother Kenny, Sarah Mower, Willie Walters, Anna-Nicole Ziesche, Heather Sproat and Central Saint Martins fashion, 1 Granary, Simon Valer Dacsef, Honglan Sun, Xinzhuang Wang, Qianhan Liu, Lee Hurst, Lulu Kennedy, Natasha Booth, Raphaelle Moore, Sophie Jewes, Yasmin Eady, Katie Guyan, Alexander Blagden and Raven Group, Harriet Quick, British Fashion Council and everyone else who has provided invaluable support.
Sales appointments:
Yuhan Wang AW20 @ The Alphabet showroom,
13 Rue de la Grange Batelière, 75009 Paris
Wednesday 26th February – 4th March 2020, 10am-6pm daily
Sales enquiries: appointments@the-alphabet.co.uk
Press enquiries: info@yuhanwang.com
Photography Chris Yates