For his Fall / Winter 2016 collection, Ziggy Chen displays a masterful understanding on the duality and interdependency of all that surrounds us – the old and new, the East and West, the rural and the urban. From the conflict, the balance and harmony, as the Chinese designer intertwines Taoist philosophy with visions of modern-day Shanghai.
Inspired by characters from the beginning of the XXth century, Chen incorporates both the antique and the contemporary into his designs, creating a fleshed-out personality that is at first glance impossible to be placed in a certain time or location. Draped in natural fabrics, such as wool, cotton, and linen, the Ziggy Chen man is a mystic and philosopher, observing the world from afar, never belonging to a certain place, and yet no stranger in the vast wilderness, and the exquisite glass modern-day palaces alike; as much in an old montain cabinin, as in the busy streets of the metropolis, adorned with screens of smoke and neon light. This season, Ziggy focused on patterns, and brought the clothes’ sartorial construction from the inside to the outside, unveiling the intricate cutting and stitching work behind his loosely tailored jackets and pants. The Chinese disgner’s garments tell a complex story of mystery, and yet serve as the veil, shrouding one from the world of the superficial and allowing him to focus on the abstract and the metaphysical.
Each new collection serves as a new chapter, moving along different backdrops as the character evolves and changes in a way that always feels organic. Using earthy colors, such as off-shades of beige and olive green, as well as the classic blacks and greys, Chen manages to stay true to his aesthetic while never repeating, only reinventing himself.
