Weihai-born, London-based newcomer Yuhan Wang is the latest addition to the fabulous Fashion East family. “This trio is what London is all about — new ideas, daring creativity and high-energy,” Fashion East Founder and Director Lulu Kennedy MBE explained as their latest triptych of talent was unveiled. “Yuhan’s delicate unravelled aesthetic is a beautiful addition to the powerful mix of ASAI and Charlotte Knowles. I’m excited to see so many people wearing these designers and international retailers getting behind them,” she continued.
Yuhan’s CSM MA graduate collection — showcased during London Fashion Week February 2018 — explored Asian femininity and its connections to western culture, treading the line between coverage and exposure. “Beauty with weirdness, softness, delicacy and sensibility” is how the emerging talent describes her work. Before she further blurs the line between beauty and weirdness on the Fashion East stage, we get to know the rising star.
1. Before she turned her attention to fashion, Yuhan studied graphic design at the School of Visual Arts in New York
“I definitely wouldn’t have achieved what I have up until now without that experience. Graphic design is another way of viewing the world and it’s helped me develop a better understanding of how to visualise elements in 2D. New York City is such a fun place, full of energy and diversity, and it was an integral part of everything I learned during that period of my life.”
2. She has interned at JW Anderson and Oscar de la Renta
“My journey so far has made me question what femininity is about and how I can re-shape that concept in a way that reflects the contemporary woman.”
3. The best piece of advice she’s ever been given is simple
“Work very hard, believe in yourself and be passionate about what you’re doing.
4. Her CSM MA collection looked at Asian femininity and its connections to Western culture
“These are concepts that will always influence my work because they are an important part of my personal experience and creative development so far. It was a big culture shock the first time I ever came to the west — it’s a very different system running under its own rules. What is very interesting to me is that the east and west share the same emotions and sensibilities but they express them in their own way, based on their culture and the dynamic within their societies. It provides an interesting framework for me to try and understand the relationship between objects, the emotions they create and the various ways in which these emotions are expressed at surface level.”
5. She may have recently graduated but Yuhan doesn’t want to stop learning
“I would love to learn more, especially because I know that there are many different ways in which I can express myself.”
6. She believes that fashion is all about identity
“I think fashion is really about the person creating it, who they are and what they are trying to say, rather than about a whole system. Fashion is one way for a person to communicate to others what is going on in their inner world.”
7. The demand for her designs persuaded her to launch her own line
“The way people were reacting to my work, wanting to wear my pieces and shoot them, is what really drove me to create a collection with my name on it.”
8. She describes her work as beauty with weirdness
“The words that instantly come to mind when I think of my work is beauty that is strange, but that has a soft and delicate edge. Sensibility is a big driving force for me, and it’s also what I want to get from the people who wear and engage with my work.”
9. Of course she’s loving being a member of the Fashion East family
“There is so much warmth and kindness, it’s the kind of support and help you usually only get in a family, which is definitely how I would describe Fashion East.”
10. She hopes her spring/summer 19 debut will move you
“My work is about more than just garments. I want to create a meaningful and beautiful moment. This desire is usually the starting point when I’m making a collection. It sounds quite simple and obvious, but it’s true. I’m excited by the unknown. All I know for certain is that I want to dress people with beautiful pieces.”
Credits
Photography Max Chen