PARIS, March 8 — Relaxnews caught up with Shiatzy Chen creative director Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia at Paris Fashion Week, which runs February 28 to March 7 in the French capital. The designer told us all about her new Autumn/Winter 2017-2018 collection, which previewed March 7 at 5:30pm, as well as outlining her inspirations and her view of fashion today.
How would you describe this FW17 collection?
The theme of our 17AW collection is ‘Celebration’. Absorbing the nutrients, these influences transformed into seeds which anticipate the harvest and its celebration with humble gratitude.... Using artistic approaches to mingle classical essences of east and west....
Who or what are its main inspirations?
Oriental cloud patterns, images of dragons, phoenixes and lions, as well as 18th century’s Rococo style, its gold and silver tones.
Who did you design this collection for? What facet of a woman’s life?
The latest collection includes many neat suits, coats, jackets, overalls, down or padded elements; the silhouette and exquisite craftsmanship combine for a unique feminine, modern and chic style, with nods to neo-classicism and romanticism. This collection is for women who are open-minded, independent, passionate about life, respectful and in love with eastern and western culture.
Which famous person, dead or alive, could embody the collection?
This season, many young celebrities are attending the show, they present Shiatzy Chen [clothing] in their own style. I also invited Ms Hsu Feng, to attend the show, who has won the Best Actress Golden Horse Award [Asia’s top film festival]. She always presents an elegant and graceful image of Shiatzy Chen.
Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner. These three young women are as popular on the runway as they are on social networks. Is this a new generation of supermodels, one for the digital age?
I believe everyone is unique in their own way. Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner must be talented and have their own charm to recruit such as huge number of followers on social media. In this digital generation, people are able to quickly access the latest fashion via internet, and the young women who are active on social media are the best platform to deliver the information. It doesn’t seem fair to compare them with supermodels from the 1990s.
From socially or politically conscious to fun to connected: how do you see fashion evolving in the coming years?
Fashion is one of the ways to express culture, as with politics. For example, in the 1920s, the ideology of female liberation meant that women [in many places] acquired voting rights and were able to enter the workforce: there was a trend of wearing loose and oversized items.... I believe, in the future, the social and political realms will still be closely connected with fashion. — AFP-Relaxnews
