FENG CHEN WANG
Throughout her unisex line,
Feng Chen Wang draws on
China’s 5,000 years of
civilisation, incorporating
traditional values and
techniques unique to her own
Chinese cultural heritage and
the Fujian Province where she
was born. Her collections are
shaped around reinvented
basic silhouettes, workwear
and technical outerwear. As
urbanisation pulls younger
generations away from rural
areas and towards major cities
and mass production, Wang
works closely with elderly
artisans to revive traditional
Chinese techniques that would
otherwise be lost. Through
practices such as the use of
natural dyes derived from
herb and vegetable extracts,
intricate bamboo-weaving
techniques and meticulous
handcraft, a new path for
ancient tradition has emerged
in the modern world.
Deadstock fabrics are given a
new life. The brand operates
studios in both Shanghai and
London, and has shown in
New York and London – most
recently during London
Fashion Week Men’s.LUDOVIC DE
SAINT SERNIN
Ludovic de Saint Sernin
produces the majority of his
binary-defying collections in
Paris, the city in which he
lives. In this way, he is able
to keep the brand’s carbon
footprint low and quality high.
Born in Belgium and raised in
the Ivory Coast, then Paris,
his designs are minimalistic
and seductive with a play on
positive and negative space,
taking inspiration from pop
culture and his own life
experiences. Garments such as
knits, underpinnings and flares
are often skin-baring with
cut-outs, erotic details and
diaphanous materials intercut
with breastplates, feminine
touches, leather and elements
of tailoring. Since departing a
design-team role at Balmain in
2016, De Saint Sernin has
designed his namesake line
and held shows during Paris
Fashion Week Men’s.04-20Woolmark-Prize-layout_2029306.indd 136 13/02/2020 08:47