Feben (Q3116)
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Feben is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Feben |
Feben is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Those who’ve spent much time on the British Isles this summer will know that it has been—perhaps unsurprisingly—a total washout. Among them is Feben, who took the constant rain as a point of departure for her namesake label’s latest collection, titled Reign. “It was a play on words,” the designer explained backstage post-show, acknowledging the terrible weather we’ve been blighted with, but also the possibility of putting positive spins on seemingly negative situations.A key figure of inspiration in this endeavour was Antonia Singla, the legendary flamenco dancer and actress. Despite the inhibitions imposed by her lifelong deafness, she rose to become one of the dance form’s true greats. “She’s someone that transformed their vulnerability into a strength,” Feben said. “She would literally feel the beat from the music, and tap it out with her feet.” The inspiration expressed itself most directly through blotched v-neck and single-strapped white cotton dresses, both featuring dropped waists and flounced hems that swished with sass as the models walked. Heavily fronded jersey dresses and separates were made to be moved in with gusto—as if a wild turn on the dancefloor were the only way to truly bring them to life. A little less dressy, but no less distinct, were a selection of cinched shirts born of a collaboration with OnceMore, a Swedish textile developer that creates fabric from regenerated wood pulp.Elsewhere, rich textures—a cornerstone of Feben’s design vocabulary—featured prominently, with velvet riffs on the designer’s ‘Twist’ technique confidently building on her initial experiments in the fabric last season. A longstanding partnership with a community of artisanal beaders in Accra, Ghana yielded a netted bateau-neck column dress trimmed with ostrich feathers—“there’s sense of armor to it, but the wearer’s also exposed—it embodies the juxtaposition at the heart of the collection,” Feben said. The most intriguing developments on show, though, were the split-seamed skirts and vest dresses with sculpted hips, richly embroidered with reversible sequins. “I thought it would be really nice to introduce pieces that change with touch,” Feben said. Pieces that you can tweak to match your mood, whatever the weather.
14 September 2024
The designer showcases Dolce & Gabbana sponsors have become a high point of Milan Fashion Week, a reliable and fun opportunity to see the work of an on-the-rise talent in a jam-packed calendar that doesn’t allow much time for hunting down new names. Working with the stylist Katie Grand, this season Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana selected Feben, a London designer with Ethiopian roots who was born in North Korea and grew up in Sweden, and goes by her first name only.Feben graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2020, and Ssense and Browns came calling, attracted to her colorful, body-con going-out clothes. So did celebrities. Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, and Janelle Monáe have worn her designs. Even still, there are always new challenges for a young brand. “I think what Dolce & Gabbana do is a really important initiative: to support designers,” she said. “This [operating a fledgling business] is really hard. It gives you a platform to just develop your work and practice.”Texture is one of those practices, and has been since before her design school days. “I just wanted to fit in and I couldn’t really afford a lot of things. So I think that’s why I have textures. Because if you can work with textures, you can create really cool things.” She went on: “I want you to feel something, either with your eyes, heart, or your hands, and I find texture so fun.” For the first time Feben cut her signature puckered “Twist” dresses in velvet, just as flattering as the satin she’s used before, and just as easy-wearing. Her runway was one of the few in Milan to feature curve models; some established brands are backsliding on their commitments to diverse casting but for her it’s a given, a non-negotiable.The tiger motifs were lifted from Dolce & Gabbana’s ’90s collections. Applying her trademark resourcefulness, Feben reproduced them in duct tape and colored paper and had the resulting collages made into prints that she used for stretchy tube dresses. A London colleague familiar with Feben’s work said she could see the results of the cash injection and the support of Dolce & Gabbana’s atelier team on the runway. “You could just feel the elevation.” There was a pair of chaps made in Accra, Ghana, where Feben works with local artisans, with upcycled plastic beads. When Beyoncé starts touring her new country album, Feben will be ready.
25 February 2024
The age-old adage “my body is a temple” has its roots in the Bible. But in the modern world, it has evolved into more of a personal self-love mantra rather than serving as a fervent religious declaration. In her spring collection, titled Temple, Feben paid tribute to both her physique and the metaphorical bodies that revel in the pleasures of the flesh.Referencing the work of American artist Carrie Mae Weems, who’s known for her exploration of temples and buildings as symbolic spaces for bodies, Feben contemplated how her physicality fits into the broader narrative of identity. Her introspection played a significant role in this collection, resulting in her naked body being screen-printed onto jersey column dresses. “While I’m a designer, I’m also a woman who’s had to embrace living in this body,” Feben reflected during a preview. “My younger years were surrounded by imagery of very skinny bodies, which left me feeling that mine couldn’t be celebrated—so this is a sort of ‘fuck you’ to those outdated ideals.”This season’s palette delved into earthy richness with deep yellow and chocolate brown, punctuated by vivid bursts of crimson, lilac, and jet black. Feben’s signature twist pieces, synonymous with her brand, had new silhouettes that exemplified a body-consciousness that celebrates the female form. Elsewhere, there were chiffon-panel dresses boasting sheer inserts, as well as silk minidresses featuring digitally printed magnified spiral brushstrokes.Continuing Feben’s partnership with Accra-based artisans, the runway was graced with exquisitely crafted beaded pieces, their presence accompanied by a distinct and pleasing swishing sound. This section had similarities to her last collection, but it felt more refined than ever, especially in the form of gowns featuring cascading floor-length tassels and minidresses with a striking V-shaped skirt adorned with intricate layers of beadwork. “The intention was to create a resemblance to the female anatomy,” Feben remarked. “In some ways, it’s meant to evoke a sense of discomfort, but it ultimately celebrates the beauty of a woman’s body—her sacred temple.”For the grand finale, the iconic American model Debra Shaw stole the spotlight, suddenly pausing mid-runway in a formfitting twist dress while a parade of models passed by, set to the late Sinéad O’Connor’s “I Want Your (Hands on Me).
” Feben explained her choice of song, saying, “The mood very much encompasses the collection; there’s a pull and teasing between being extroverted and vulnerable—totally honest, totally insane.”
16 September 2023
Feben drew inspiration from the entire tarot deck last season. For fall, the designer decided to focus on a single card: The Chariot. “It revolves around the idea of moving forward, but it’s also about having a strong identity and sense of self,” she said at a preview. “I was interested in seeing how armor could be portrayed both physically and emotionally, as well as how strength and fragility could be interpreted in a number of ways.”The collection, titled Scales, explored a multitude of contradictions—both literally and figuratively. There were shimmering sequin skirts and slip dresses in gold, emerald, and turquoise that mimicked fish scales and armor simultaneously. “Sequins, as much as they have feminine connotations to most, are like armor to me—there’s a power in wearing a material that’s so bold,” said Feben, who uses her first name only. Elsewhere, protective chainmail-like pieces constructed from braided metallic plastron were placed over sensuously draped column gowns.Floor-length Lycra dresses were emblazoned with spray-painted collages of Salvador Dali’s Gradiva painting with a print of a marble statue of the Greek goddess Psyche by sculptor William Theed. Cropped puffer boleros that appeared to protect and reveal at once and oversized padded scarves with hardware details made from Norwegian tinn-per trimmings that resembled bullet holes were invigorating standouts. With studded iterations that played on the theme of contrast, the designer elevated her signature twisted satin bobble dresses (the pronounced shoulders helped, too).The designer once again collaborated with Accra-based artisans to create a selection of exquisite hand-beaded macramé pieces, including cylindrical holdall bags, fringed shift dresses, and bottom-baring chaps in black and cobalt blue. Menswear, which she first explored last season, looked sophisticated with sharply tailored separates and off-center silhouettes.Feben is evidently designing with wearability in mind. With British singer Jorja Smith part of the show’s lineup, the designer is paying attention to marketing, too.
19 February 2023
For spring, Feben was feeling particularly introspective. The designer, who has a propensity to be self-referential in her work, explored spiritual themes in the context of overcoming adversity, particularly through tarot card readings. The result? An upbeat display of exquisitely crafted pieces that pushed her signatures forward.“When it comes to tarot cards, I thought of how readings can be interpreted in ways that suit the individual’s narrative,” said Feben in a preview ahead of her debut runway show. “I wanted to project ideas of perspective and that we are ultimately the masters of our own fate—it’s my take on spirituality.” The Chariot, Devil, and Tower cards (each of which mean something specific to the designer) were cleverly printed on elegant, sheer column dresses and biker-inspired jackets in deadstock PVC and by-product leathers that were covered in grommets and studs.The idea of sexuality was fundamental to the collection: that felt refreshingly new for Feben. Passages from Georges Bataille's explicit 1928 novella Story of the Eye were subtly etched within prints. There were also slashed miniskirts and draped asymmetrical dresses adorned in bold, vertical brushstroke stripes, as well as bandeau tops with matching ties.Beaded macramé slips and swinging skirts, created in collaboration with the same Ghanaian artisans Feben has previously worked with turned heads throughout the whole Newgen showspace at the Old Selfridges Hotel.Feben’s trademark twisted silk technique, that create bobbles that could be recognized from a mile off, was applied to new iterations, from deep-neck midi dresses that flare out at the hips to an avant garde high neck navel-baring top in the brightest white. The small handful of menswear looks were a welcome addition to the designer’s line-up. Perhaps an area to pursue further, as the pieces had as much commercial potential as they were intriguing to see.For her first runway spectacle, Feben certainly struck a chord with the fashion set, as whisperings of personal orders were heard leaving the venue. It will be curious to see where she takes her creations next, given her talent for fusing innovative fabrications with playful silhouettes.
17 September 2022
In a short space of time, Feben—who goes by her first name only—has already developed instantly recognizable signatures. Even if her mononym is unfamiliar (for now), the designer’s technical fabric dresses in luminous shades have been worn by the likes of Beyoncé, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monáe, and Michaela Coel. With her second collection presented on London Fashion Week schedule, the Central Saint Martins graduate has proved that she can really hold her own.“I've been thinking a lot about love and growth,” said Feben of her latest collection’s mood. “Emotions are important to me—when someone looks at my clothes, I want them to feel something.” From draped, bias-cut slip dresses in midnight black to the brand’s trademark bobble technique made from the softest of silks in the form of midi-dresses and suits in crimson, chocolate, and a floral print adorned with red and orange leaves—the designer wanted to tackle advanced construction with a deeper palette for fall. A pair of 3-D wavy-looking pants, made out of a poly satin that’s manipulated and re-assembled in-house, stood out, as well.The designer’s multicultural background—she was born in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, raised in Sweden by her Ethiopian mother, and moved to London to study when she was 18—has had an impact on her community-driven mindset to fashion. “Growing up in refugee camps has made community integral to everything I stand for, and I want to bring that into my work,” she says. We look forward to seeing what Feben does next.
22 February 2022