Louis Shengtao Chen (Q3211)
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Louis Shengtao Chen is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Louis Shengtao Chen |
Louis Shengtao Chen is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
“Echos in the Fog” is the title Louis Shengtao Chen, Shanghai Fashion Week’s resident romantic, gave to his cinematic spring collection. Chen opted out of a runway presentation this season in favor of a film and lookbook. “I started knowing I was not going to do a show, so I didn’t have this huge mission of having a big presentation,” said the designer, explaining that the format switch-up altered his approach altogether. “In the past we had been looking at what kind of woman we are dressing in a sort of illusion [of a show], but developing this collection was a different mental state.”It was introspection, really, that drove Chen this season. Like many of his generational counterparts, Chen is experiencingsome growing pains. Let’s not forget that China’s economic landscape, and the world’s, has been challenging for designers in his position—young, independent, emerging—but Chen’s propensity for self-reflection was personal. The fog in question is a nod to his home city of Chongqing (“it’s a very foggy city, very gloomy”). As for the echoes, well, consider all the voices in your head, and around you, as you navigate your late 20s. The crux of Chen’s reflection, he said, is whether he’s leaving or staying. “It’s not only physical, it’s emotional, something beyond this brand,” he said.Chen found inspiration for his video in another great Chinese romantic, the Sixth Generation-era filmmaker Lou Ye and his filmsSummer PalaceandSuzhou River, which encapsulate the gritty urban life and youth culture of China in the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre. “Those movies are about girls who are struggling, who are figuring out if they are staying and hiding or running away.”Something else Chen did differently this season, he said, was taking the time to make things like he did when he first started his collection, by hand and alone in his studio. The standout results were a series of “wig hats,” a corseted pannier, and a lace-up jacket all covered in a bouquet of handmade little flowers made out of cotton shirting and leftover georgette. He also produced a fantastic gown in an intricate 3D rendition of a classic argyle, which he flattened into a more commercial multilayered rendering of the same pattern for blouses.
He also experimented with jersey, creating a range of slinky frocks that rendered his signature draping style a little sexier and certainly more accessible, added denim to his mix, and expanded his ultrasuede story with a range of ’60s modish mini dresses accented with silk ribbons and creases (“otherwise it’s just too pretty”). This was Chen’s most successful outing since launching his brand, a polished intersection of his deft technical skill, madcap creativity, and honest commercial propositions.
14 October 2024
Louis Shengtao Chen has many, many feelings. “This season the woman is getting mad,” the designer said backstage after his fall 2024 show in Shanghai. “She’s a little bit crazy, she’sangry!” Like every season, Chen explained, the woman in question is the female version of himself. So what is he angry about?A looming feeling of instability, the long-term effects of the pandemic—which we are experiencing in real time now—an industry strained by economic uncertainty, your everyday anxiety. TL; DR, just pick your poison.All that said, Chen also has many, many ideas. While he was quick to declare that this is not a thematic collection, one could find a few common threads: There were some flora and fauna in the shape of rosettes and butterfly and deer prints (the latter of which graced thecoverofVogueChina’s Shanghai Fashion Week edition on a coat); there were gloriously bouncy, ballooning bustles and panniers and crinolines shaped with Chen’s signature irreverence and exacting technical finesse; and there were riffs on what the designer christened as “streetwear glamour.”These consisted of demi-couture-ish cropped zip hoodies covered in rose appliques, slouchy tailored trousers, ultra-suede shearling vests, mohair maxi dresses with sweeping tentacular hems, and sequin “puffies” worn as gloves or leg warmers, which delivered a calming ASMR effect on the runway. Balancing these more casual offerings was a run of deliciously tailored coats, roomy louche slips, and deftly shaped corsets—if you need proof of how well Chen knows his way around a girdle, just take a look at how he snatched a shearling coat with some satin and a few pieces of boning.Chen identified evening fabrications as his comfort zone, “what people identify as Louis Shengtao Chen,” he said, and explained that the challenge here was to stretch his point of view to the street. “We are very comfortable with doing stuff that is very romantic, softer, and beautiful,” he said. “This was the first time we did something in this real juxtaposition with streetwear.” He did so to great effect. At just 27 Chen is remarkably self-aware but still preserves the naiveté that makes his work exciting.But what is it that drives Chen crazy? “I’m always crazy aboutromance!” he exclaimed, to which his publicist quipped in reply: “sucha Pisces.” Emotional, sensitive, and imaginative yet introspective and intellectual. A duality between fantasy and reality. Sounds just like a LouisShengtao Chen collection.
28 March 2024
“It’s orgasmic!”Louis Shengtao Chen feels his way through his every collection. The 2023 LVMH Prize Semifinalist returned to the Shanghai Fashion Week runway this season after a year away. For spring, Chen said that he ruminated on the idea of change. But rather than focus on the end result, he built this lineup around what he described as the “climax of creation” and the “rush and tickles of excitement” when beauty is uncovered.“It’s very much about the feeling of an orgasm, but not in an erotic or sexual way, but the feeling of climax,” said Chen. “To me, the climax is not the ending, but the process itself.” He equated this idea to a metaphor of a pupa metamorphosing into a moth, explaining that it’s the concept of transformation that he finds most inspiring.Transformation is something he explored literally in the pacing of his collection by toying between high-octane glamour and more approachable ideas, but far more nimbly in the way his silhouettes fluctuated between exploding from the body and embracing it closely. By now it’s clear that Chen can cut a fabulous evening gown and can find the restraint to keep things simple. What was interesting to observe here were his more commercially-minded propositions. The winners were a blouse and denim mini dress both draped at the bodice to emulate a moth, and a couple of sheer knit separates with spherical metallic embellishments. A run of pretty car-wash fringe styles with diagonal draping rounded out the lineup, but easy silk bras and skirts could have been edited out. Balancing his excitement for creation and keeping his collections tight will be key moving forward.There is a severity to Chen’s work (see a head-to-toe red look featuring a crumpled skirt, or the crystal-embellished boning structures around some of his evening frocks) that is offset by the lightness of his playful but exact draping. This is a dichotomy the designer is aware of: “You have something quite sensuous, something orgasmic, diva, glam, and also something sharp,” he said. Sitting somewhere in the middle was a sexy, frilly double-layered frock cut in blush and tan georgette. It preserved Chen’s dramatic flair while suggesting a developing eye for making a commercial and covetable dress. Expanding on this space should serve him well—Chen is a pupa just about ready to leave his cocoon.
16 October 2023
For every new collection, Louis Shengtao Chen, the Beijing-born, Chongqing-based designer, fully surrenders himself in a specific inspiration. For fall, it was the work of American photographer Jim Goldberg that caught his eye: Chen dove intoRaised by Wolves,a book of Goldberg’s photographs that documents the lives of teenage runaways living in San Francisco and L.A. from ’87 to ’93. “What I loved about the book is that everyone renamed themselves [in it],” said Chen, who notably made the LVMH Prize Shortlist this year. “It’s all about self-identity, and being in charge of yourself.”Chen’s fall assortment aimed to embody this same idea: He wanted to create clothes that evoked a sense of self-discovery—and the sometimes-turbulent journey it takes to get there. As a result, his signature aesthetic—glamour and eveningwear are his strong points—had a slightly rougher, grimier feel this time around. “The idea was turning that roughness into something that is quite high-fashion or feminine,” he added.There was a big emphasis on denim, for starters. Long-sleeved dresses, skirts, and coats were made using piles of frayed denim. “It’s my idea of a new luxury,” Chen explained. A big-collared leather shearling trench (it was also done in denim) served as an homage to the coat Angelina Jolie wears inGirl, Interrupted. “I love that movie—it speaks to the same characters inRaised by Wolves, when you’re not sure where you belong,” he said.The dresses (“chill and easy”), were another strong point. A red velvet-effect dress, complete with a strappy neckline, had a bleached trim: Its DIY feel was deliberate. “InRaised by Wolves, there were many images of kids bleaching their own jackets and clothes,” the designer explained. A strapless dress was made of casual shirting fabric, and shaped into a mound of rose petals in white, blue, and cream. For evening, meanwhile, a silver tank dress was made of double-sided sequins, with splashes of bare mesh throughout that revealed the form underneath. “I wanted it to look like paper getting wet and being peeled off,” he added. “It looks wet—but it’s stiff.There were also clear attempts at streamlining, which Chen hasn’t done as effectively in previous seasons. His backless jersey dresses, knitted cardigans, and slightly draped twill skirts, all in black, were refreshingly refined. “We used a lot of black fabrics, which isn’t easy for me—my creations are typically colorful and rich,” the designer said.
“But there's something quite charming, sophisticated, and dramatic about this color.” One thing thatwasvery Chen, however? The mannequins he shot the new collection on; they were 3-D printed to resemble himself. “When I was younger, I didn’t really have a chance to step into fashion,” he said, “so dressing myself in the collection is the idea of taking charge—now, I have the power.”
10 April 2023
Louis Shengtao Chen—a Central Saint Martins graduate now based in Chongqing, China—found himself listening to the Frank Sinatra classic “Fly Me to the Moon” this season. The song was on repeat so often that Chen ended up basing his whole collection on it, focusing on the idea of escapism and clothes that evoke this free spirit. “To fly out to the middle of nowhere, you can hold all of your hopes [and dreams]—with no boundaries,” Chen said.The designer’s spring assortment includes pieces that are dreamy and ethereal indeed, with finishings he describes as “fresh and fragile.” The opening look, for instance, is a dainty georgette slip dress with lace trim, but he juxtaposed it with a bit of toughness: The bust was embroidered with the wordsAdrian’s Cupid, a replica of Chen’s chest tattoo. “I tried to bring some rock-and-roll spirit into things that are seen as quite romantic,” he said.Chen worked with georgette across a variety of staples, from sleek skirts to frilly blouses. The standouts were his patchwork dresses, a technical feat given that the fragile fabric is not easy to cut and sew. Another evening dress had a velvet bodice up top but was slashed to reveal a lilac georgette underlay. “We actually destroyed the dress before the show,” said Chen. “I like sabotaging something stereotypically beautiful.”Last season, Chen focused on expanding his assortment of more casual daytime pieces, and he had those for spring as well, though they still qualified as dressy (as was the case with a leather overcoat with golden embroidery). His version of a work blazer featured a pink-and-white print done in collaboration with the digital artist Greenduck. “I love the print because it’s so sexual and erotic,” Chen said. “You can vaguely see two people’s faces touching each other.” His denim pieces, meanwhile, were laser engraved with washes that resembled the texture of lace. “I always like vintage finishings [on denim],” he said. His denim ruffled gown—with matching printed jersey sleeves, which are detachable—took deliberate cues from Britney Spears and the blazing Y2K craze.Chen truly shines when he leans into theatrical eveningwear, which his finale gowns certainly did. Riffing off his love of cone shapes (he added them to heels and mini bags too), the organza cone gowns looked almost spiky and 3D. He paired them with thick leather corsets and envisioned someone avant-garde like Doja Cat wearing them.
“[Fashion] doesn’t necessarily need to be beautiful and classic,” he said. “I want the girl to feel like she can be a fairy—but she can rock.”
24 October 2022
For Louis Shengtao Chen’s third collection, the Central Saint Martins graduate served as his own muse in many ways. While reflecting on inspirations for the season, the designer—who is from Beijing, but now based in Chongqing—began looking inward at his own closet, and pulled from his own fashion tastes. “I really drew from myself with this collection,” he said. “A year into my brand, I’m finally comfortable and confident enough to display my own personal style.”The collection has a mixture of casual and formal pieces, something Chen said is reflected in his closet. “It’s very quirky and random,” added Chen, who wanted to design pieces that fit into a variety of moods and occasions. The more casual pieces here are all things Chen wears in his day-to-day life. A gray tweed topcoat worn with a ruffled top, baggy jeans, and a crystal brooch, for instance, is a signature Chen ensemble. “That’s my look,” he said. “I’ll find a bourgeois brooch from the Brockley Market in the U.K., and pin it on a charity shop jacket.”His outerwear was a strong point. A double-breasted overcoat, embroidered with clusters of sequins, made a statement on its own, while an oversized blue coat with slanted front pockets had just enough visual interest without looking trendy. For his cropped denim jackets, he drew inspiration from Chongqing. “The city looks a bit like Hong Kong; there’s mountains everywhere and we live on the hills,” said Chen. “I always have that image in my head—a woman riding around the city on a motorbike.”For the more formal assortment, Chen allowed his dreamier side to shine through. Several looks featured giant draped taffeta skirts evoking the idea of a bride. “They were inspired bySex and The City, the scene where Carrie is running away and holding up her wedding dress,” he said. His emphasis on theatrical silhouettes continued with a pink and black ballerina-inspired gown that was hand-crocheted and finished with an explosion of tulle at the hips. “It represents a ballerina with a more mature and sophisticated style,” he said. Another blue and white plaid dress had exaggerated shoulder pads, a silhouette that looked veryNosferatu.The designer’s lacework has quickly become his signature and is a regular best-seller, so this season, Chen applied it to a variety of different pieces, including bodysuits and A-line skirts. A simple shift dress, covered in lilac lace with a high slit, felt particularly fresh—a mix of old-time glamour and a modern cut.
“I like the contrast,” he said. “Sweet, but dangerous.”
28 April 2022
Louis Shengtao Chen showed his first spring collection and just his second collection overall at Shanghai Fashion Week. A 2020 graduate of Central Saint Martins, Chen launched his brand almost immediately upon completing his bachelor’s program. Looking at his runway, though, you’d never guess Chen is a newbie—his diverse separates, elegant silhouettes, and exuberance belie his youth.Or it could be that the sprightly way he cuts a midi-dress and his irreverent combinations of color and print come down precisely to his raw, unfettered style. Speaking over Zoom, Chen explained that he found inspiration in the lyrical twists of the Spanish guitar track “Romance Anónimo,” interpreting its message as one “not only about romance between man and woman, but about something more beyond—a romance with nature.” The natural world is represented through the animals that models carry, and also through the freewheeling way his clothes cling and cover the body, and the frills and beadwork that carry through as motifs.Y2K mania is going around. Chen’s collection, whether intentionally or not, captures the magpie sensibility of that era with sheer shrugs over striped tops over full skirts. The hyper-layered, slightly twee look reflects the significance of personal style—and personal identity—over trends. “When I came back to China and started my own business and started selling the clothes, I saw so many boys and men wearing the clothes,” Chen says. “They look so nice and I’m so touched. I encourage everyone to try the clothes. The experience, the feeling, the energy is everything!”
18 October 2021