Taiwan born designer Yifang Wan is one of a handful of Asian designers with a distinctly modern aesthetic. A master in sports luxe, the Central Saint Martins graduate combines elegance with ease in loose flowing fabrics and functional silhouettes. She was also awarded the Loreal Professional Young Designer Award for her BA graduation show, and since then her designs have grown into beautifully crafted collections as shown in her SS14 offering. Now based in London, her designs are simplistic yet beautiful with martial arts being one of her key influences.
Like many Asian designers, our former Merit Award winner combines native traditions with nouveau shapes and craftsmanship as seen in her SS14 collection. Despite a minimal colour palette, Yifang Wan lets her skill speak through asymmetrical designs and multiple layers. She also cites art and more specifically Salvador Dali as a huge influence in her design process as well as how people wear clothes rather than just the pieces themselves. It’s this consideration of form and function that adds an extra dimension to her aesthetic and breaks the mould that many new designers try to fill these days.
Yifang Wan is preparing to showcase her fourth season this AW14 at London Fashion Week. She will present her collection on Day Two of Fashion Scout London at 11:30am in The Gallery.
Be sure to view the full schedule here.
By Olivia Hunter (@oliviahunter)
Photographs by Ben Turgel (@benjaminturgel)