Apu Jan will be showing with Fashion Scout for the fourth
consecutive season this month, having previously shown his
‘Petroleum’, ‘The Signal’ and ‘Turbulence’ collections to
critical acclaim.
Taiwanese Apu Jan, now based in London, graduated from the Royal
College of Art with an MA in Fashion Womenswear, specialising in
knitwear. For Jan, knitwear provides an opportunity to create a whole
new world using just thread without the need for additional
materials, a world in which imagination meets sophistication and
history takes a flight of fancy.
Commended by the likes of Vogue, Wallpaper* and i-D, traditional
oriental myths receive a modern interpretation, realised in fluid
silhouettes, Eastern-inspired beauty looks and a restrained colour
palette with one bold accent hue. Wearable separates emblazoned with
modern prints by Ying Wu make for commercial collections, a touch of
the avant-garde present in deep v necks, voluminous collars and
peekaboo millinery.
Speaking about his childhood, Jan states that he always loves
creativity, arts and crafts, reading books and watching films in
particular, but can’t say that he always saw his career path lie in
design. But a BA in Textile Design at Fu Jen University brought out
an undeniable talent for turning mythical inspirations into fringed,
frilled and draped knitwear of the most elegant kind. ‘There are so
many stories I would like to develop into clothing; some of them have
been in my mind for a while…. Once the story has matured I will
start to design clothes and let them speak’.
Apu Jan will take to the Fashion Scout catwalk on Sunday 14th at 11:30am.
By Isabella Silvers, Contributor, (@izzymks).
Images, by Oliver
Savage.