In Conversation
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Claudia Wang
“Temporal Rose, Second Quadrant”
Interviewed and written by: Olivia Barrett
@oliviabarrett_
A Digital Dreamworld, and a Chat with the Very Real Claudia Wang
French born, Taiwanese designer, Claudia Wang started the creation process of her eponymous label in 2020, finalising the brand as a design company in 2021. Wang grew up surrounded by a family of artists and creativity was imbued in her from a young age. Of course, it came as no surprise when Wang enrolled in the Taipei University of Technology to study at the Department of Practical Fashion Design, later polishing off her studies with a Masters in Interactive Design.
Wang presented her SS24 show at London Fashion Week, hosting at the Brutalist Blavantik building at the Tate Modern. The coolness of the concrete surroundings were immediately offset by the deep fuchsia light that swallowed the space. Wang’s fascination with the digital world simply couldn’t be ignored, with the graphics that were projected onto the vast concrete backdrops ensured that guests felt as though they were simply animated figures, unknowingly taking part in Wang’s grand video game.
The collection, which was split into three chapters, allowed guests to rightly assume that a story was indeed being told, with a beginning, middle and end, we were taken on a journey by Wang, a journey that asked us to dip into the graphics that you simply could not ignore, but also the pay heed to the very physical collection in front of us.
Once Wang’s digitised fashion fairytale came to an end, we managed to chat with Claudia amidst the post-show mania, a madness that certainly felt spurred on by the sense-assaulting space we found ourselves in.
Olivia Barret: Well that was just a feast for the eyes and imagination! Where did you find inspiration for your most recent collection?
Claudia Wang: My dream hahaha!
OB:Oh wow amazing, could you tell me a little bit more about your dream?
CW: So it was one dream, but played out in three chapters that provided background for my collection. Chapter one represents the now, the present, whilst chapter two is the past, and of course, chapter three is the future. So this might sound a bit unique, but it’s about a cat being bullied in the past, this cat goes back to confront his hurtful past in an attempt to heal his broken heart and wants to transport his healed self to the future.
OB: This is anything, but a standard reference and I love it! How did the different chapters show that story, what changed in the designs?
CW: Well the chapters of the collection were essentially colour coded and the basic constriction of the garments in each section was meant to allude to the story. In chapter one, the garments are more structures, longer sleeves and longer skirts, harder corners on the shoulders. This was meant to represent restriction and harder times for the little cat. But if we look at chapter three, the skirts and sleeves are shorter, the clothes are more slowly, there are less hard edges on the shoulders, showing more freedom and an overall softer experience for the cat.
OB: Of course, looking at the collection in its presentation, but also the glitchy patterns on the garments, it’s clear that the digital world is of great importance to you. I just wanted to ask where this fascination comes from?
CW:So all of the prints on the fabrics start off as animated visuals and even though they are digital, there’s so much life and movement to them. And so when I apply these prints and graphics to my clothes I combine the digital with a sense of life!
OB: I think that’s a really good idea because of course so much of our world is a combination between our reality and the digital realm.
CW: Yeah I mean this wouldn’t be the first time we’ve staged the collection in both the physical world with a show like the one you just saw, but also in the digital world. I think in our present society, we have to work with both the digital and the physical.
Special Thank you to Claudia Wang & Dyelog.
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