“Dimensional” would be an apt word to describe Susan Fang as a label. There are the dimensions that she desires to transport viewers to each season, via fantastical references and scene setting, and the multifaceted qualities of her creations, which demonstrate many forms of material manipulation. And while the designer explores futuristic dimensions through her brand narrative—Fang made a comic, set 3,000 years from now, to inspire spring 2026—she does so with her loved ones in the present and now; most notably her mother, who often lends her hand to the frothy dresses, illustrative finishes and accessories. (It was Fang’s mother, a skilled artist and maker, who made her two wedding dresses ahead of her ceremony earlier this year.)
Fang’s husband, Orelio, oversees the 3D-printed elements of her craft, which came into full play for spring: at a preview, the couple discussed the process behind a “coral flow” dress and a bag series, made from a flexible TPU powder fused by lasers. Rather than physical draping or fittings, Fang and Orelio landed on the silhouettes by inputting parameters to software, applying natural “elements” like (virtual) wind to the mushroom-like renders that subsequently changed the shapes, then “freezing” their final states. “You can see them growing on the computer,” Orelio pointed out.
These show pieces weren’t for “wearing”—the technological advances that Fang and Orelio strive towards each season bolster the commercial offering and collaborations, which included Nike, Melissa and Rockfish for spring. With this in mind, they developed a code-generated, pixelated floral print; resulting in clusters of numbers and letters realized as crystal embellishments on a miniskirt, a jacket and a dress, and beaded onto a fuzzy cardigan. “It symbolizes nature made through a digital form,” Orelio explained of the pattern. “We wanted to show beauty and chaos.”
Dresses were still at the core, arriving with diamond-concertina bodices interspersed with beads; with stitched pastel-hued feathers visible beneath ruffled sheer overlays, and with scattered “air flowers”—a signature technique made from layered strips of fabric to create volume, “like fluttering petals in the wind.” “We still keep a handicraft aspect to the collection,” Fang asserted. “To feel sensory.” This sensibility was especially important for the aisle-leaning looks: a minidress with cascading panels of fabric, and a drop-waist dress with a tiered skirt and an intricately-beaded veil. Bridal continues to be a soft focus, but maybe a full foray is on the horizon.
