For his Paris debut, Chen Peng, the designer behind all the performance outfits at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics, pushed puffers to the realm of couture.
Post-show, Chen said while the collection represented a tribute to the birthplace of haute couture, he didn’t reference any specific shapes.
Instead, he started from sketches, and with the help of a team of a dozen seamstresses from two manufacturers he works with — one in Shanghai and one in Hangzhou — Chen was able to manifest his wild ideas into striking down-filled gowns and outerwear pieces with extreme shapes.
Take the beautiful rose petal gown, for example: the piece was made with more than 600 pieces of pattern and took the team months to finish. The piece is for sale, as well as everything he showed on the runway, on a bespoke basis.
A sweeping evening dress like the one that opened the show would cost around 20,000 euros, while a floor-length quilted cape is priced at around 4,000 euros.
Having secured financial stability by selling statement puffers in China and beyond, Chen said following his rendezvous with couture, he wants to use the Paris showcase to explore different areas the brand can tap into in the future, such as art installations, furniture or cookware.
Reports /TrainViral/
Writes /WWD/
