With a penchant for natural fibers and a lived-in patina, Shanghai-born designer Ziggy Chen feels the wearer’s comfort is his highest priority.
Shanghai-born designer Ziggy Chen launched his namesake label in 2012 with the goal of crafting a line that blends modern elegance with practicality. After studying fashion in the early 1990s, Ziggy Chen became a university lecturer on the subject of textile design. After working on the corporate side of fashion for 20 years, Ziggy Chen gave himself permission to pursue his wildest dreams.
Ziggy Chen produces his own custom fabrics, with a penchant for the natural fibers of wool, cotton, hemp and linen. Developing his designs from the perspective of how they will lay on the body, Ziggy Chen feels the wearer’s comfort is his highest priority.
Ziggy Chen is particularly interested in the lived-in patina of unpretentious antique furniture and textiles. He notes a particular fondness for both Eastern and Western clothing from the 17th and 18th centuries.
Shirking a precious notion of perfection, Ziggy Chen explains “Much of my inspiration for patterns and details in my clothing comes from tools, pottery, textiles and furniture that have been used, deformed, and broken down over time.”
For Ziggy Chen’s latest collection, the designer has mined ancient books and antique fabrics from his private collection — cutting and reassembling them — to create unique prints on both the interior and exterior of his pieces. By yarn-dying and over-dyeing his expertly cut fabrics, Ziggy Chen creates highly dimensional pieces that drape beautifully on the body.
“Rather than creating clothes that make you feel like someone else — for example, when you wear something and you immediately feel like you’re a different person — I want the clothes to feel like a part of you.”
– Ziggy Chen
