FJU Talents is a platform presented by the Department of Textiles and Clothing at Fu Jen Catholic University (FJU), a leading institution in Taiwan for fashion and textile design. London Fashion Week saw the four emerging designers selected to showcase their work: Ting Hsuan Chang, Alison Lai, Yui Kao, and Min-Hsin Yu. As a celebration of their 10th anniversary, the show also featured selected pieces from previous notable shows. These designers included Alison Lai, Xiaomo Chen, Zong Xing Liao, Timmy Chou, Shun An Chen and Chihwen Kuo.
Ting Hsuan Chang
Opening the showcase with a bang, these designs subvert the norm, creating an extra-terrestrial feel through a neon palette, elongated fabric connections, and otherworldly patterns. Each piece felt intrinsically connected, with the collection inspired by parasitised snails and titled ‘Cochlea’. Exaggerated sleeves and inverse-rib textures emphasise the unsettling nature of the collection.
Alison Lai
Lai’s collection explores the patriarchal gaze on a female body, inspired by the surreal world of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. Distorted black-and-white stripes and vivid red gowns evoke the tension between female desire and restraint. Each piece is carefully crafted to envelope the female form, deconstructing traditionally masculine suits and subverting them for a feminine gaze.
Yui Kao
Titled ‘Impulse Lover’, this collection explores “self-presentation and desire in contemporary romance”, with the desired lover viewed as a product or package. Through genderless silhouettes, humour and visual excess are used to create an inclusive queer aesthetic. Kao includes Taiwanese snack packaging within the designs and as accessories, encouraging models to throw these into the audience as a form of interaction. Neon colours are almost exclusively used in the collection, giving it a youthful and joyful feel.
Min-Hsin Yu
Inspired by the orange sunset on Earth and blue sunset on Mars, the collection explores the different sides of a person. Carefully designed to change in light and shadow, Yu Min uses each piece to showcase each part of human nature. Opening in a dark blue, each piece progressively gets lighter, with the final design a mix of navy, teal and orange.
These four collections, alongside the other showcased designs, place FJU Talents at the forefront of fashion design. Each designer easily holds it’s own alongside established brands, bringing thoughtfulness, careful craftsmanship, and breathe new life to London Fashion Week.