Shenzhen-born fashion designer Angel Chen is all about brave, bold self-expression. Her experiments with colour and form keep her front and centre in the world of style. She shows collections at international fashion weeks, from Shanghai to Milan, and collaborates with major global brands like H&M. She was selected as i-D magazine’s designer to watch in 2014, listed on Forbes China’s “30 under 30” in 2016, and was in the Business of Fashion 500 for two years in a row. Angel was also a competitor on Netflix’s Next in Fashion, as part of the show’s loveable “Dragon Princess” duo. As a young designer, Angel is a trailblazer of the avant-garde.
Contemporary fashion designer Angel Chen was born in Shenzhen, China, to parents who run a paint business. Her father was a colour engineer and Angel spent a lot of time with him in his colour lab, discovering the depths and range of pigment. As she likes to say, “Colour is kind of my DNA.”
Angel has never been afraid when it comes to creativity and self-expression. She recalls a moment in her childhood, when her mother bought her an expensive pair of jeans. Angel proceeded to snip off the pant legs and create a handbag from what was left. Ever since, her design principles have embraced deconstruction and all its generative possibilities. Her label, Angel Chen, gives life and form to that continued love for vibrant experimentation and her unabashed self-expression. Her designs inspire pride across cultures, generations and gender identities.
Angel’s adventures with colour and shape continue to catch the eyes of fashion editors and critics. She shows her collections at international fashion weeks, from Shanghai to Milan, and collaborates with major brands like H&M. She was selected as i-D magazine’s designer to watch in 2014, listed on Forbes China’s “30 under 30” in 2016, and was in the Business of Fashion 500 for two years in a row. Angel was also a competitor on Netflix’s Next in Fashion, as part of the show’s loveable “Dragon Princess” duo.
Part of Angel’s self-expression includes encouraging other young people to be creative and of course, spending time with friends. When she unwinds, Angel luxuriates in drinking cocktails at a bar or inventing her own mixed drinks at home. If she had to pick her favourite cocktail, it would be cognac-based and made with the stylish, structured Martell Noblige.
Whether she’s hanging out with friends, or working in her studio, Angel loves to let go, to be herself. This Dragon Princess hopes to inspire whoever is watching to do the same, now and in the distant future.
