Fresh Faces: Shaofen
Gender-neutral and seasonless fashion
By Weiqi Yap
FAM FRESH FACES is a series featuring young Southeast Asian fashion practitioners and speaks with them about how they embarked on their careers and what propels them as creatives.
Shaofen is the founding designer of her emerging namesake label based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Her journey in fashion began when she was just 16. Her first garment was a minidress sewed for a high school art project. In 2017, she graduated from the London College of Fashion with a degree in womenswear design, and her brand was born two years after. As a label, Shaofen has been steadily launching collections that are intentionally seasonless and genderless. This fluidity is embedded in the brand’s ethos, and is part of a growing legion of young sustainable fashion brands in the region that are actively seeking to restructure the ways in which we consume fashion.
Shaofen.
Could you share your first memory or encounter with fashion?
Growing up, I always enjoyed shopping and dressing up, but I was not aware of the idea of “fashion” or “trends” as a child. It was only through art classes that I realised I was able to create things.
What themes, ideas or subjects are piquing your interest at the moment? What or who tends to inspire you the most?
Old photographs dating back to the 1980s and 1990s. There is something about old photographs that interests me — their sepia wash and monochrome subjects ought to tell a story. I want the things I create to be like these photographs, where each and every single one has a story to be told.
As an alumna of the London College of Fashion, what would you say has been the biggest shift from designing as a fashion student, to becoming a professional fashion practitioner?
As a student, I challenged myself by working outside my comfort zone. It was a time of self-exploration where I got to focus solely on the design of my clothes. Now, there is also the business side of things to prioritise. The craziest designs may not necessarily be practical too.
What are some of your favourite techniques or textiles to work with?
I love working with woven fabrics. There is something effortless about them regardless of what you make out of them. The crisp lines I get from woven textiles are very satisfying.
Glass Bead Bucket Hat and Cotton Placket Blouse by Shaofen.
Your label is very much marked by timelessness, as your clothes do not make specific seasonal references. Why is it important for your brand to transcend — and perhaps even reject — fashion’s trend cycle?
Giving clothes a seasonal reference is akin to giving them a death penalty. Limiting clothing to a season may be useful for archival purposes, but it inadvertently determines their lifespan. I want consumers to be in control of what they own and buy. They are the ones with the power to determine the value of what they wear.
You were trained in womenswear but your label is currently defined as gender-fluid. What does gender fluidity mean to you in the context of fashion, and how does it shape the way you design or market your label?
Acceptance. Technical differences aside, there is nothing in particular that draws a line between genders. There are only preferences that vary depending on the individual. I often imagine people of different backgrounds and profiles in my designs, regardless of gender.
“Technical differences aside, there is nothing in particular that draws a line between genders. There are only preferences that vary depending on the individual. I often imagine people of different backgrounds and profiles in my designs, regardless of gender.”
What are some of the challenges and limitations to being a young designer in Malaysia?
Limited resources. In every stage of production, there is an obstacle to overcome. It is what you make of it and in such a small industry, it is comforting to have other creative friends whom you can rely on and work together with.
I am also curious to hear what you feel might be the opportunities that arise with being a fashion designer in Malaysia. What informed your decision to base your label in Kuala Lumpur?
Anything is possible, and there are still plenty of unexplored topics here. I am not limiting myself to fashion design. Malaysia is like a safe haven to me, since it is home after all. I am based in an environment that I feel comfortable in, while international markets are still easily accessible.
You have mentioned in an interview that fashion week is no longer necessary. As a young designer, what are some alternatives you have been observing taking place in the fashion industry, especially since the pandemic?
Digital presentations have been on the rise, from formats as simple as videos to digital clothing in the form of NFTs. Since the pandemic, everyone has ensured that there is always an accessible alternative. At some point, fashion week felt unnecessary with strict lockdown measures. It is human nature, however, to crave physical interaction and our curiosity will pique with the things we encounter. I am glad to see that there are now more varied ways of accessing or experiencing a collection.
How do you plan on adapting this craving for physical interaction in the way you present your collections? Have you experimented with digital presentations or other emerging virtual formats?
To date, I still choose to present my work through still images as it is a form of presentation that cannot go wrong. I also want the attention to be fully on a small number of looks, as opposed to an entire collection at a time. I like to keep things simple, but I will not dismiss the possibility of venturing into digital presentations in the near future.
Paracord Bottle Bag by Shaofen. Handmade with nylon paracord.
Finally, what are your plans for your label moving forward?
There are a few exciting projects in the pipeline for 2022. More frequent product launches and campaigns will be announced very soon, as this is the first time we are experiencing some sort of stability since the start of the pandemic. I expect a lot of trial and error along the way, but I do hope for the label to become more established as a go-to brand for quality clothing for young adults.
Visit shao-fen.net or @by_shaofen on Instagram to view more of Shaofen’s work.
