Fashion designer Alexander King Chen (middle) was emotional after a well-received intro of his new collection.
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
New York Fashion Week (NYFW) is in full swing, and on Sunday, fashionistas celebrated the elaborate designs by couturiers Caroline Cheung, Sirie Studios, Dhenyze Atelier, Alvin Alan, and Alexander King Chen at Daylight Studios in the Flatiron district hosted by Asian NYFW.
Asian NYFE celebrates a new era of Asian fashion and the talents of Asian designers inspired by their culture and stories. It was born during the COVID-19 pandemic when Asian Americans experienced a dramatic rise in Asian hate crimes.
amNewYork Metro talked to fashion designer Alexander King Chen, whose portfolio includes collaborations with fashion’s heavy-weights like Versace, Estee Lauder, and Proenza Schuler, and whose creative journey has taken him to the world’s fashion capitals like Paris, London, and Taipei.
King Chen grew up in Los Angeles and now resides in New York City after living in Taipei, Taiwan, for many years. In Taiwan, he was the go-to designer for A-list celebrities’ red-carpet style, made three fashion movies, and designed costumes for Asian films and TV series.
However, after his parents, who King Chen described as his “best friends,” passed away, he went on a journey of self-discovery and changed his creative direction, channeling his grief and healing through his artistic designs.
“I realized that a lot of these things that I once valued in my life were no longer important when the people you love are no longer there with you, right? So, my entire company kind of just changed directions. I no longer sought after this kind of, like the same thing that I thought I once believed in,” King Chen explained. “I really became kind of like an artist, where I just wanted to do what I wanted to speak the truth of what I do.”
King Chen defines his non-conforming style as modern, with a cultural and theatrical touch. His past collections were “very, very dark,” so much so that one of his collections, which he created as an homage to his mother who had passed away, elicited tears from the crowd at a fashion show in Beijing.
“I did a procession for her; that was our show. I didn’t tell people what had happened to me. So it was just my version to say, ‘Thank you, mom,’” King Chen shared. “I would create each look with a story that goes behind it to pave the way for my designs. I think it was sort of like my own version of healing in a way.”
King Chen, who describes himself as a “city person,” was always drawn to manufactured structures and never much into nature. However, during a visit to Europe, he was inspired by the beauty nature offers, and his new collection titled “Garden” was born.
“Every [past] collection told a story, but this season, I no longer needed to tell a story as much because I was just so inspired by the things that I never saw,
“Garden” represents the beauty and positivity he now sees in life, and he hopes it inspires others who have had to overcome personal tragedy or those who are still reeling from the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m seeing people and myself finally being content accepting the new truth, somehow,” King Chen said.
