The Storytellers: Susan Fang On Her Ethereal Collaboration with &Other Stories

The designer was “inspired by fantasy, rendered in reality,” she tells Bazaar in this exclusive interview

One night, in deep sleep, Susan Fang had a vivid dream of a flower blooming. This wouldn’t have been unusual – the fashion designer regularly dreams of nature – except that this flower was completely see-through. “I don’t know if transparent flowers exist in the real world, maybe only a fantasy world,” she muses during an exclusive conversation with Bazaar Arabia. “I felt I had to create one.”

The Canadian-Chinese designer, who is based in London, originally made her 3d-printed sculptural flower necklace as a showpiece to accompany the floral-inspired clothing she creates for her eponymous label. Recently, she found an opportunity to invent a lightweight, more wearable iteration of the transparent flower as part of a collaboration with the Swedish clothing, accessories and beauty label &Other Stories.

Aesthetically, this collab is an interesting pairing rather than an obvious one. Susan’s designs are ethereal, hyper-feminine (but with an edge) and inspired by nature; &Other Stories’ pieces are tailored, minimal and often focus on one colour at a time. “When they approached me last year, I was very happy and curious as to how we would create a collection together,” Susan says. But she didn’t remain curious for long: “I travelled to Stockholm to meet the design team, and I just knew – I had a feeling it would be a great partnership and we would be able to create a beautiful collection together.”

This is because when it comes to their design ethos, the two brands couldn’t be more aligned. As the name suggests, &Other Stories believes in fashion as a medium for storytelling. “True to our name … we tell fashion stories starring our seasonal must-haves and timeless treasures,” the website reads. Susan is in absolute agreement. Through her designs, she creates fantastical dreamlands and believes fashion is a powerful mode of communication. “[World-creating] is very much the foundation of what I do and how I design,” she says. “I believe imagination is such a gift – it can transport you anywhere.”
The one-off capsule collection features 11 pieces that were designed around the concept of “fantasy and fun,” Fang explains. “I wanted to create dreamy statement pieces that can be worn for special occasions, but equally worn in your daily wardrobe, paired with trainers or a cardigan.”

The collection can be found in select stores and on stories.com from 1 April.