Fang Guo of FANG on his SS27 Collection
Photography by ETERNO
For FANG’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection, Fang Guo centered this season around the image of a bionic dancer and the relationship between the human body, clothing movement, and technology. What does this look like? Think Ex Machina—the relationship and dynamic between man and machine.
Guo shows both the humanization and dehumanization of fashion and technology, and how the film depicts the opposing elements: eco-brutalism, stark concrete, modernist architecture, and the lush landscape of the Swiss Alps. SS27 incorporates the importance of human anatomy and movement into a world that is ever-changing and getting harder to adapt to.
Guo spoke with 1202 MAGAZINE about how he approached the concept for FANG’s SS27 collection, the materials, processes, and techniques he used, and how SS27 reflects both previous and future collections. Interview by Karla Marie Sanford.
I noticed the collection didn’t have a name. What is the reason for this? What inspired your approach to this collection?
All of our runway shows to date have been untitled. I think this comes partly from my connection to Susan Sontag’s philosophy in Against Interpretation, where she challenges the assumption that every artwork contains a hidden message that must be decoded. I do not want to rush past the experience of the clothes simply to explain them. Meaning can exist, but a work’s power may lie in how it affects you before you can articulate that feeling. I suppose that is why my shows remain untitled.
For this collection, fragments of inspiration accumulated through different sensory memories, and the idea of a bionic dancer gradually emerged from my subconscious. Taking visual cues from films such as Ex Machina, Suspiria, and The Hunger, the collection explores the relationship between humans and machines, as well as between the body and the clothes we wear. Elements of the human skeletal structure are interpreted through a geometric, bionic lens, continuing the brand’s exploration of the tension and balance between the organic and the industrial.
Photography by ETERNO
What is the materiality of the ribbed and striped pieces?
The ribbed and striped pieces are knitted from soft, high-stretch yarns that provide comfort while creating a sculpted, close-to-the-body effect. Much of our knitwear is body-conscious yet adaptable, reflecting the collection’s gender-expansive nature and allowing the garments to complement a range of bodies and forms of expression.
The interplay between horizontal and vertical ribbing evokes the structure of the human skeleton through a geometric, bionic language. The chunky accordion rib adds another dimension, giving the garments a pronounced three-dimensional presence that feels tactile, sculptural, and difficult to overlook.
How do you see this collection as an extension or new interpretation of previous collections?
The brand’s language of “eco-brutalism” remains a throughline across all our collections. It is a study of elements that appear contrasting yet ultimately complement one another: soft knitwear and gritty workwear, yin and yang, femininity and masculinity.
Recurring brand signatures such as one-shoulder silhouettes, asymmetry, tiered layering, and carpenter-inspired shapes continue in this collection. This season, the contemporary-dance inspiration introduces new elements, including deep V-necks, tutu-like volumes, and cropped hoodies that recall dancers’ rehearsal clothing. These references bring a new sense of movement and physicality to the brand’s established design language.
