If you’re a fan of whimsical, almost fairy-like fashion, then the name Susan Fang needs no introduction.
In the world of fashion, there are a few notable designer names that manage to encapsulate a sense of euphoric feeling through garments, somehow turning exactly what their creative brain is thinking into a tangible product ready to float down a runway.
"When I see people wearing our dresses, they’re usually dancing"
Ahead of her Autumn/Winter 2026 show, titled Air-Infinity, at Shanghai Fashion Week on Wednesday, H! Fashion sat down with the Chinese-born designer to get the inside scoop on her latest creations, and as expected, there are bows, frills and 3-D printed flowers galore.
Q: How would you describe the ultimate Susan Fang girl?
I think it's a person who loves nature, culture, travel and life. Someone who has a lot of passion and wants to experience life. I hope people can find their own harmony within and a sense of breezy lightness and freedom when they wear our clothes. When I see people wearing our dresses, they’re usually dancing.
Q: Your work always feels so joyful - is that sense of joy an intentional part of your design process?
Definitely. While growing up, I lived in many different countries, moving every one to three years, so I experienced a lot of different inspirations as well as misunderstandings, and sometimes very short but wonderful friendship memories. That's why I always want to recreate those feelings into fabric, something fleeting that can be encapsulated in cloth forever.
Q: Why did you choose to show in Shanghai this season?
It’s been a while since we did a fashion show in Shanghai. We have been doing shows in London in recent years, but the real reason for showing in Shanghai is that my fortuneteller said it’s super lucky to do my show here for my birth charts this season.
Q: What inspired you when creating your AW26 collection?
This collection started with a feeling of wondering whether or not the concept of capitalism is like a religion that we have been worshipping for a very long time, or a peak where a lot of challenges are happening.
The number eight is also a big inspiration, playing on the idea of repetition and infinity. The shape is symbolised in the form of bows in the collection, and we also made all the pieces look extra sweet. They almost look a little bit like desserts and cake, our plate full of ribbon and frills, all wrapped to look like a mummy, symbolising the extreme desire and obsession for ambition, and even immortality. We play with the concept of how history always repeats itself, almost like an infinite pattern, but because of this loop pattern, it is also a comfort to know that what comes will go and change.
We took inspiration from many different eras of clothing, especially the 50s and 60s, for the ribbon dresses and jackets. We also played with vintage ski jackets and even looked at Victorian aero shapes. Mixed in throughout are extremely futuristic shoes that are both 3-D printed with bamboo lab, as well as transparent opaque flowers.
Q: What led you to experiment with digital coding as a way of creating prints?
For this experimentation, it’s really a question of how AI has become such a normal part of our daily life and makes us question whether or not our current life is virtual or real. We play with ACSII code, where we actually create a painting of something - vintage wallpaper, illustrations and paintings, for example and put it in a 3-D animation to transform it into codes and numbers. It’s almost like a matrix where everything is code, and it's just really a playful idea, but you can only see it if you look very, very closely.
Q: Is there one piece from the collection you’re especially excited for people to see?
Our Melissa Shoes! I also love our soft, blueish-lilac dress made fully from clover shapes.
Q: How did the collaboration with Melissa come about, and what made them the right partner for this collection?
We always wanted to make a design that doesn’t exist in reality, but to do that, we need to do a lot of experimentation. I just really love Melissa’s creations. They have such epic collaboration products and shoes that are so unique.
I think before they came to us, I was hoping I could work with Melissa for a few years, and I’m so happy that the manifestation happened the right way.
Two years ago, we had the idea to create a 3-D printed shoe, but it seemed impossible. However, with Melissa, we knew we could do it just how we wanted and create something special, complete with a transparent to opaque colour gradient. We chose the particular flowers used in the collaboration collection because it is a famous symbol in China, symbolising good luck, love and fortune. We always want to add elements that embody a little spark of hope.
Q: Did any looks from your recent collections evolve alongside ideas for your own wedding looks?
Yes! There are some new pieces I made this season that I wish I'd made earlier for my own wedding, but now they can be bridal dress options for my friends, which is also very exciting!
