COS launches its Lunar New Year collection and a collaboration with artist Amber Chen

Trained in both womenswear and textile design, Chinese-born experiential artist Amber Chen is based in Shanghai but also shuttles to Singapore quite frequently. After pursuing her degree in womenswear design at Singapore’s Raffles Design Institute, Amber moved to London to study Textile Design at Central Saint Martins and mastered in Textiles at Royal College of Art, graduating in 2018.

She has no favourites between the two mediums as they both have their individual strengths which Amber has finessed brilliantly. She says: “Fashion design has a clear purpose, while fabric development and its application are more of an unknown state. I think of fabric as material, rather than just fabric. Material has an objectivity; it often serves to support something else.”

For this collaboration with COS, Amber taps on her ongoing series “The Unwrapped-Wrapper” which explores the relationship between everyday experiences such as traditional food wrapping and the sensory impact of everyday life. Amber drew inspiration from her celebrated series to create these installations for COS that embody messages of unity. “Maybe it’s a coincidence but the jacquard woven piece is the perfect medium to express togetherness,” she says.

Amber will be showcasing her intricate hand-woven jacquard pieces, inspired by traditional Chinese techniques, at selected COS stores this Lunar New Year. We caught up with the talented artist to find out more about what’s going on in her creative mind.

Let’s talk about your COS collab. How did that come about?

The conversation with COS started around June last year. The theme COS wanted for the Lunar New Year campaign was aligned with what I’d done before which was my “The Unwrapped-Wrapper” series. It was sort of an extension of my personal project.

How does the art and design scene in Singapore compare to other cities you have lived in such as Shanghai and London?

Obviously both Shanghai and London are big cities and in London you can see people from very different backgrounds there, very international. In Shanghai for example, it’s still very deeply rooted in Chinese background and culture. 

But in Singapore it’s very interesting. Singapore is also international. Although the majority of the population is Chinese, there are so many different cultures that co-exist here. There’s a little bit of Indian, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai - there’s a bit of everything here. Although Singapore is very small, these cultures still maintain their uniqueness. 

How did living in London influence your fashion?

I was definitely going through a brief punk phase. It was interesting to observe how the English dress as they have a very rich culture there in fashion, design and art.  

How do you think the design and art scene in Shanghai helped you grow as an artist?

In Shanghai, there are definitely many opportunities to grow creatively. One of my most memorable collab was with Wallpaper Magazine China. They have special design programs, and one of them was called Co-Made. So we participated in Co-Made and worked with the Chinese fashion brand Shu Shu Tong and created a bag together, using design elements from both our brands. 

What does Lunar New Year mean to you?

It’s about family, getting together, and having a meal together. I always go back to Nanjing every Lunar New Year. It’s definitely a family tradition to have a big family gathering together. 

Explain the idea of unity and togetherness in your COS collab.

In the artworks for COS specifically, there are already three fibers going into the art piece itself: metallic yarn, mohair wool (a plant-based yarn that looks like silk). They’re all very different, but we had to bring them into one piece. We had to think about how to structure them together and how to have them work nicely together and show the effect you want. 

The pattern actually represents the year of the snake, and the different yarns and structures, represents the complexity of family. “We all have different characters and eccentricities, but at the dinner table, we put aside our differences and sit down together harmoniously to enjoy a meal.” 

Tell me about your first work as an artist.

This was a decade ago…  It was a time you don’t need to worry about anything else - you just do you! It was definitely me being very experimental. That was the time I really started to enjoy weaving and I realized you can do so much with this method. Using this technique and a lot of different materials, you can create a lot of things. Just me throwing all my ideas into one piece.  

Do you have that same go-with-the-flow attitude with your art today?

Yes to a certain extent… but I also grew up in my art practice. I’m more cautious about the materials that I use. I’m also more familiar with all the fibers, knowing what works and what doesn’t. I’ve definitely tried a lot of things in the past so I know what works and what doesn’t. It’s like when I have a vision of what I want to create, I already know what materials I’m going to use. Although I still have to test, I already know what to avoid for potential errors. 

For my art, it’s still more about what I want to do. This is the part I can still continue in my art practice from my school days. At the end of the day, it’s all about self-expression. 

What are your go-to fits for the Lunar New Year?

I like colours in general. I enjoy a very interesting fuschia colour. It can be a very fun pop of colour to wear. Also during LNY, the older generation would definitely prefer if you wear something bright. It’ll be fun to have different shades of red in one outfit as well.  

We pick some of our favourite Lunar New Year fits and accessories from COS

Credit: COS

1/9

Credit: COS

2/9

Credit: COS

3/9

Credit: COS

4/9

Credit: COS

5/9

Credit: COS

6/9

Credit: COS

7/9

Credit: COS

8/9

Credit: COS

9/9

Shop the new COS collection here