Hongshan Feng: Garden Birds, Silent Strength, and a New Vision of Fashion.
This past New York Fashion Week, a quiet yet powerful voice emerged on the runway—Hongshan Feng, a Chinese designer based in New York, debuted her ethereal and thought-provoking collection inspired by fragility, resistance, and the natural world. A current student at Parsons School of Design, Feng’s show marked not only a milestone in her career, but also the arrival of a fresh, poetic force in the fashion landscape.
Her latest collection, Garden Birds, is a deeply personal narrative. “I saw a fallen bird on my way home one day, and it really stayed with me,” Feng shared. “It made me reflect on the fragility of life.” That fleeting image became the emotional seed of a collection that explores the intersection of nature, womanhood, and resilience. “The bird, to me, is nature. But it’s also a metaphor for women—the struggle, the strength, and the breaking free.”
Each garment tells a part of that story. Crafted through meticulous upcycling, with textures that recall medical bandages and the delicate weightlessness of feathers, Feng blends fine art with fashion, pulling from a lifelong background in traditional Chinese craftsmanship and architectural form. “Each piece must have a soul,” she says. “My design philosophy centers on sustainability and emotional impact. I don’t want to limit it.”
Influenced by UMA WANG and Dries Van Noten, Feng’s aesthetic leans into abstract narrative, slow fashion, and material experimentation. But her presentation goes far beyond fabric. Casting is equally intentional. “I look for authenticity—not the industry’s ideal. I want models who can express emotion with their whole bodies,” she explains. “Garden birds have strength in silence, and I want that to live in the performance too.”
In a fashion world slowly pivoting toward storytelling, conscience, and cultural identity, Feng finds excitement. “It’s not just about the garment anymore. It’s about the why. The craft. The history. The soul.”
Though she’s still at the beginning of her career, Feng’s creative trajectory has been shaped by years immersed in fine art, traditional Chinese culture, and architectural study. “My family was always connected to Chinese culture. I remember visiting heritage sites and learning about ancient structures. The way architecture held stories—fashion became a similar medium for me.”
What she’s most proud of right now is simple: Garden Birds. “It’s the closest I’ve ever felt to my own work,” she says. “It’s about engaging with the present—telling a story that can touch someone, even if just quietly.”
With emotional depth, reverence for craft, and a poetic mind that sees beauty in both decay and endurance, Hongshan Feng is one to watch—and, more importantly, to feel.
