The designer shows the sponsors of Dolce & Gabbana have become a highlight of Milan Fashion Week, a reliable and fun opportunity to see the work of an emerging talent in a crowded calendar that doesn’t leave much time for hunting down new names. In collaboration with stylist Katie Grand, Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana chose Feben this season, a London designer with Ethiopian roots, born in North Korea and raised in Sweden, who only goes by her first name.
Feben graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2020, and Ssense and Browns dropped by, attracted by her colorful, body-con going out clothes. So did celebrities. Beyoncé, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu and Janelle Monáe have worn her designs. There are still always new challenges for a young brand. “I think what Dolce & Gabbana is doing is a very important initiative: supporting designers,” she said. “This [operating a fledgling business] is really difficult. It gives you a platform to develop your work and practice.”
Texture is one of those practices, and has been since before her design school days. “I just wanted to fit in and I couldn’t really afford a lot of things. So I guess that’s why I have textures. Because if you can work with textures, you can make really cool things.” She continued, “I want you to feel something, with your eyes, your heart or your hands, and I think texture is so fun.” For the first time, Feben has cut her signature pleated ‘Twist’ dresses from velvet, just as flattering as the satin she used before, and just as easy to wear. Her catwalk was one of the few in Milan with curve models; Some established brands are backing away from their commitments to diverse casting, but for her it’s a given, something non-negotiable.
The tiger motifs come from Dolce & Gabbana’s 1990s collections. With her trademark ingenuity, Feben reproduced them in duct tape and colored paper and had the resulting collages made into prints that she used for stretchy sheath dresses. A London colleague familiar with Feben’s work said she could see the results of the cash injection and support from Dolce & Gabbana’s atelier team on the catwalk. “You just felt the height.” Chaps have been made in Accra, Ghana, where Feben works with local artisans, using upcycled plastic beads. When Beyoncé starts touring with her new country album, Feben will be ready.
