Feben SS24 at London Fashion Week

Feben SS24 / Spring Summer 2024 at London Fashion Week with entitled Temple

For Spring Summer 2024, Feben presents Temple, a collection of elemental physicality, strength, provocation, vulnerability and desire. In the collection, Feben takes the saying “my body is a temple” both literally and figuratively, the latter inspired by artist Carrie Mae Weems and Sinead O’Connor. Throughout, Feben continues her exploration of what we perceive, both through her surface prints, and the evolving shapes of her signature Twist silhouettes for Feben SS24.

“In her ‘Museums Series’, the artist Carrie Mae Weems places her black body outside institutions, always in a black dress. Those museums are like temples, and it made me think about where I place my own body, such as printed onto dresses, or on the schedule of London Fashion Week,” says Feben

To evoke the spiritual freedom of a liberated body, Feben has created a print like the ribbon of a kite, as if spiralling down the front of halterneck sundresses. The pattern of Feben SS24 is also created monochrome in black or peach, the shape of the ribbon sheer, to reveal the body beneath. Meanwhile, on simple white sleeveless dresses, Feben has printed her own body, in either brown or deep yellow, truly putting herself in her work.

The elemental desire of the Sinead O’Connor song “I Want Your (Hands On Me)” is in every piece of the collection, especially silk mini-skirts and mini-dresses with a diamond of fringing at the centre hem, very clearly exaggerating the body beneath. Hand-beaded dresses, which glory in the body beneath, are made from recycled plastic beads. Each is crafted by artisans in Accra, Ghana, with whom Feben has worked since her MA at Central Saint Martins.

For the latest iteration of her Twist dresses, Feben creates pumped-up sculptural straps on dresses, that look as if they are emerging up from the breast. Meanwhile, a long-sleeve floor-length Twist dress has a square neckline, the elegance of its shape ruptured by the forms created by the shirring technique. Some of the Twist dresses are black, echoing Carrie Mae Weens; others are printed like marble, evoking a temple.

Feben presents a full wardrobe of pieces: oversize biker jackets are cut from leather, wool, or denim; white pants are studded down the sides. Feben SS24 introduced menswear, Men’s joggers are shirred and wearable by everyone.

Shoes are by Manolo Blahnik and Converse and movement is directed in the show byYagamoto: Abdourahman Njie.

A special thanks to my beautiful team: Anoushka Christi, Azita Thanigasalam, Rose prince, Fen Yang, Frankie Girling, Louis Cisse, Noor Turk, Sky Baby, Kate Brindley, Juul Temminck, Chloe Rosokek, Efi Davies, Bea Sweet, Syd Falls, Yagamoto, Ola Ebti, Charlie Porter and the amazing, Debra Shaw.

I would like to dedicate this Feben SS24 collection to Dee Falola, who always reminded me to use my voice.