· By Jiangning Tan
METAL Magazine | Balance in this Chaotic World
Born in Beijing, China, the designer we met in her pristine studio apartment in the heart of Bristol’s most glamorous area, Clifton Village, was shy but determined. Away from London, RIVERPEACE.CO is a brand that is finding a new rhythm outside of traditional seasons, upping the tempo with smaller consistent releases. The new collection Pisces Era marks the beginning of this intention and centres on her own astrological sign, an important key to unlocking the motivation behind the brand. Conversations with an astrologer in the US whilst the designer was slogging away at a BA in Economics appear to have led to her decision to eventually found RIVERPEACE.CO.
With co in the name we can see Jiangning Tan is business minded. With the exception of the outrageous Blade Heel shoes I try on, the pieces I see of the Pisces Era collection are markedly wearable: a half denim half cotton pleated skirt, a luxurious camel and wool floor length trench coat and a perfectly tailored white shirt that nips in at the waist stand out. I recognise them as the codes of a western woman’s wardrobe. The skirt might only fit in at a fashion office, but the coat and shirt are universally boardroom ready.
The RIVERPEACE.CO Blade Heels we discuss at length are both comfortable and strangely leave the polished wooden floor unscathed. Pressing my fingers into the tips does not draw blood either. The effect of the design is so much heightened when worn on the foot, it recalls the best feats of fashion are not always the sculptural pieces we admire in galleries or on social media feeds, they are the ones that hold your body, allow you to move and remind you of your own strength.
Your first collection was your MA graduate collection, Leisure and Longevity, from The Royal College of Art, meanwhile, you made your London Fashion Week debut during SS24 with two shows. Your output had a big change, you use smarter silhouettes, shift from earth tones to whites and pinks as well as making no use of print except the ombré jumpsuit, of course. How did leaving university impact the design decisions that you were making?
The Leisure and Longevity collection I did is student work, I [was] trying to embrace Chinese culture, as well as some Chinese medicine therapy in the collection, and it was more experimental. As you can see, the silhouette is kind of extraordinary, and it's not that easy to wear in daily life, but when I decided to open my own brand, which is very physical, I decided to make it more customer friendly. It needs to be beautiful, as well as easy to wear. So, I changed my design decisions from more experimental to beauty [focused, infused with] easy to wear [designs]. So that was my debut at London Fashion Week that I made, which was the collection called, Emotions of River, which was connected to my brand's name, RIVERPEACE.CO. And that collection signifies my beginning of my brand’s rebellions, as well as the technology focused sense of my brand.
So, what evolution has RIVERPEACE.CO made to get to this latest collection and how has it changed?
As you mentioned, I have attended London Fashion Week twice, and I want to address my experience of that, because that also answers your question. The first time, I was invited by the venue called Fashion Scout, and I was very honoured to showcase my debut collection in Shoreditch, East London. I gained my first fans then. And I also got some interviews from Fashion Scout. The second time, I was invited by FxFashion UK, and the venue was even bigger and more prestigious. I had the experience to showcase at Stationers’ Hall, which is a historical building in London. I was really, really thrilled to showcase [my collection] at that place, and I got more sales from that time. Customers’ comments are very important to me, because I want to do something that pleases, to please myself, but the audiences as well. I collect their comments and try to put that into my brand's philosophy as well, which [led to] the current collection that I have. It’s called Pisces Era, which. It was inspired by the Zodiac star sign Pisces, my star sign, and it was important for me because rebellious[ness], spirituality and creativity are the three main things that I was striving for in this collection.
But the Pisces is not a new design, is it? Because it's been on your site, that top has already been launched. Is this new collection coming off from that?
Yeah, exactly. That [Pisces printed top] is the first piece that attracts people's attention. This [new] collection will be expanded on over six months, and I will release two to five pieces each month.