How Huishan Zhang Crafted the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton Centrepiece
From old Hollywood feuds to Regency dressmaking techniques, discover the intricacies and inspirations behind the rising designer’s couture creation
Read more
How Huishan Zhang Crafted the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton Centrepiece
From old Hollywood feuds to Regency dressmaking techniques, discover the intricacies and inspirations behind the rising designer’s couture creation
Chinese-born, London based designer Huishan Zhang is one of the UK’s fastest rising design talents. Trained at Central Saint Martins, he has rapidly become known for his contemporary take on femininity and his carefully crafted romantic, intricate and exquisitely refined creations. What more could we have asked for in a collaborator to bring the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton collection to life?
Inspired by Regency dress codes and contemporary aesthetics, Zhang and his team spent over 40 hours at his London atelier crafting a bespoke, couture gown using the richly detailed Bow Bouquet print on Belgravia silk.
Fusing his own design codes and influences with historical touches: the gown is Bridgerton incarnate, offering a smart, contemporary and captivating reimagining of recognisable Regency style. With its sculptural lines, elevated couture techniques, elegant corsetry and romantic floral print, one thing is for sure, this creation is surely the true diamond of the season.
Showcased in all its Regency extravagance on Hannah Dodd, who plays Francesca Bridgerton in series three of the Shondaland & Netflix series, discover the unique dress for yourself in the Modiste’s Atelier in the immersive Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton pop-up.
As the collection is unveiled, Liberty spoke to Huishan Zhang, to discover the stories, inspirations and craftsmanship behind the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton gown.
Read More: Step Inside the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton Collection
A Tale of Couture Craftsmanship
How would you describe your design aesthetic?
As a Chinese-born, London-based designer, I find inspiration and direction through my national identity. I try to tell stories about my homeland with a Western influence, London is so much a part of my brand and me. I love to explore the complexity of female identity and design with an ageless philosophy.
Tell us more about the dress: what are some of the key details and design features?
We selected a beautiful, printed Belgravia silk from the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton collaboration which we bonded to neoprene fabric. A key design feature of the dress is that the seams are top stitched so that it looks corseted which gives a trompe-l'œil effect to the corset.
What were your inspirations for the dress? How did you develop the design?
I was inspired by one of the looks from my autumn/winter 2024 collection, which has a modern Regency feel. For the autumn/winter 2024 collection, the dress was made from a neoprene fabric bonded onto lace. We used the same process for this design dress but bonded it with a Belgravia silk from the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton collaboration.
That autumn/winter 2024 celebrated the conflicting personalities and signatures of Ingrid Bergman and Anna Magnani, romantic rivals in a legendary cinematic feud.
Hollywood darling Bergman and Italian movie star Magnani were plunged into a tumultuous menage a trois when the film director Roberto Rossellini began a love affair with Bergman while still in a relationship with Magnani. He replaced Magnani with Bergman as the lead in Stromboli, his film set on the volcanic island off Sicily. In revenge, Magnani began making Vulcano, a new version of the film on a different island.
In her film, Anna wore a dress very similar to that of what I designed originally for the autumn/winter 2024 collection, but it had a slightly more relaxed feel.
The dress incorporates Regency period features with a modern take [and] elements of playfulness: like pockets!
What drew you to the print that you chose to use? What’s your favourite thing about it?
I was initially drawn to the colours of the Bow Bouquet print in Belgravia silk and loved the bow detailing in it. My favourite thing about the design is that we placed the pattern in a way that makes the bows look like embroidery which I adore.
What elements of Regency dressing did you include within your design?
The corseted effect of the top stitching and the pannier skirt for volume. I wanted the print to be fully displayed and appreciated.
Tell us more about the fabrication? Why did you choose to work with neoprene?
The shape of the dress needed a fabric with body. The neoprene gave the dress structural features which were key to the regency time period.
How long did it take to craft the dress? What were some of the processes you used?
The dress took 40 hours in total to make. The most important process was to make sure the silk Liberty fabric bonded beautifully to the neoprene and that the print placement highlighted the features of the dress.
How did you nod to the themes of Bridgerton within the dress?
The dress incorporates Regency period features like the corset and the pannier skirt but with a modern take by using the neoprene fabric. The dress has elements of playfulness: like pockets!
What did you enjoy most about working with the prints in the collection?
We really enjoyed making sure the pattern placement of the bows looked as if they were embroidered onto the dress.
It was also so wonderful to see the differences between the dress which was originally designed for the autumn/winter 2024 show and the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton dress. They are the exact same design but look so completely different just by using different fabrics. The Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton dress feels so joyous.
What did it mean to you to collaborate with Liberty on this project?
It’s been such an honour to collaborate with an iconic British intuition steeped in so much history. I look forward to exploring more projects with Liberty.
Do you have a favourite fashion era or time period? Any that particularly inspire your creations?
I am constantly inspired by the Dior and Balenciaga couture designs from the ‘50s and the ‘60s.
Plan your visit to the Liberty Fabrics & Bridgerton immersive pop-up.
