In the tradition of Lily Allen (the first woman to ever have worn a frou-frou dress with trainers when she released the music video for “Smile” in 2008), Ashley Graham was last night photographed in one of Feben’s trademark Twist dresses and a pair of Fenty X Puma’s football-flapped sneakers. The model was attending Puma’s autumn/winter 2024 show on the opening night of New York Fashion Week, so I’d wager that was all part of the deal.
But back to the dress: it first appeared as part of the London-based designer’s spring/summer 2024 collection, its elasticated whorls a technique she developed as a scholarship student on the Central Saint Martins MA course. These creations – as modelled by the likes of Jorja Smith on the catwalk – have provided a welcome alternative to the skin-tight bodycons that curve models are so often trundled out in.
“While I’m a designer, I’m also a woman who’s had to embrace living in this body,” Feben said at the time. “My younger years were surrounded by imagery of very skinny bodies, which left me feeling that mine couldn’t be celebrated – so this is a sort of ‘f*** you’ to those outdated ideals.” It is the latest in a week of transatlantic co-signs for some of London’s most exciting designers: Zendaya posing in Torjéshu and Paolo Carzana, Florence Pugh in Standing Ground.
The relationship between Graham and Feben can be traced back to at least 2022, when she made an appearance at the launch of the 2023 Pirelli calendar in a chocolate-brown iteration of the Twist dress. See also: Beyoncé, EmRata, Jorja Smith, Michaela Coel and Erykah Badu – all of whom have functioned as billboards for this most rare talent, who has since attracted investment from Dolce & Gabbana. This season, Feben will stage her autumn/winter 2024 collection in Milan, with the Italian brand’s full financial support. It’s a shame to witness so many of London’s brightest talents move to glitzier fashion capitals, but, in Feben’s case, it’s also a gleeful coming of age. And one that will doubtless bring due attention to the soul and sophistication of her designs.
