Laurel Tiange Fang is a New York-based fashion designer and creative technologist, and the founder and creative director of Laurel Blue, a label exploring the relationship between the human body, technology and the natural world. She holds a BFA in Fashion Design from Parsons School of Design, with exchange studies in menswear at Central Saint Martins, and an MPS from NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), where she focused on human-computer interaction and wearable technology.
Her work pairs traditional craftsmanship with emerging technologies, including digital fabrication, kinetic structures and experimental textile development. A certified scuba diver, Fang draws on marine ecosystems to create garments about movement, transformation and the connection between people and nature.
In 2026, Fang received a MUSE Design Awards Gold Award for The Forms of Water: A Tech-Integrated Fashion Collection. Her work was also selected for KidSuper’s The People’s Runway, presented at Brooklyn Borough Hall on the official New York Fashion Week calendar. She was previously a finalist for the British Fashion Council × NET-A-PORTER Education Fund Award, and her designs have been shown at the Parsons Fashion Benefit Gala and other runway presentations. According to the designer, her work has been covered by outlets including Vogue, WWD, ELLE, Hypebeast, Hypebae, Complex, L’Officiel and The Boston Globe.
In Her Words
What Inspires Your Designs?
A lot of my inspiration comes from nature, especially the ocean. I’m a scuba diver, and being underwater has completely changed the way I see the world. There’s something fascinating about how marine creatures move, adapt, and interact with their surroundings. The colors, textures, and even the way light travels through water are things I constantly find myself coming back to.
I’m also really interested in the relationship between nature, technology, and human emotion. I often think about how we can use technology not to distance ourselves from nature, but to understand and reconnect with it. Beyond that, I draw inspiration from art, science, philosophy, and sometimes just small observations in everyday life. I think the most interesting ideas often come from connecting things that don’t seem related at first.
What’s Your Process as a Designer?
My process usually starts with a question or something I’m curious about, rather than a specific garment in mind. I spend a lot of time researching, collecting references, sketching, and experimenting with different materials.
I also like to work quite intuitively. Sometimes I’ll start draping directly on a mannequin, and other times I’ll begin by testing a material or building a small mechanism. My background in fashion design and creative technology has really shaped the way I work. I move back and forth between traditional techniques and digital tools, and I enjoy figuring out how they can work together.
A lot of my designs evolve through trial and error. Sometimes an experiment doesn’t turn out the way I imagined, but it leads me somewhere more interesting. I think that’s one of my favorite parts of designing.
Tell Me About the Materials and the Creation Process for Your Pieces.
I love working with materials in unexpected ways. In my collections, I’ve experimented with pleating, ice dyeing, fabric manipulation, laser cutting, 3D printing directly onto textiles, and kinetic structures that introduce movement into garments.
For my recent collection, the Forms of Water, I was particularly interested in translating the movement and physical properties of water into something wearable. I developed textile surfaces using 3D printing and experimented with mechanical elements that could create movement beyond the natural motion of the body.
I really enjoy the contrast between something delicate and handmade and something more engineered or technological. A piece might begin with hours of hand manipulation, then involve digital modeling, prototyping, and multiple rounds of material testing. Some of the most exciting results happen when the technology becomes almost invisible, and what you notice first is the movement or emotion of the piece.
Describe the Type of Person You Design For.
I design for someone who is curious about the world and comfortable being herself. She’s independent, creative, and quietly confident. She appreciates art, culture, and traditional craftsmanship, but is also open to new ideas and experiences. She has a playful side and doesn’t take herself too seriously.
I imagine someone who loves the energy of city life but feels equally at home surrounded by nature, especially the ocean. She values freedom, individuality, and experiences over trends. There’s a certain duality to her personality: she’s gentle but strong, romantic but grounded, elegant without trying too hard.
More than anything, I design for someone who has her own perspective on beauty and isn’t afraid to express it.
How Would You Describe Your Brand in Three Words?
Romantic, Aquatic, Experimental.
Describe the Signature Style of Your Brand and Customers.
I’d describe Laurel Blue’s signature style as sculptural, feminine, and a little otherworldly. There’s often a sense of movement in my work, whether that’s through flowing silhouettes, intricate textile surfaces, or actual kinetic elements.
I’m drawn to the contrast between softness and structure. I love creating pieces that feel organic and delicate but have a strong, almost architectural presence. Water is a recurring visual language in my collections, from fluid draping and translucent textures to shapes inspired by marine life.
There’s also a sense of romance in my work, but not necessarily in the traditional sense. For me, romance is about curiosity, imagination, and the emotional connection we have with the world around us. I want my designs to feel expressive and slightly surreal, while still celebrating the human body.
What’s Next for You and Your Brand?
It’s been a really exciting year for Laurel Blue. We recently presented Forms of Water at KidSuper’s The People’s Runway during official New York Fashion Week, which was such a meaningful experience.
Right now, I’m working on new ideas and developing my next collection, continuing to experiment with materials, silhouettes, and the relationship between fashion, nature, and technology. Laurel Blue is still a young brand, and I’m excited to see how it continues to evolve. I’m also looking forward to exploring more collaborations with creatives from different disciplines and seeing where those conversations might lead.
