Sawtooth : The vision of eno designer Feng Feng.

A graphic designer is meant to remain invisible. Their words can be read in their colors, their voice can be heard in their pen strokes and their message is expressed in their final design. It is only recently that graphic designers have begun to be recognized for their individual talent. Designers such as OBEY’s Sheppard Fairy, KAWS, Bobby Hundreds, Jeff Staple and Parra, to name a few, all have stepped out behind the familiar design shadow into the spotlight.

Watching eno’s Sawtooth Feng Feng skate down the hallway outside the eno offices, I wonder if he has what it takes to assume this role in a Chinese context. He has the passion, the talent, the originality, but does he have the personal drive to become a well known designer?

27 year old Feng comes from a unique artistic and design background. Encouraged at a young age by his parents to follow his artistic dreams and painting abilities, Feng attended Xi’an Fine Arts College and graduated with a degree in Visual Communications. From there, Feng worked in an illustration company as well as local Chinese skatewear brand Fei Dian (沸点). Currently he works among eno’s talented team of young Chinese designers. When asked to describe his past job experiences, Feng points to his current work. “You can explore my past in my current designs.”

It’s Feng’s passion that gives him a great chance to break through as a well-known Chinese designer. Sensing a lack of action sportswear clothing made by actual action sportswear enthusiasts, Feng took it upon himself to pitch a complete new line to eno CEO and Creative Director, Tor Peterson. A nameless line embodying a unique black and white aesthetic, design principles following opposites and contradictions, and ancient Chinese ideas of Taiji and the Yin and Yang, the initial proposal turned into reality and Sawtooth was born.

“The floor is smooth” Feng comments hopping off his skateboard, thumbs in the monkey holes of a brand new Sawtooth sweatshirt. Feng is a designer, but he’s also a skateboarder. Sawtooth represents a line that actual skateboarders such as himself would actually skate in. It’s not a company venturing into uncharted territories creating a new action sports line. No, it’s one designer slash skateboarder creating something fresh for his own type of people.

Feng’s passion for his Sawtooth line has come up against many obstacles and setbacks. When the string for the Sawtooth hangtags did not match Feng’s critical standards, he personally went out and purchased the “right” type of string, slammed it on the desk, and said, “Use this!”

The urban clothing market in China is still growing at a rapid pace. It is crucial for this arena to continue its growth before designers like Feng can achieve global notoriety. This doesn’t bother Feng. As he puts it, “I’m usually only concerned about things that are ignored by the public.”