The ‘10 Asian Designers to Watch’ exhibition organized by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), Photo by Wasawat Dechapirom DISPLAYING CONCURRENTLY ALONGSIDE THE ANNUAL BUSINESS OF DESIGN WEEK 2016 (BODW) CAME A WELL-CURATED EXHIBITION THAT BROUGHT 10 EMERGING YET OUTSTANDING ASIAN FASHION DESIGNERS TO THE HEART OF HONG KONG AT QUBE, PMQ.
’10 Asian Designers to Watch’ was an exhibition organized by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) showcasing capsule collections from young designers which aimed to celebrate the “innovation, cutting-edge design and remarkable craftsmanship” of Asia’s fashion industry. The selected rising stars ranged from Central Saint Martins’ graduates Kathleen Kye of KYE and Minki Cheng of MINKI whose interests, respectively, revolve around a sense of optimistic and nostalgic feelings which brought a cheerful dialogue to the audience, to Shanghai-based Angel Chen who has gained alias from the press as a ‘Chinese Punk’ through her use of vivid colors and multilayered components. Amongst the 10 talents stood the only Southeast Asian fashion designer, Edmund Ooi from Malaysia who employs his influences from science fiction upon classic and conventional attire in a way that has led to a collection which, as he said, “…hopes to inject a fresh element into men’s day-to-day wardrobes.”
The ‘10 Asian Designers to Watch’ exhibition organized by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), Photo by Wasawat Dechapirom
The ‘10 Asian Designers to Watch’ exhibition organized by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), Photo by Wasawat Dechapirom
’10 Asian Designers to Watch’ was a part of the new fashion initiative of HKSAR Government ‘FASION ASIA 2016 HONGKONG’ that kickstarted itself in September 2015 combining intriguing exhibitions, insightful conversations, and cultural cross-pollination in order to strengthen the city’s image towards its goal to serve as a hub for fashion trade and business development in Asia.
The ‘10 Asian Designers to Watch’ exhibition organized by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), Photo by Wasawat Dechapirom
The 10 selected designers consisted of:
Andrea Jiapei Li of JIAPEI LI – Mainland China
Angel Chen of ANGEL CHEN – Mainland China
Byungmun Set and Jina Um of BMUET(TE) – South Korea
Edmund Ooi of EDMUND OOI – Malaysia
Hiromichi Ochiai of FACETASM – Japan
Philip and Eric Chu of GROUND ZERO – Hong Kong
Anais Man of JOURDEN – Hong Kong
Kathleen Kye of KYE – South Korea
Minki Cheng of MINKI – Hong Kong
Xu Zhi Chen of XU ZHI – Mainland China
The ‘10 Asian Designers to Watch’ exhibition organized by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC), Photo by Wasawat Dechapirom
TEXT: PAPHOP KERDSUP
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