words rachel read

Staying in fashion with Hong Kong’s hottest designers

Amid the lingering hangovers from New Year, the frantic preparations for CNY and the yearly moans about the cold, it might have escaped your notice that Hong Kong Fashion Week for Fall/Winter was quietly getting on with business and discovering the best of local design talent.

The four winners of the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers contest may have produced disparate designs, yet all share a dynamism, creativity and flair that made their work outstanding.

For those that think of fashion as flamboyant folly, conjuring up images of Tyra Banks and her minions screaming ‘Fierce!’ at aspiring models contorting themselves into increasingly bizarre positions while wearing the whole Mac counter on their face at once, the designs on these pages may come as a surprise. Though aesthetically pleasing, they are all distinctly wearable and that marriage between practicality and art holds the key to why fashion is so fascinating.

Ronnie Tung, who won the Contemporary Daywear prize, says that design ‘is art with commercial value; if the clothes are just an expression of one’s concept or pure aestheticism, it could just be considered an art statement and I find that’s a common blind spot for designers in Hong Kong. Of course, we need cutting edge designers to push our footsteps forward in fashion but it’s important to learn from the basics and keep the initiative of design in mind.’

Her collection, ‘Life As A Nomad’, was inspired by the many travellers Tung met on her trips to Europe. She kept the idea of functionality for travellers at the back of her mind while designing the pieces – ‘The self-fold mitt on the T-shirt sleeve could serve as gloves, there is a detachable fur lining on the knit jacket and a hooded sweater is probably the most comfortable item you could wear on a trip.’ Based on their practice and style, she calls today’s travellers the modern nomads. ‘Europe is a fascinating place that has both classics and innovation all together… I tried to visualise all the travellers’ stories and styles and merge them to create a harmonized collection.’

The other designers have equally imaginative visions. Phoebe Wong, who won the Casual and Jeanswear prize and whose passion for fashion manifested itself when, aged seven, she would lock herself in her room and drape herself in window curtains in front of her mirror, named her collection ‘Street Diviner’ after the way people ‘forecast’ their image through their style of dress. ‘I wondered why people need to dress themselves up and look strong and tough and I thought, maybe they just want to protect themselves, to fend off bullies and gain empowerment by putting on a strong image.’ Consequently, the ‘extraordinary proportions’ of her outfits enhance the volume on the shoulders and upper body parts to create a strong female silhouette, like a soldier.

Summer Wong’s collection, ‘Knot Theory’, which won the prize for Party and Eveningwear, explores the idea of harmony as symbolised by a Chinese knot motif that weaves its way into each piece. For Wong, ‘the knot signifies love and happiness and hope… essences that create a harmony together. Many designers think about negative things in their collections and want to show you what they’re angry about but I want society to be more harmonious and happy so I made my collection reflect this.’ This also explains her extensive use of ivories, creams and pale pinks as these colours ‘look like the skin of a baby – and when you look at a baby, you always feel so happy!’

Luk King-Hei, winner of the Overall prize, named his collection ‘Rely On!’ ‘After graduation, I suddenly felt like I didn’t have a timetable anymore, that there was no goal and no rules and I felt helpless. I became a burden to my family because they had to pay for my expenditure and cope with my frustrations – the collection represents this period in my life where I had to depend on my family, but it is bittersweet.’

Luk’s frustrations probably included the sometimes arduous process of turning an idea into reality, from the page to the finished product. Luk admits that ‘every piece makes me disappointed because it ends up with little differences from the drawing due to problems with different fabrics and structures. I need to learn more about the structure of clothes to achieve what I want; my goal is to one day have a piece that I am totally satisfied with.’ Tung too says that ‘it’s an ongoing process… you never believe what you’ve made is perfect – if you asked me today if there is anything I want to amend, I could name at least five things!’ Nevertheless, Summer says that part of the satisfaction and excitement of being a designer is solving those problems to create a finished garment – ‘To see it worn by a model on a body shows it has been a success.’

All four express surprise and joy at winning their prizes and say it has given them extra confidence and motivation to continue in design. Tung was only convinced to enter by one of her friends and confesses, ‘I’m not a fashion fan at all… my collection is very low-key with no elaborate shapes, colours or patterns, nothing really ground-breaking like what you usually see in a design competition – I was surprised to find out I had even made the finals!’ Summer too was shocked to win because ‘when I was a fashion student, I did not get good results, I always thought that I wasn’t clever and it took me longer to do my homework than my classmates’. But she declares that the best prize is people saying they love her collection. ‘Especially when boys say, “if I was a girl, I would love your collection!”

With the likes of London, New York, Paris and Milan hogging the style spotlight, do our young designers think that HK can ever compete? Most are unsure if we have a specific enough look, the way that many of the great fashion cities have – Summer suggests HK style is ‘fusion’ while agreeing with Luk that we are led by our big High Street brands, Phoebe says that we side with European styles and Tung that we follow in the footsteps of whatever goes internationally – but that there has been a definite improvement in recent years. If you’re wondering where the fashionistas themselves shop, Luk advocates second-hand shops for ‘a different feel’, Tung loves the area around Gough Street to Soho for the way that ‘every shop has its own character’ and Summer likes the mix of street fashion, high fashion and local designers in Tsim Sha Tsui.

So what are the designers’ top tips for bc readers on how to be stylish? Summer, used to styling herself on a budget, is a big fan of accessories to ‘mix and match’ while also believing that clothes should reflect one’s personality – ‘If you are clear in your style and your person, then you will look your best every day.’ Phoebe states that it’s all about confidence – ‘Even if you’re wearing something normal, once you’re confident, you will look stylish!’ Luk too believes confidence is the key and that ‘once you learn more about yourself, you know not to follow trends blindly and wear clothes that aren’t suitable. If you feel comfortable, you are already stylish; don’t wear too many colours and choose cuts that are suitable for you to create your own style.’ Tung agrees: ‘You have to feel comfortable in the way you are. That’s something you can’t learn about or fake. You can improve your style only if it’s right for you.’ And in the creation of their collection, each of the young designers seems to have followed her final piece of advice: ‘It’s always important to be yourself.’ A consideration for life, not only fashion.

Interview with Ronnie Tung, winner of Contemporary Daywear prize for her ‘Life As A Nomad’ collection

Can you tell me about your background (did you study fashion/design etc)?
I got my degree from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Institute of Textiles & Clothing, major in Fashion & Textile Design in 2006. I worked in a major woven textile & garment manufacturing company as a design intern after graduation (Esquel Group, they are probably the largest woven textile manufacturer in the world) It was an incredible experience working for them and I had the opportunity to visit Premiere Vision in Paris, a world renowned international fabric fair, and did market research in Milan & Paris. I’m now working in Sears as a technical design technician, handling the sample fitting and garment detail construction, like how the seam should be constructed, how the construction could help improve the production efficiency, etc. It’s a dramatic change, the job is totally technical and no design involved (though it’s called “technical design”…), it’s more production-oriented. My friends were actually very surprised when

I took this job but so far, I’m happy with it and I’ve been working here for a year. It equips me with better product knowledge which I think is very important for designing. Product knowledge is something that is neglected by fashion students in Hong Kong - there are so many technical details in garment, if you execute them well, it’d add more depth to the product.

What inspired you to start designing?
Well… I never planned to get into the design field. Of course, I dreamed of being a designer like everybody did when they were young but I never had any solid plans to make it real, everything was gradually built up in the 3 years in fashion school. I actually questioned myself if I made the right choice studying fashion design during the 2nd year in school (First year is honeymoon - everything is new and fashion world is so glamorous and intriguing that all girls would fall in love with). It was a painful period and I often came to a trench creative-wise and lack of relevant knowledge made execution of the project tough (I have to thank my tutors and fellows in the second year, who had been very patient discussing and examining every project with me and walked me out of the dark - working as a team is always better). The satisfaction of the breakthroughs makes me want to stay and I found myself actually enjoy the entire development process – I like the pressure – that’s is the time I started liking design and planning to make this my career.

People in fashion I know often have little stories and anecdotes about how their families knew they would be interested in fashion because they used to dress crazily as kids/dress up their dolls/dress up the dog – have you got any similar memories?
I’m not a fashion fan at all, not until now, my fellows always know everything about every brand, throw thousands of money on clothes, usually I just sit there and listen (I buy expensive clothes too but usually because of the good quality) I actually like “design” more than “fashion” (I always dress like trash when I go to work!). The reason why I’m in fashion might be because I happen to have more exposure to garment – my mom used to work in garment manufacturing business for many years and I always went to her workplace since I was in kindergarten.

How did it feel to win the Contemporary Day-Group prize?
I was surprised – I was actually surprised knowing I was in the finals. My collection is very low-key with no elaborate shapes, colours or patterns, nothing really ground-breaking like what you usually see in a design competition. I never though of winning when I joined the competition (I wasn’t thinking of joining at all at first, just one of my friends happen to see my sketches and urged me to give a shot), I regarded it as an opportunity to create my own collection after the graduation collection 3 years ago. The YFD contest gave me the drive to actually complete the collection, which I always want to, and it’s a great platform for us to showcase our work. Winning is a bonus.

I’m very happy to receive the award from the panel of judges, some of them are significant figures in world of fashion which I respect and admire. I’m very happy to have an opportunity to talk to them in person, especially Ms Sarah Rutson, who was incredibly nice and encouraging, I’m grateful to have her positive comments on my collection.

How would you describe the style of your collection? Are the clothes what you would actually wear?
I’d say it’s easy & elegant, with a pinch of quirkiness. I’m trying to create a collection that people would actually wear, and provide a range of items with versatility which I believe is what consumers need. As you can see the items look simple and basic, but every single piece of them has got its own detail and character that relates to the theme that can’t be seen on show. I’ve also paid extra attention on the inner details of each piece like the lining of every jacket and I hand picked every single button and stitch colour and made sure it looks good and functions well. I’m actually proud of the practical details and construction of my collection – that it’s a value-added factor of the product and often neglected by young designers.

The collection is entitled ‘Life As A Nomad’ – please explain!
The collection is about the practice and style of modern travellers – the modern nomads – that run from one country to another for different purpose (business, leisure, etc.).

What inspired the collection? What influences are there in your work?
The collection is inspired by the travellers I met during several Europe trips – Europe is always a fascinating place that has got both classics and innovation all together and the Europeans have got that unexplainable sense in mixing clothes and patterns which is always inspiring -  travellers like backpackers, businessmen, exchange students, old gypsies….. Some of them influenced me by the way they dress, some of them inspired me by their stories and some of them influenced me by their lifestyle. I tried to visualize all the stories, merge them and create a harmonized collection.

After a long journey, they usually get souvenirs and ornaments from different countries and to a certain extent, get affected by the local culture. There are subtle ethnic elements in the accessories and garment details, my favorite pieces are the deconstructed kilt and rope, and the girl’s blouse with Arabian motif inspired embroidery.

The girl’s dress is actually an extended hooded sweater, hood sweater is probably the most comfortable item you could wear on a trip and almost everyone has one in their package. The inflated collar coat of the 4th outfit is actually my dream item I’d like to have during travel and I believe with further adjustment it could be developed into a marketable piece.

There’s also some functional concern when I design which is practical for travellers, for example, the self-fold mitt on the t-shirt sleeve that could serve as gloves, detachable fur lining of the knit jacket.

It looks like the collection uses very neutral, muted colours – is there a particular reason you stay away from bright colours and elaborate patterns?
I tend to used more washed and faded colours to express the feeling of a time-worn look. I always love to use neutral colours in design as it’s easy to wear and match. Instead of using bright colors, I played around with the mix of textures (both visual & hand feel), you can see grey, beige and navy appear on different materials and patterns:  sheen vs dull; stripe, checks and plain; woven vs knit and also create variation by pleating and material mixing on one item. 

I find fashion design really interesting because unlike other arts, it still has to wearable/some level of practicality whilst also there is the aesthetics/looks side. How do you marry these 2 needs in your designs?
That’s a very good question and I always discuss this with my fellows. As you can see from my design, I’m more on the practical side because I always believe design is about people, how the people look and feel in the clothes is the ultimate concern. After all, design is about changing and improving people’s lives, and I’d say it is art with commercial value, it’s important to make your consumer feel connected and buy your product. Of course, aesthetic is important, but it’s only one of many aspects in design. If the clothes are just an expression of one’s concept or pure aestheticism, it could just be considered as an art statement. I find that’s a common blind spot for design students in Hong Kong. Please don’t mistake that I don’t appreciate cutting edge designers, I do love designers like Hussein Chalayan, Gareth Pugh, Giles Deacon, they are incredible designers and we do need people like them to push our footsteps forward in fashion. But it’s also important to learn from the basics and keep the initiative of design in mind.

How long does it take for a design to go from being in your head to on the page to actually becoming the finished product? Are there things that look good in your head/on the page but not in reality? Or the other way round?
I developed this theme & colour palette way earlier than I planned to join the competition. From concept to product it took almost half a year. There are a lot of things that turned out differently from what I thought, usually it’s the material and fitting of the clothes. For instance, the knit jacket, I worked with the knitter and had unpicked almost 20 times to make sure all pattern and shape are correct. I’ve remade several items, dropped some of accessories and reworked the styling to get the final thing. It’s always an on going process and you never believe what you’ve made is perfect. If you ask me today if there’s anything I want to amend for my collection, I could at least name five (ha-ha).

Do you find it more difficult designing for men?
I always love menswear –I think the development potential of menswear is often underestimated. There’s something intriguing and deep about it and the classic elegance of it that can never be achieved in ladies wear. We shouldn’t apply the mind set of ladies wear design to menswear and it’s not even comparable, after all, men and women are different creatures. It’s not that difficult if you think what the men think, want and need. There’s so many great male designers doing ladies wear, they are good because they understand women, why can’t we do likewise? We are very lucky to be in this age that men begin to accept and appreciate experimental clothing designs and most importantly, they believe they could be in it. Menswear is still a pretty plain canvas that we could start on when compared to ladies wear, and I’m going to stick with it.

Who are your style icons (both designers and people you think dress stylishly)?
I don’t really have any style icons, but a couple designers I always look up to:

Dries van Noten is my all time favorite - I liked his design since I started learning fashion. His design is timeless, his skill in mastering color and pattern is amazing. And he executes both ladies and menswear (even children’s wear) equally well. Every collection of his blows me away.

Nicolas Ghesquiere of Balenciaga – he does the most incredible forms of clothes in this decade and has pushed Balenciaga back to the top rank of fashion. He inherits the spirit of the old fashion house and yet surprises us every season with innovation. I just can’t wait to see his collection every season.

How would you rate HK in terms of style? Are we up there with London/New York/Paris/Milan yet? Do you think we can become a style capital like them?
Honestly, I don’t think Hong Kong is adequate of becoming a style capital yet. As I can see from London, NY and Paris, people have very distinct style – you can see a person and you know they are from Paris – I’m not sure if it’s because I live here and I’m sort of blind on our own character (please share your thought if you disagree). But there’s a large part of the fashion of Hong Kong that is following the footstep of international fashion.

And I’m quite surprised that Hong Kong has been such an important manufacturing and exporting centre of fashion and garments, we have all the technologies and networks yet the creative side of fashion is still stuck at the early 90s. I think it’s very important for the general citizen to understand and appreciate creativity if you want to make a city a “style capital” and that’s what Hong Kong lacks. Local consumer support is vital for developing local fashion as it would serve as a solid base for the local design to agglomerate and flourish, so to develop a “style”. Hong Kong got a lot of amazing designers, not just in fashion but in every aspect - product, graphic, architecture - but they are all scattered all over the world serving different foreign companies. There’s still not enough space and acceptance for creativity yet.

How would you describe the style of HK ppl? How are we different from the afore-mentioned places?
I can’t describe the style in a word and I don’t see very specific style in Hong Kong people. Like people in NY, they got that city and polished look; Parisian is effortless and romantic; Italian is all about body-conscious and luxury; people in London are a mix of classic and avant-garde. Of course, every person has got individual style and we can’t just summarize them in that way. But it’s a general feeling you can once you walk on the street. However, I still can’t figure what Hong Kong is about.

Some people have criticized HK youth for being too influenced and in awe of Japanese culture – do you agree?
Well… to a certain extent, I do agree. I’d love to hear what you think!

What do you hope the future holds in store for you now you have won this award?
Having my own line is my ultimate goal and of course I can’t wait to have my own brand and shop. But the more I learn the more I realise how much I don’t know about this industry. Fashion is complicated – it’s just drawing and making clothes then selling it. If I do it, I want to have it done perfectly from design, production and retailing. I kind of like the idea of being an employee at this stage, so for now, I’ll keep learning and looking for the next opportunity and right timing to start.

You won for contemporary day-wear – I’m quite impressed because [again from the photos] your pieces do actually look wearable for day-to-day life. Do you think that some designers sometimes lose sight of the real-life aspect of their collections? Or is that not important once you’ve become such a big name?
Like what I said before, there’s a line between art and design. And I agree it’s very easy to lose sight when you are obsessed with certain thing when you are designing. What I do is to step back and examine the design and I always ask for objective opinion from a 3rd person; it’s best to be someone that has no idea what your project is about (sometimes I even ask my mom & dad!), and I always have unexpected surprises from that.

We do need avant-garde design to keep the fashion world moving and interesting, I can’t imagine fashion without them. I believe there’s always market for extreme designs (like in show business). Design is about people – their design is just not for people like us.

Following on from this, do you think some big-name designers no longer design for ‘real people’ (in terms of size, thin models etc)?
Umm…... it’s difficult. Somehow this skinny aesthetic is a common idea most designers share. Designers are often inspired by an icon or a group of people of certain lifestyle and appearance over decades, it just happens to be the skinny people this time. The fact is, there’s actually plenty of skinny people out there that fit the style and they are the designers’ target consumer. Consumers always have choice – they can choose not to wear those brands they found they don’t fit. The problem now is, people, especially models loose weight to fit in the aesthetic designer project, causing numerous anorexia cases and health problem and now, they blame the designers – it just sounds a bit absurd to me.

What are your favourite shops in HK? Do you often customize your own clothes?
I don’t have specific shop I like but I really love the area round Gough Street and all the way to Soho. All those lifestyle and fashion shops gathered in that area provide us with more choice and I like the way that every shop has its own character. It’s not like every other shop in every other shopping mall.

And actually I’m proud to have Lane Crawford in Hong Kong. They provide an amazing, luxurious and thoughtful shopping experience that is rare in the world. It’s not just about buying clothes, but to experience the entire shopping process, the lifestyle they are promoting and they have got an incredible range of labels and items in just one shopping complex.

How do you think the credit crunch will affect the fashion industry?
For sure the business and sales will be affected – but creative-wise it’s going to be okay. We’ve seen many classic styles appears in tough periods in fashion history and there’s always way to adapt to the hard times. We’ll get through it.

In style, is it better to be original and sometimes get it wrong or follow established trends yet play too safe?
It depends – like for me, I choose to be original when I design. But when it comes to personal style, I’d choose to play safe – it saves so much of time and effort.

How much of being stylish comes from the clothes and how much depends on the individual that is wearing them?
I always believe it’s depends on the individual more than the clothes - true personality shines. You can get the information of all the “it” items of the season from all sorts of media. But being stylish is not just about clothes, it’s the entire lifestyle, from what you eat, the place you live, the people you know…. Most important is you have to feel comfortable in the way you are. That’s something you can’t fake and learn about being cool. You can improve your style only if you really believe it is right for you.

Any tips for our readers on how to be stylish?
Well, I’m not a stylish person at all…… but I believe it’s always important to be yourself.

Interview with Luk King-Hei, winner of the Overall Prize for his ‘Rely On!’ collection

Can you tell me about your background (did you study fashion/design etc)?
After I graduated from Form 5, I didn’t think of doing my matriculation because I know what I want to do is drawing. I enrolled in Caritas Bianchi College of Careers and studied design. It is a one-year foundation course and two years of BTEC Higher National Diploma in Fashion and Textiles. 

What inspired you to start designing?
A lot of my design is inspired by my life experience. I find interest elements from there develop thereafter. The first step is to draw up a mind map, then the thinking process, then concept statement and finally the theme. And then I can start designing the clothes.

People in fashion I know often have little stories and anecdotes about how their families knew they would be interested in fashion because they used to dress crazily as kids/dress up their dolls/dress up the dog – have you got any similar memories?
In the past I didn’t get my hands on fashion a lot and I knew nothing about fabric and cutting, and I didn’t read fashion magazine as well. My wish was to study fine art or graphic design. But since the first time I saw a fashion show in Caritas Bianchi College of Careers, I decided that I will develop my career there.

How did it feel to win the overall Prize?
I was very surprised because I think all contestants’ works are of very high standard and great ideas. I couldn’t believe when I got the award. But of course I was very happy.

How would you describe the style of your collection? Are the clothes what you would actually wear?
This collection is a bit flamboyant with more layers. I often wear the colour in this collection. It is a bit grey which is easier to mix and match.

The collection is entitled ‘Rely On!’ – please explain!
What inspired the collection? What influences are there in your work?
It is inspired by the life after graduation. After graduation, all of a sudden I don’t have a time table in life anymore, there is no goal and rules and I felt helpless. I also became a burden to the family, because they need to pay for my expenditure and cope with my frustration. I want to use this collection to represent this period of life that I had to depend on my family, but it is bittersweet.

Your collection uses quite unusual shapes and is quite structured – what inspired these?
I like dropping a lot, so I like using shapes to represent my collocation and probably it can best represent me as well.

I find fashion design really interesting because unlike other arts, it still has to wearable/some level of practicality whilst also there is the aesthetics/looks side. How do you marry these 2 needs in your designs?
Yes it is difficult to balance. When we were at school they didn’t teach that as well, but there is one course on the history of fashion. Every generation has its special design style. So before I started my design I have to know what the trend is now and apply it with my own design. It will be more wearable and easier to create my own way. But sometime during dropping, I only have my eye of aesthetic and neglect this. So probably that is why my clothes are a bit flamboyant.

How long does it take for a design to go from being in your head to on the page to actually becoming the finished product? Are there things that look good in your head/on the page but not in reality? Or the other way round?
For each piece, from drawing to making I think it takes 2 weeks. From making paper pattern to the tailor there are a lot of things to do. Every piece makes me disappointed because they end up having little differences from the drawing, probably it is the problem of different fabric or structure. Now I need to learn more on the structure of the clothes and achieve what I want to have. I hope there will be a piece that I am satisfied with, that is my goal.

Who are your style icons (both designers and people you think dress stylishly)?
Rick Owens, the cutting of his work has his own character.

How would you rate HK in terms of style? Are we up there with London/New York/Paris/Milan yet? Do you think we can become a style capital like them?
I think it can, but there is a long way to go. Not only fashion design, I think arts need more promotion as well. Now we can see on TV that some fashion show has combined with some arts element, and HK is improving as a whole.

How would you describe the style of HK ppl? How are we different from the afore-mentioned places?
There are a lot of different trends in HK and so are many places in the world. It is difficult to describe as a whole. But I think most of the trends in HK are being led by HK brands.

Some people have criticized HK youth for being too influenced and in awe of Japanese culture – do you agree?
No. The Japanese is more creative in mix and match, HK people are more conservative. They are two different styles.

What do you hope the future holds in store for you now you have won this award?
I myself am a person without much confident. This award is surely a big help to me – I have more motivation to take part in more competitions.

Do you think some big-name designers no longer design for ‘real people’ (in terms of size, thin models etc)?
I don’t think so… a model needs to show the best part of the piece to the audience like an art work. On the market there are different sizes available for different people. In fact it is difficult to design some clothes that can fit everyone. So the consumers should choose for themselves.

What are your favourite shops in HK? Do you often customize your own clothes?
I like going to second-hand shops, it has a different feel there. Yes I will design clothes for myself when I have time.

How do you think the credit crunch will affect the fashion industry?
Definitely. Because a lot of people don’t think fashion is a necessity now, so the business must be worse. Also there are fewer resources from the company as well.

In style, is it better to be original and sometimes get it wrong or follow established trends yet play too safe?
It is better to be original and then sometime gets it wrong – because after you fail you can try again until you are satisfied. You will have a sense of achievement, feel that the creation is your baby.

How much of being stylish comes from the clothes and how much depends on the individual that is wearing them?
I think they can co-exist with each other. At the beginning, a person may need fashion to build up his confidence, and later that confidence will become his own temperament. And of course you have to learn more yourself and do not follow trends blindly and wear clothes that are not suitable for you.

Any tips for our readers on how to be stylish?
Just to make people feel comfortable is already very stylish. Don’t wear too many colours and choose cuts that are suitable for you and thus create your own style.

Interview with Summer Wong, winner of Party and Eveningwear prize for her ‘Knot Theory’ collection

Can you tell me about your background (did you study fashion/design etc)?
I graduated 4/5 years ago, now I have had a fashion design job in an embroidery company for 3 years. I love this job, don’t want to change – but now, I think maybe I would like to change, do something I love, more design.

What inspired you to start designing?
In school, the first time I touched fashion design in home economics, even though I just learnt a little but I really loved it and ever since then, I wanted to be a fashion designer.

How did it feel to win the Evening-wear Prize?
So excited! I didn’t think I would be the winner… when I was a fashion  student, I did not get good results, I always think I’m not clever and it took me longer to do my homework than my other classmates, but I tried my best with this collection because I wanted to prove to myself I can. Even if I didn’t win, I would be happy because in all my 25 years, I really did try my best with this collection.

When people say they love my collection… when boys say ‘oh if I was a girl, I would love your collection’ that is the best prize for me… more than the real prize!

How would you describe the style of your collection? Are the clothes what you would actually wear?
Yes… I try to make it real. Delicate – but I just drew it, I don’t know how to make it!

The collection is entitled ‘Knot Theory’ – please explain!
The theory of harmony. The Chinese Knot, you let the knot be a happiness knot – older Chinese people make the knot and give to children and lovers so the knot signifies love and happiness and hope. So I choose the Chinese Knot to be my theme and inspiration… essences that create a harmony together. There are many lines but it still feels clean.

What inspired the collection? What influences are there in your work?
I would like to do something different in eveningwear, do something happy, many designers think about negative things in the collection, they want to say something or are angry at something and want to tell you what they’re angry about but I don’t want to be angry, I just want society to be more harmonious and happy so I try to make my collection like this.

It looks like the collection uses white and cream colours.
I think cream is more harmony – it looks like the skin of the child, of a baby – when you look at a baby, you feel so happy!

I find fashion design really interesting because unlike other arts, it still has to wearable/some level of practicality whilst also there is the aesthetics/looks side. How do you marry these 2 needs in your designs?
It’s very different to drawing… when the garment is made and be worn by model on a body, it’s very exciting – it shows it’s been successful

How long does it take for a design to go from being in your head to on the page to actually becoming the finished product? Are there things that look good in your head/on the page but not in reality? Or the other way round?
(laughs) All the designers will tell 3 months! I started these in September until Dec, but I have my job so could just do it in the night – work work work! Always! When you draw, you think ‘how beautiful’, and draw draw draw… but then there are many problems you need to solve. My garments have so much decoration, when it’s just a small size on the page, you think ‘wow so beautiful!’ but when you make a whole garment it can be different! I want to thank my company and embroidery factory because they sponsored me and we tried to solve problems together, we made many samples many times; when it didn’t work, we’d try again. It’s always very exciting to see garments made.

Who are your style icons (both designers and people you think dress stylishly)?
YSL – smart and sexy, even when he got older, he was still smart.
Lulu Cheung – local designer, her style is very harmonious like my own. I want people to be happy.

How would you rate HK in terms of style? Are we up there with London/New York/Paris/Milan yet? Do you think we can become a style capital like them?
I love London… it has many new things but many old things, you can find vintage but also very very new things too. But I love HK too, HK is very fashionable but in a different way… not many people want to know what is ‘fashion’ but just wear clothes from the High Street… I would like to change this so they tailor-make their own dresses. In HK weddings, they don’t buy dresses just borrow/hire them, I think this is a bad thing in fashion! I want to change this – the price and money is not important, but the meaning.

How would you describe the style of HK people? How are we different from the afore-mentioned places?
Fusion. The top might be Japanese but something totally different on the bottom!

What do you hope the future holds in store for you now you have won this award?
I would like to have my own fashion design brand, tailor-making clothes for people because I believe that every girl, whether rich or just office-lady, can have their own tailor-made cocktail dresses and wedding dresses and choose their own colour.

Why do you design eveningwear rather than casual or daywear?
I like embroidery and beading, I like to do decoration so eveningwear has more opportunity to do this, more space for development.

What are your favourite shops in HK? Do you often customize your own clothes?
I don’t have much money to shop! I like Tsim Sha Tsui, there is street fashion, high fashion and you can find local designers there, many young people like it there.

I like to change clothes and match with accessories, accessories are very important in my life! I love to buy many beautiful accessories in HK and I love them, it’s important to mix and match.

In style, is it better to be original and sometimes get it wrong or follow established trends yet play too safe? Everyone wears the same stuff…
Hk has many big fashion companies, just shops on the streets in shopping malls and plazas so everyone wears the same, it’s difficult to find really original things in HK. I spend lots of time trying to find original things! It’s better than before though, because many younger designers are doing accessories, HK people should try to buy and support them, not just think expensive means original.

How much of being stylish comes from the clothes and how much depends on the individual that is wearing them?
The person – your life and personality is more important than your styling, change your fashion to reflect your personality. If you a smart person, whatever you wear, you will still be smart.

Any tips for our readers on how to be stylish?
Know yourself more and match your clothes to yourself. If you are clear in your style and your person, then you will look your best every day. Buy the right clothes in your life.

Interview with Phoebe Wong, winner of the Casual and Jeanswear prize for her collection, ‘Street Diviner’

Can you tell me about your background (did you study fashion/design etc)?
I had just finished my Bachelor Degree course in Fashion and Textile Design (major in Knitwear Design) in the Institute of Textiles & Clothing (ITC) from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) in July 2008. Besides, I had chances to study a summer course in Istituto Marangoni in Milan last year which provides me with ample chance to know what European fashion is.

What inspired you to start designing?
I just wanted to make my ideas come true.

People in fashion I know often have little stories and anecdotes about how their families knew they would be interested in fashion because they used to dress crazily as kids/dress up their dolls/dress up the dog – have you got any similar memories?
Yes, when I was a child (about 7-10 years old), I always locked myself in a room and dressed myself up in the window curtains. I always stood in front of mirror and wrapped the drapes on my body in many different ways and I loved it!

How did it feel to win the Casual & Jeans-Wear Prize?
It was just so unexpected and a pleasantly surprise!! And also, it gives me confidence on my own designs.

How would you describe the style of your collection? Are the clothes what you would actually wear?
I’m designing for some ladies who want to be looking strong, powerful, tough and stylish. And this is the style of my collection too. And I would actually wear the clothes in similar style… maybe I would make another one for myself to wear.

The collection is entitled ‘Street Diviner’ – please explain!
Street Diviner, the way they dress become forecast. We always can find some people dress up themselves very stylish on the street, the way they dress up become forecast, and they become a fashion icon, street diviner.

What inspired the collection? What influences are there in your work?
I was just thinking, why do those people need/want to dress themselves up and look strong and tough? And then I think, maybe they just want to protect themselves, in modern society, as a way to fend off bullies, to gain empowerment by the way one dresses, putting on a strong image.

The collection uses quite unusual shapes and is quite structured – what inspired these?
The extraordinary proportions especially enhanced the volume on shoulder/upper body part, in order to create a strong female silhouette that looks like a soldier.

I find fashion designing really interesting because unlike other arts, it still has to wearable/some level of practicality whilst also there is the aesthetics/looks side. How do you marry these 2 needs in your designs?
Clothes need to be worn. I will put the design elements on the clothes in a state which not affect the wearability.

How long does it take for a design to go from being in your head to on the page to actually becoming the finished product? Are there things that look good in your head/on the page but not in reality? Or the other way round?
I always draw down my ideas on paper (once I have some). So the idea from head to paper is a very fast process. But from paper to become a finished product needs some time. It depends on how difficult the clothes are to make -usually one day to a week. If the colour and proportion are under control, the things in mind/on page will be quite similar to the real product.

Who are your style icons (both designers and people you think dress stylishly)?
Madonna, she’s always looking stylish!

How would you rate HK in terms of style? Are we up there with London/New York/Paris/Milan yet? Do you think we can become a style capital like them?
Yes, maybe some years later, as we are getting better than before already.

How would you describe the style of HK ppl? How are we different from the afore-mentioned places?
I think nowadays, HK youth have their own style, and this style is more to side with Europe trend.

What do you hope the future holds in store for you now you have won this award?
I think this award can offer me more opportunities for my future career. Because I just graduated and I need to gain more experience in order to become an all-round fashion designer.

Your pieces do actually look wearable Do you think that some designers sometimes lose sight of the real-life aspect of their collections?
In a fashion show, sometimes there is a need for stage effect, so some designers sometimes lose the real life aspect just because they want to create an image/mood/effect for their collection. But you always can find ‘real’ products in their retail shops.

Following on from this, do you think some big-name designers no longer design for ‘real people’ (in terms of size, thin models etc)
In runway, models dress clothes and look good. But designers know who are going to buy their clothes and who can really afford them. So, maybe on the runway, the clothes are all in small sizes, but in retail shops, people can still find their own size clothes.

Any tips for our readers on how to be stylish?
Confidence! Even wearing something normal, once you look confident, you look stylish!