It was a privilege to have someone with as much industry insider know-how and experience as Federico Tan to judge this year’s Young Designers’ Contest . Tan is the Managing Director and Co-founder of the highly successful fashion marketing and communications agency social/capital that has worked with industry titans including, but not limited to: sacai, Balmain, Maison Margiela, Moynat, Kenzo, Emilio Pucci, The Lane Crawford Joyce Group, Topshop, and Maison Kitsune.
Tan has an astute business acumen and a hyper-awareness of what's going on in the fashion scene internationally and locally, making him more than qualified to assess the collections from this group of budding young designers. ‘The fellow judges and I were pleasantly surprised,’ says Tan. ‘There was a lot of thought put into the design and fabrications of each look. The designers know quality and possess a high level of technique.’ What really differentiate the winner Kenneth Cheung from the rest of the pack was his clear vision throughout his pieces, down to the detailing. ‘No Country For Old Man’ really ticked off all the boxes for creativity and marketability.
This year in particular, Tan noted a strong showing of menswear designers (eight out of the 17 designers presented menswear) and a shift from design aesthetics of previous years toward oversized silhouettes with challenging lengths and utilitarian appeal. There was no shortage of talent and vision on the catwalk, but Tan echoes that that’s only part of the equation when it comes to building a successful brand. ‘I see a lot of designers being bogged down by the business side of developing their brand’ he says. ‘But the reality is you have to run a business and your clothes have to sell. You also have to be good marketers and communicate exactly you're your collection is about. At the end of the day, you have to be aware of what's going on globally in order to be on an international level.’
Hong Kong’s fashion scene has definitely changed a lot in the last five years. More and more designers are coming out of the woodwork with new found aspirations. ‘Hong Kong fashion is in a phase of transition,’ says Tan. ‘Designers now know the whole world is their market and not just Hong Kong. They are not limited anymore.’
If Tan’s words hold true, we have a lot to look forward to when our homegrown designers put us on the map has a true fashion capital of the world.
