Asian designers have been ascending the international fashion ladder along with the rise of Asian culture and trend. The CENTRESTAGE organised in Hong Kong this early September provided a novel platform that was perfect for buyers, media and fashion industry during the 4-day trade exhibition. As a highlight of the CENTRESTAGE, a major new fashion spectacular CENTRESTAGE ELITES, showcased the Spring/Summer 2017 collections from four rising stars in Asia, namely Mim Mak from Hong Kong, Simon Gao from Beijing, Ko Taeyong from Seoul and Pongsak Suprratccheep & Thita Kamonnetsawat from Bangkok.
The glamorous event was held on 7 September at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Nearly 1,000 guests attended the show, among them were John Tsang, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR, as well as social and fashion industry elites Mao Ji-hong and his wife, Louis Cheung, Nancy Wu, Mark Lui and Jade Leung.
The four Asian brands were relatively young, yet they brought another fashion spectacle with top quality on fabrications and performance. Mim Mak from Hong Kong presented
HANG’s latest collection with logistics concept - elements of the industry routine such as packing tape, barcode, “Fragile” notes and waist bags - were consolidated into clean cutting couture. Mak was the Overall Winner in the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest in 2012. With structure as the essence of her design, she plays with mixing fabrics such as satin and other special garments, infusing in the concept on the sheer parkas, high-waisted culottes and evening wear.
According to Mak, the biggest challenge this time was on the concept presentation on stage. “I believe in the professional production crew, make-up and hair styling artists, which is why I only gave some ideas on what I want and let them do the rest. You saw the models carrying cartons and putting them into pallet truck, male models pushing the truck backstage towards the end of the showcase, as well as the make-up details like packing tapes - those are all planned and executed by the team.” And the hard work pays off. There were buyers who watched the show visited HANG’s booth for potential order, whilst a mainland Chinese brand offered design consultant opportunity for Mak because of the style HANG possesses.
