Within the last five years, Hong Kong’s fashion industry has found a new sense of vitality thanks to home-grown designer brands like Jourden, The World is Your Oyster and HANG. These three brands have been selected by the Young Designers’ Contest this year to act as prime examples of the success that can be achieved in this city. Expect to find an exclusive photo shoot, featuring the designers of these brands as part of the upcoming YDC magazine, which will be released in conjunction with the contest on 10th Sep 2016.
Hong Kong has recently been brimming with new talent, but these three brands are particularly noteworthy because of their increasing international presence, strong understanding of the commercial and creative side of fashion, and commitment to grow their brand while being based Hong Kong. Many Hong Kong designers before them have fled to London, Paris and New York with the prospect of developing their reputation by working in cities that are renowned for nurturing fashion talent – because as we all know – HK has a way of crushing creative pursuits. We’ve probably all heard these complaints before – the high cost of living, lack of space and the focus on commerciality over innovation – as the primary reasons why creative industries find it so difficult to thrive.
However, this hasn’t discouraged Anais Mak and her partner Benny Woo from going global. Just last year the duo became the first HK brand to compete in the highly regarded LVMH Prize competition with their mascu-feminine, confetti-driven womenswear collection. Impressively, they made it as one of the 26 semi-finalists out of over 1,000 applicants. Since then, Jourden has grown tremendously with their debut SS17 resort collection having recently been featured in Vogue France. Solidifying their international presence, Jourden can now be found at respected retailers like Barneys New York, Lane Crawford, Colette, Opening Ceremony and Liger. Jourden is a success story and they find that it’s vital to build their brand from their home city. “The general branding of Hong Kong is that everything is very nice and easy because we are a financial powerhouse,’ says Mak. “People see brands here as being commercial and not necessarily creative. It’s difficult to change people’s perception, but we hope we can do that.”
Another Hong Kong power couple in fashion is Calvin Chan and Joyce Kun of menswear label, The World is Your Oyster. The brand only launched back in March of 2014, but in few short years has gained tremendous popularity having recently been featured in Vogue Italia. The label can also now be found at Lane Crawford and Opening Ceremony. ‘It was such an amazing feeling to see our clothes being sold at such a well-known retailer,’ says Kun. It’s not difficult to see why The World is Your Oyster would be popular. The brand focuses on youth culture and streetwear while offering an irreverent attitude and modern silhouette for men's clothing. It's a bit of punk meets gentleman’s tailoring, resulting in an intriguing high-low appeal.
Last but not least, we have designer Mim Mak of HANG, who is no stranger to the YDC, having been crowned the Overall Winner back in 2012 with her “Diving-Dance” collection, which focused on contrasting neoprene and chiffon to create mesmerising, architectural pieces in all black. In 2013, Mak launched her brand HANG and after three years has been selected to participate in a widely respected fashion show, Elites at Centrestage. She is Hong Kong’s representative within a group of four highly sought after Asian brands. Mak is a master of constructing clothes and has an astute eye for geometry and proportions. She’s an edgy and precise designer.
If Hong Kong’s emerging young designers need a bit of inspiration, they don’t have to look very far to find success stories. Jourden, The World is Your Oyster and HANG have all persevered in our city’s often unforgiving, commercial landscape.
About the author:
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Arthur Tam moved to Hong Kong to pursue journalism. After a stint with Time Out Hong Kong as Lifestyle Editor for nearly five years, he's cultivated an expansive knowledge on the Fragrant Harbour – especially when it comes to local fashion designers. Tam believes in supporting Hong Kong talent and often wears designs from emerging designers. He is the editor of FashionStatement.Asia and has contributed to publications such as Dazed & Confused and Coconuts HK. For more on his work, check out www.arthurity.com.
