Young designers showcase diverse and original fashion statements
CENTRESTAGE, the Asian fashion extravaganza organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and sponsored by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA)*, concluded successfully on 7 September. The highlight of the closing evening was the grand finale of the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest 2024 (YDC), where the creativity and design flair of 10 local fashion designers shone through. With their diverse and eye-catching collections, the young designers showed talent that moved beyond traditional boundaries, embodying this year’s YDC theme, “To Be Seen”, and highlighting the limitless potential of Hong Kong’s fashion scene. The event delivered a standout fashion show for the audience, with celebrities such as Panther Chan, Kaho Hung, Moon Tang, Zelos Wong, 903DJ Leung Man Lai, Madboii, Ah Gi and Dixon Wong giving their support to the finalists.
After careful deliberation, the panel of professional judges selected four winners from the 10 shortlisted entries, with Tiger Chung emerging as Champion, securing the top prize of a cash prize of HK$60,000; an overseas study trip sponsored by Fang Brothers Knitting Ltd.; and a HK$5,000 CASETiFY e-Gift Card and capsule collection for sale online and at CASETiFY STUDiO Hong Kong stores. Winner of the Excellence Award was K Ng, while Yoyo Chan took two honours including the “My Favourite Collection” Award that was decided by public voting.
The full list of winners for YDC 2024 is as follows:
Champion: Tiger Chung; Design: Rager
Excellence Award: K Ng; Design: Remnants of Light
Best Art Direction Award: Yoyo Chan; Design: Trouble X
My Favourite Collection Award: Yoyo Chan; Design: Trouble X
Receiving the Champion prize, Tiger Chung, designer of the winning collection titled “Rager”, said: “I felt calm upon learning about the award, but just now, witnessing the models wearing my award-winning designs for the first time, I felt excited beyond measure!” Tiger re-entered the competition as a proud advocate for subculture. He has been continuously exploring how to present the unique design ethos of young-generation designers and his collection exudes the energy and vitality experienced at a music festival.
Judges impressed by quality of entries, share insights and experiences
This year’s YDC featured a heavyweight judging panel comprising seasoned fashion industry and media representatives, including Chief Judge Katherine Fang, Chairlady of the HKTDC Garment Advisory Committee; VIP Judge Masayuki Ino, founder and designer of the Japanese fashion brand doublet; and Overseas Judge Bohan Qiu, Founder and Director of fashion PR consulting firm BOH Project. Other esteemed judges included Jonathan Lee, Co-founder of The Molecule; iemi Chu, Associate Publisher of Vogue Hong Kong; Tracey Cheng, Vice President of Womenswear Merchandising at I.T; and Victoria Tang-Owen, Founder & Creative Director of Thirty30 Creative and Victoria Tang Studio and Director of Arts, Culture & Heritage for Shanghai Tang.
Reflecting on the quality of entries in this year’s YDC and the achievements of the winners, VIP Judge Masayuki Ino said: “All the works presented by the designers are fantastic. I had already seen all the entries before the final, but being able to witness them again on the runway gave me a different perspective. I am excited to see all 10 fashion designers from the next generation at YDC.”
Panther Chan lights up MINI x Johnson Chong/Kinyan Lam collaboration series
For the eighth consecutive year, MINI HK was the major sponsor of the YDC. This year, the brand collaborated with two YDC Alumni designers, Johnson Chong (YAMA GUEST) and Kinyan Lam (Kinyan Lam), to present a fashion collection inspired by its latest car models – the MINI Cooper and MINI Aceman – with designs reflecting the spirit of urban outdoor travellers and adventurers, being both minimalistic and functional. Singer Panther Chan joined forces will the collaborators, performing as the collection was presented and helping to showcase MINI’s new-generation design aesthetics and sustainable concepts.
FASHIONALLY COLLECTIONS
FASHIONALLY.COM works to promote Hong Kong fashion and designers. This season it is featuring the latest collections from 11 local brands including: Charlotte Ng Studio, FromClothingOf, IP-Axis Studio, Lapeewee, WHY, YAMA GUEST, MURFI LAU, MARCCH, DEMO, SZMAN and Kinyan Lam. For more details, please visit https://www.fashionally.com/en/collection/page/23
Websites
CENTRESTAGE: https://centrestage.hktdc.com/home/en
Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest (YDC): https://www.fashionally.com/en/
About YDC
The YDC aims to promote a new generation of local design talent, while creating opportunities to showcase their collections in front of global and local industry professionals at CENTRESTAGE. Organised by the HKTDC, the contest is considered one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the region, with a successful track record of past contestants becoming leading designers for fashion enterprises or establishing their own labels. To further promote the international visibility of local Hong Kong designers, in 2012 the HKTDC launched FASHIONALLY.com, an online platform that showcases the work of local labels and talents and links them with global industry insiders and opportunities.
Also read: Inaugural Hong Kong Shopping Festival ends successfully
About the HKTDC
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong ’s trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly SMEs, in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus.
About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA)
Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) (formerly known as Create Hong Kong or CreateHK) is a dedicated office set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in June 2009 to spearhead the development of creative industries in Hong Kong. From 1 July 2022 onwards, it is under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community.
*Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organisers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.
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