This year’s top young Hong Kong fashion designers have been revealed, capping off the Centrestage festival.
Three winners of the 2019 Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest (YDC) were chosen from a final pool of 16.
Champion Wilson Yip received a monetary reward together with a one-month internship working in the studio of Japanese fashion designer Mihara Yasuhiro, sponsored by Sun Hing Knitting Factory.
Yip’s prizewinning “Forgetful Still” was a whimsical collection inspired by the aesthetic of absentmindedness. Yip also took the Best Footwear Design Award.
Designer Louis Chow was named first runner-up for his collection “Already But Not Yet”, while the award for second runner-up and new talent was given to Enzo Chan for his “Since 1996”.
The judges assessed the top young Hong Kong fashion designers’ works based on creativity, originality, market potential, craftsmanship, use of fabrics and overall aesthetics, and offered expert feedback to each of the participants. VIP Judge Mihara Yasuhiro had particular praise for the winning piece, saying that Champion Wilson Yip “managed to paint fashion over the backdrop of everyday life, using elements of daily wear and injecting them with novelty and creativity”.
The YDC has been organized by the HKTDC for more than four decades with the objective of nurturing and promoting young fashion talent. In 2012, to further promote the international visibility of local Hong Kong designers, the HKTDC launched fashionally.com, an online platform that showcases the work of local labels and talents to link them with global industry insiders and opportunities.