8 February 2018 – For the first time, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) will spotlight four leading Hong Kong design labels at London Fashion Week, from 16-20 February. The Hong Kong fashion design line-up in London are: Yi Chan and Lary Cheung (Brand: HEAVEN PLEASE+), Vickie Au (Brand: HOUSE OF V), Dora Chu (Brand: Maison Vermillion) and Glori Tsui (Brand: METHODOLOGY). Together, the designers will showcase Hong Kong’s fashion creativity to British and international industry elites and style influencers. They will present their brands and launch their Autumn/Winter 2018 collections at London Fashion Week’s Designer Showrooms, where industry representatives will be invited to explore collaboration and partnership opportunities with the Hong Kong designers.
In addition, the HKTDC will organise a Fashion Hong Kong Fashion Presentation and Cocktail Reception at London’s Somerset House on 16 February. Incorporating various artistic elements such as installation art, the presentation will showcase the multi-faceted creativity of Hong Kong designers. Visitors will get a close look at the four labels’ new collections and meet the Hong Kong designers behind the brands.
Debut appearance at London Fashion Week
Fashion Hong Kong is a series of international promotions organised by the HKTDC to raise the global profile of Hong Kong fashion designers and labels. Since 2015, Fashion Hong Kong has been staging world-class runway shows at major international fashion events, including at New York Fashion Week, Copenhagen Fashion Week and Tokyo Fashion Week, to showcase Hong Kong’s fashion design prowess.
Multipronged promotion of Hong Kong fashion design
This year, Fashion Hong Kong has partnered with several lifestyle brands to promote the Hong Kong fashion campaign during London Fashion Week. They include collaborating with Hong Kong travel start-up Klook to introduce Hong Kong’s unique fashion designs to lifestyle travellers worldwide. Creative photography brand Lomography will provide instant cameras and lenses for designers to capture and share fashion snapshots from the streets of London. Hong Kong shopping mall Mira Place will relay the latest Fashion Hong Kong news at London Fashion Week on its social media platform, and will display event highlights and designers’ collections in early March at the Mira Discovery zone, located on the second floor of the mall.
Hong Kong illustrator Joe Lam, who is behind the brand “Everyday is chill out day!”, has created an exclusive illustration for Fashion Hong Kong’s debut at London Fashion Week, while Daycraft, a Hong Kong brand that advocates original designs and has a passion for arts, design and lifestyle, has collaborated with Fashion Hong Kong to produce a limited-edition diary celebrating Fashion Hong Kong’s first appearance in London Fashion Week. The diary cover features graphic designs created by the participating designers specifically for the crossover project. The event also received sponsorship from several Hong Kong brands, namely Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Co, Ltd, CHOCOLAT-IER and Luen Hing Paper Ltd.
Lary Cheung and Yi Chan
Brand: HEAVEN PLEASE+
Designer Profile:
Both designers graduated with fashion design degrees from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Yi Chan began her career at Marie Claire as a fashion editor, while Lary Cheung worked as a menswear designer at British labels, Kent & Curwen and Aquascutum. They founded the brand Heaven Please+ in 2011 and launched their first A/W 2012 collection. The design duo focuses on incorporating their experience outside the fashion industry, including art, music and literature, into their design concepts and sketches, to empower fashion with insightful and perceptual values.
Autumn/Winter 2018 Collection: DăCuòLe Vol. II (English: Wrong Number)
The label’s A/W18 collection was inspired by Wrong Number, a novel by noted Hong Kong writer Liu Yichang. The collection also reflects Hong Kong’s social landscape in the 1950s, as well as the spirit of the 50’s Western high-fashion style.
Vickie Au
Brand: HOUSE OF V
Designer Profile:
With 15 years’ experience under her belt, Vickie Au is a talented designer with a strong background in the fashion industry. The head designer of HOUSE OF V previously worked for some of the most prestigious international and Hong Kong fashion labels, including Anteprima, Levi’s, Anagram, G2000, Blanc de Chine and Toppy Group.
Autumn/Winter 2018 Collection: Unexpected/ Habitual
The collection’s design concept was inspired by “Unexpected/ Habitual,” an extract from the 2009 speech of renowned Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind.
Dora Chu
Brand: Maison Vermillion
Designer Profile:
Dora Chu graduated from Central Saint Martins and has worked for several renowned design studios, including Alexander McQueen, Jenny Packham and Vivienne Tam. Her academic background as well as exposure to various facets of the fashion business culminated in the creation of Maison Vermillion.
Autumn/Winter 2018 Collection: The Greatest of Thee
The inspiration came from the love affair between King Henry VIII of England and Anne Boleyn in the 15th century, a romantic legend shrouded in historical myth. Ann Boleyn's unique character, intelligence and charm is seen in modern-day interpretation as representing feminism and promoting sexual revolution and the women's rights movement.
Maison Vermillion has partnered with noted Chinese paper-cutting artist, Li Yunxia, to combine two delicate craftsmanship—Western lace-making and the traditional Chinese paper-cutting art—to create a one-of-a-kind, modern art piece.
Glori Tsui
Brand: METHODOLOGY
Designer Profile:
Glori Tsui studied illustration at the Art Center College of Design in Southern California. She pursued her interest in sustainable fashion design by obtaining a master’s degree in fashion design at Nottingham Trent University in the UK. While in the programme, she gained valuable design experience at Paul Smith. In 2012, Ms Tsui launched METHODOLOGY at Lane Crawford Hong Kong and has since expanded globally to the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and the Middle East.
Autumn/Winter 2018 Collection: Plaid Block
The collection celebrates the brand's signature silhouettes by contrast visualisation with plaid patterns, solid colours and layered textures. The contrasts are also amplified with figure-flattering cuts as well as volume layers. The designer aims to create an exciting and playful mood in her collection.
Fashion Hong Kong Fashion Presentation & Cocktail Reception
Date: 16 February 2018 (Friday)
Time: 8:30-10:30pm
Venue: Lancaster Room & River Rooms, Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA
RSVP: fashion_hongkong@hktdc.org
London Fashion Week Designer Showrooms
Date: 16-20 February 2018
Opening Time: 9am on 16,19-20 February; 10am on 17-18 February
Venue: The Store Studios, 180 Strand, London WC2R 1EA
RSVP: fashion_hongkong@hktdc.org
Fashion Hong Kong Website: www.fashionhongkong.com
Fashion Hong Kong Instagram: @hktdcfashionhk
Please contact the HKTDC's Communications & Public Affairs Department:
Sam Ho Tel: (852) 2584 4569 Email: sam.sy.ho@hktdc.org
Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong’s businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing information via trade publications , research reports and digital channels including the media room . For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus .