Celebrity Life

Sennet Frères – Hong Kong’s first Couture house – has recently unveiled its much-anticipated Disney Princess Collection.

The show took place at the brand’s birthplace, Alberose Mansion, which was transformed into a castle for one special night. We spoke to Chief Creative and Design Director of Sennet Frères, Kev Yiu, about his debut collaboration with Disney and the importance of fairy tales.

In Conversation with Kev Yiu, Chief Creative and Design Director of Sennet Frères

For Yiu, the partnership with Disney was a dream come true. “As far as I know, after Mr Daichi Miura, Disney has been seeking another Asian designer to [execute] the wedding gown project," he explains. "Being the first designer who gets to be creative with all 14 princesses and queens for the very first time in APAC is a milestone in my career.” The range encompasses evening and wedding gowns, each paying homage to a Disney princess or a queen.

Through his dresses, Yiu interpreted the colourful fantasy worlds from the popular movies. Glitter, ruffles and embellishments are all playing a special role in the fairy tale of the designer's devisal. “We are already living in our own fairytale, and fairytale evolves over time!” says Yiu. “Now you can still transform yourself into a princess in glorious gowns, but rather than using a magic wand or spell, we have credit cards and the internet instead.”

Yiu’s journey as a rising star of couture started in his childhood home. Growing up with four sisters and being fascinated by their toys, the designer took up beading as a calming hobby, which later transformed into a valuable embroidery skill. “When I grew older, I started making dresses from papers and having home fashion shows modelled by my sisters is still my happiest childhood memory," he recalls. "I finally decided to be a dressmaker when I got my first sewing machine at the age of 13.”

Couture, in its very nature, is the polar opposite of trend-based seasonal ready-to-wear. It’s meant to be passed from one generation to the next, like an heirloom. Even after putting together one of the grandest shows in Hong Kong this season, Yiu stays humble. "Frankly, I don’t call myself a couturier, though I am still learning to be one. I am just a person who loves making dresses and enjoys the happiness brought to each person,” he says. “For me, it’s not necessary to design with posh and luxurious materials; sometimes polyester works better than silk; sometimes it’s the other way around.”

At Sennet Frères, Yiu is free to leap into the world of his creative genius as deep as he desires, “I always feel respected, encouraged and most importantly, they provide me with freedom of creativity. I am never required to design based on trends nor market needs but to create dresses with stories and thoughts behind them, and I think this is what sets Sennet Frères apart,” he notes.

Yiu’s artistry goes way beyond references to classic glamour, it encompasses innovation, nerve and a desire to bend boundaries. “I was profoundly influenced by the British designers, I love the elegance and extravagance from John Galliano, the rebellion and deconstructionism from Vivienne Westwood, and the unexpectedness and structure from Alexander McQueen,” he tells us.

(Hero image: an evening gown inspired by Snow White)

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Among the misty mountains, towering over the forever chaotic and dynamic streets of Hong Kong, lies Ngong Ping – a spiritual haven that was chosen by Vivienne Tam to showcase her Spring 2022 collection.

Following a year-long hiatus, the godmother of Hong Kong fashion came back with a roar and presented an array of fresh perspectives that marked the beginning of the new VT era. The collection titled City Camouflaged aimed to play with the ideas of tranquillity and the co-existence between humans and nature.

A Debut Partnership with Ngong Ping 360

Vivienne Tam’s collaboration with Ngong Ping 360 was a match made in heaven. The show, set in the scenery of Ngong Ping village and Wisdom Path, reflected the culmination of the designer’s spiritual journey. The collection epitomised the importance of mindfulness with its largely leisure-oriented focus and heavy symbolism, as represented by the wooden pillars of the Wisdom Path in the background.

A Love Letter to Hong Kong

Tam devised several new prints for the collection, each one reflecting a motif saturated with cultural significance. The two-piece suit, for example, consisting of a crop top and wide pants, was covered in red checks – a prominent homage to plastic woven checkered bags that have been used in Hong Kong households and markets for decades. Another complex print that defined the entire collection included references to Ngong Ping 360 itself, like the silhouettes of the Buddha, blooming flowers, and clouds.

“Gender is a construct – tear it apart!”

Vivienne Tam gave the guests a peek into the genderless future, and what a bright one it was. The inclusion of fluid pieces into the collection was a deliberate choice, according to Tam. The designer enlisted one of Hong Kong’s pioneer nonbinary models – Timmy Ng – to convey the message of fluidity. Expert craftsmanship – as could be seen through meticulous detail work on denim and athleisure essentials – allowed the pieces to be worn by people regardless of their gender identities.

Ft. Wheelchair Fencing Queen

In 2021, words like ‘diversity and ‘inclusion’ mean very little unless they have actions backing them. Vivienne Tam’s collaboration with Alison Yu – a seven-time Paralympic gold medal wheelchair fencer – proves that universality and acceptance are at the brand's core. The collection’s slogan, ‘Love Your Style’ stemmed directly from the idea of embracing oneself and unlocking the power of individuality.

Hiking for the Gen Z

The breathtaking views of Hong Kong, its clambering hiking paths, majestic trees, and formidable mountains served as an inspiration for City Camouflaged. The athleisure component of the collection was designed to become the perfect attire for hiking. After noticing Hong Kongers wearing mainly solid and neutral colours when conquering the wilderness, Tam was adamant to challenge the convention by cloaking her windbreaker jackets and leggings in vibrant prints

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What’s the future of fashion? What’s unique about Hong Kong style? What’s next for your industry? What’s in and what’s out? We pose these questions to the designers, entrepreneurs, leaders, stylists and influencers who’ve made an impact on fashion here.

With Covid focusing attention on our own backyard, this era of style in the city is renegotiating in familiar territory. And from talking to the experts, common arcs emerge. 

Johanna Ho

Designer, sustainability champion and founder of Phlvo Platform

Circularity, transparency, responsibility, respect and a proper value system – I feel these all must be the future of fashion. In fashion, I’m inspired by people, human values and the new possibilities of technology. In Hong Kong, there’ll be more connections between fashion education and the industry: mentorships and bridging or training programmes for students within the industry. This is a new season for me – with this new platform concept of Phlvo I want to start bringing a connection between the East and West. I don’t want to chase the chase anymore, or “accelerate growth”, which has been the fashion industry over the past decades – fast fashion, whether mass-produced or luxury brands. It’s all about reworking the system and dealing with issues such as exploitation, values, customers experiences, connection and relevance.

Karmuel Young

Designer and founder of Karmuel Young

Fashion’s future is gender-neutral. Some brands propose that direction by wading into gender-fluid, unisex or polysexual fashions, but I believe it’s about an extreme sense of self. Fashion is becoming more open to self-expression and letting the audience decide what they buy and want to wear. The younger generation pays less attention to traditional gender roles and looks and more towards integrity and authenticity.

Arnault Castel

Founder of Kapok

The future of fashion is in rediscovering how to make people feel beautiful, confident, comfortable and fun. It should be less a signifier of “coolness” or social class. It should stay away from limited edition and collectors and become again a way for us to communicate who we are. Hong Kong is unique because it embraces the new with a great knowledge of past style. Hong Kong style has no fear.

Vivienne Tam

Designer and founder of Vivienne Tam

Since the pandemic began and everyone is homebound, fashion is localising … Society is now ready to support and appreciate Hong Kong designs, we’ll search deeper into Hong Kong’s history and culture, but maintain a proud global voice. It seems there are more restrictions and taboos with the political conflicts around; it’s getting challenging, but challenges make us more creative and focused. The future of fashion is more inclusive with universal values and an emphasis on sustainability and health. People are adopting healthier lifestyles and sporting cultures – I’m designing to blend beauty and style with protection, as in my crossover collection with Masklab and using antibacterial fabric for my travelling trench coats when the gates finally open. Fashion shows can be at any time now and anywhere; the fashion norms and rules are deconstructed and move towards more artistic and unexpected ways of presentation.

Douglas Young

Co-founder, Goods of Desire

Fashion, like art, is a form of social commentary, and our society is very polarised now. You have split realities and fashion will mirror that, in the sense that it will become more diversified. In the past there was a central flow of fashion trends. In the future, these trends will break into fragments and become multiple trends. There won’t be one mainstream trend any longer – the future is diversity. Local fashion will find its own identity and uniqueness through local street culture, because Hong Kong is an advanced city. People are sophisticated in their style and taste, very international and diversified … Hong Kong will soon find its own identity, uniqueness and style. I’m inspired by the way people dress in Hong Kong, especially grass-roots people. The way they boldly mix things freely without consideration – so you have a lot of accidental fashionistas! Also, the ingenuity of adapting things really inspires me, not just in fashion but design in general. The unlikely combinations produce surprising contrasts. Hong Kong people don’t seem inhibited by putting things together in the same way that, say, Westerners might not do.

What’s next for us? We’ve found success in translating our company from initially focusing on furniture to lifestyle and clothing. We found a unique angle in Chinese clothing that’s simultaneously both traditional and modern. A continued focus on boosting our e-commerce is also on the agenda. It also allowed us to discover a market beyond borders for our type of clothing and we’ll continue to pursue that.

Elle Lee

KOL, actress and emcee

The future of fashion is more environmentally cautious, easy on the Earth and soft on the skin. Hong Kong style has always been quite sharp, especially for ladies. Women aren’t afraid to dress out and express their personality in unisex and edgy ways.

Mayao Ma

Director of Fashion Farm Foundation

In the future, fashion will be more focused on the design than where the brand or designer is from. There are many more Hong Kong brands with potential to stand out in the international market. I believe there’ll be more collaborations too. For spring/summer 2022, the Fashion Farm Foundation is presenting the new collections of three brands – Pabe Pabe (accessories), Ponder.er (men’s and womenswear) and VANN (jewellery) – at Paris Fashion Week with a digital film presentation. The crew members are all from Hong Kong. It’s a chance to show the world how creative and talented our young people.

Kev Yiu

Designer and founder of Kev Yiu

Fashion has always been a personal statement of who you are, rather than trends to be followed. However, with technological advances I can imagine in the near future there’ll be something like a one-button device that can dress you up in any way you can imagine.

As the younger generation has become more open-minded through the information on social media and the internet, there’ll be no more stereotypes. The boundaries are about to be broken. Well, maybe they already have been: men in skirts and other gender-blending concepts are no longer as shocking as they once were.

Justine Lee

Stylist and influencer

With the limitations of travel, I feel the city is looking inwards for fashion talent. I still feel there’s room for creativity even with the restrictions we’re under. In Hong Kong, the speed at which we consumed fashion before the protests and Covid-19 was super-fast-paced and, in a way, unsustainable. We’ve slowed down a lot recently and I think consumers, brands and retailers are reprioritising their focus. There’s a greater sense of community and I feel we’re seeing a gradual shift into more conscious consumption.

Faye Tsui

KOL and stylist

The pandemic led us to adopt a new normal in every way, people are paying more attention to reducing pollution. I’ve noticed people in Hong Kong are changing their buying behaviour – it’s important for local designers
to be environmentally conscious, use sustainable materials, especially packaging, and design in a way that’s more durable. Now, I think Hong Kong has its own unique style. People tend to showcase their own personality and won’t just follow a trend if it doesn’t fit them – this wasn’t the case 20, 10 or even five years ago, when fashionistas were following or copying Japan, Paris or London … Now, we’re unique.

Jacky Tam

Stylist and editorial director at Vogue Man Hong Kong

The future of fashion is all about being yourself, trusting your own feeling and being honest to yourself. I think freedom defines Hong Kong style. After the past year or so, people are going through major changes, mentally as well, from being fashionable to wearing comfy PJs at home. To me, comfort is in; being pretentious is out.

Dorian Ho

Designer and founder of Dorian Ho

Nowadays fashion isn’t just about the design, but also how you build and market your brand. Social media have led consumers to adopt and move on from fashion trends quicker than ever before. We must react very quickly, and adjust designs and stock, but also learn to anticipate what the market wants from us. With the development of technology such as AR and VR, I believe the future of fashion is sustainability and technologically innovative design. There’ll be breakthroughs in design and more functional materials to improve the quality of life.

Barney Cheng

Designer and founder of Barney Cheng Couture

What’s the future of fashion in Hong Kong? Three words: sustainability, awareness and responsibility. I think it’ll be all about customisation, personalisation and interactive creativity next in the local industry. What’s Hong Kong style really? Branded living? My style is extravagant simplicity, always has been, always will be. And what’s next for my brand? I’m a glorified tailor to the discerning few! I’ve been here for 28 years and hope to stay here for at least as long in the future.

Harrison Wong

Designer and founder of Harrison Wong

What’s the future of fashion? In design, sustainability remains the main issue and concern from my perspective. From a retail perspective, I think successful businesses will become more data-driven. By leveraging data on consumer trends and tastes, brands can create pieces consumers are more likely to buy. AR and VR will increasingly redefine the online and in-store experience. And high-tech will continue to reshape fashion – for example, catwalks will become increasingly virtual and new innovative functional fabrics will appear. Hong Kong-style is unique, because of the diversity of influences and cultures, as well as our dynamic metropolitan environment.

The post Hong Kong’s Fashion Vanguard on the Future of Fashion appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Best known for fashionable, well-cut men’s swimming trunks with prints that often nod to its Hong Kong roots, Māzú has shown agility in surviving a few tough years in the city’s fashion scene. After mass protests followed in quick succession by a pandemic, British-Chinese founder and CEO Adam Raby says that “it’s not been easy on anybody, especially a brand like us that relies on travel, and is very seasonal and niche-market”.

With travel stalled, cities are refocusing the lens on the local. Māzú has likewise gone back to its Hong Kong nautical roots, while ensuring its consumer base in this city is happy. Design notes nod towards the lush coastline, and Chinese seafaring culture and fishing heritage – a new print in the spring/summer 2021 collection is “inspired by an old Chinese nautical map of islands in this region”, Raby explains.

The local focus has also resulted in Māzú’s latest collaboration, a sophisticated Mandarin linen shirt with Atlas The Brand. A markedly more grown-up departure (Māzú is also known for its best-selling bamboo T-shirts, which work well in humid climates), this new collaboration taps an essential Asian style for a dapper summer look fit for the beach. Think a more thoughtful Māzú gentleman and less beach bro. And more new designs are coming soon, Raby promises. “As we progress as a brand, we’ll offer more resort-wear styles in the future,” he says.

For the Mandarin linen-shirt campaign images, shot in The Verandah at The Repulse Bay, Raby enlisted his friend, Hong Kong actor Carl Ng. “Simon Van Damme introduced us quite a long time ago, and I’ve always liked his look,” says Raby. “I’ve always wanted to do a linen shirt. With Carl’s long hair, it’s quite a wise look and just the right style we’re looking for.”

The development is an interesting one. This boutique men’s swim-, beach- and resort-wear label has been a local favourite since it hit the scene eight years ago. Lightweight, carefully crafted and technically minded (key for men’s swimwear), Māzú is most famous for its stylish classic swimming shorts. This summer they come in two new designs – Distant Shores and Blue Harmony – both of which are inspired by Hong Kong’s maritime history and nodding to that blend of East and West. Better yet, both are sustainably made from recycled plastic fabrics.

Sustainability has been at the core of Raby’s vision for Māzú ever since he founded the business. He recalls that back then, the options for finding good-quality recycled plastic materials were practically non-existent.

“There wasn’t much available and the quality wasn’t good enough,” Raby says, so he decided that initially the brand would donate proceeds to the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society. But with plastic being one of the biggest water pollutants, it made sense to work with that in some way.

“It was just finding the right fabrics that met my high standards and quality,” says Raby. “The one we’ve got performs extremely well in water and dries quickly, and I’m very, very proud of it.” The next progression for Māzú is to become even more sustainable. Raby says he hopes the brand transitions its entire range to recycled plastic by 2026. “I’ve always wanted to help ocean conservation,” he explains. “I’ve always had a deep relationship with the water. My grandfather was in the navy, my father was also an avid sailor and I grew up on the water as well.”

We’re at a moment where fashion is looking to future-proof itself, and this niche local men’s label is no exception. Although the eco angle might cover some environmental bases, there’ve been clear commercial challenges too. Raby talks about having to downsize the team to survive during Covid and the all-important big amp up of the online business to drive sales.

“We’ve been spending more wisely and making sure we spend right – and that’s mainly been towards the online business.” With Asia generally being slower than the West to re-open borders at this stage of the pandemic, Māzú’s traditional summer-holiday rush buys have obviously stalled, just as its European competitors are experiencing a small boost from the re-ignition of Western travel. Since 80 percent of Māzú’s sales still come from Asia, business remains reliant on the opening-up of this region for travel. Raby also says that operating in the Hong Kong fashion industry poses challenges.

“I always think to myself that if I’d done exactly the same things in the last eight years, but done it in the US or UK, this business would be far more established than it is now,” he admits. “It’s definitely difficult.” So would Raby ever move away to up his competitive edge in fashion?

“It’s a good question,” he says. “Maybe … eventually. At the end of the day, the business is based here and Hong Kong, obviously pre-pandemic, is still a central hub when it comes to travel and business – and I hope that it gets back to normal soon.”

Adapting to this moment has presented Māzú with several sink- or-swim situations. Although Raby was initially reluctant to follow a trend by adding facemasks to the product line-up at the height of the pandemic, after researching how hundreds of millions of disposable masks were polluting the sea and land, he decided to lean in.

“We worked with another Hong Kong company to produce reusable face-masks that are also made from recycled plastic. We now sell them all around Asia,” says Raby. “I guess it’s a good example of adapting to the times.”

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