10 Budding Asian Designers To Watch
Fashion is art and these up-and-coming designers are serving it.
The fashion industry is ever-changing and new players are constantly rising up to the big leagues. While we love timeless houses such as Chanel, Valentino, Gucci and more, it is always refreshing to witness budding designers execute their unique point of view through their garments.
Below, we roundup a couple of young Asian designers who made waves in the local and international scene and are worthy of keeping an eye out for, including former BAZAAR NewGen winner Justin Chua. Stay tuned for more details on this year's finalists!
This New York-based Singaporean designer stunned the world earlier this year when Jennifer Lopez wore two custom looks for a feature in the New York Times and on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. But this wasn’t Ling’s first home run. The Central Saint Martins and Parsons graduate went viral on social media for her chrome butt bag. With an inclination for elegantly tailored and witty designs, we cannot wait to see what else she has in store.
Sohee Park never hesitates to incorporate her heritage into her voluminous gowns that have garnered nothing but praise from all over the world. Her most recent collection which debuted in December 2021 was showcased in Milan by invitation of Dolce & Gabbana, which isn’t a common occurrence. The London-based designer has many celebrity fans, such as Blackpink’s Jisoo, Naomi Campbell, Gemma Chan and more.
There is a common notion that Singapore’s education system cannot foster powerful creative talents. But this underground fashion collective proves otherwise with their sartorial collections that have since been featured on multiple publications, Paris Fashion Week and idols like Jimin of BTS.
No one embraces flower-power 70s futurism like Kwan. Don’t just take our word for it: Lizzo, Dua Lipa and Doja Cat are just a few who have donned her garb. Since the birth of her label amid the pandemic, her collections have exuded unadulterated joy that is infectious and humorous to boot – it's a no-brainer as to how she has risen in popularity in such a short timespan.
This minimalist designer champions gender-bending fashion with garments that can easily be worn by men, women and everyone in between. Recently at New York Fashion Week, Do unveiled his first menswear line alongside womenswear featuring saucy backless blazers and shirts, high-slit pants and chunky platform boots. Do also enlisted NCT’s Jeno to open the collection, which made fans go wild for the idol and the looks.
Exploring the relationships of curved spaces and cyclic patterns, this graduate student at the London College of Fashion created an impressive menswear collection that features three-dimensional embossing technology. Fashion retailer SSENSE has also taken an interest in Xia’s work, stocking his collection on the site.
Beads have made a comeback thanks to the resurgence of Y2K sensibilities, but Singaporean designer and artist Denise Chong is one of the few people pushing the limits of this material. The 23-year-old student has crafted several dresses, skirts, and accessories purely made out of beads and in high-fashion silhouettes, all of which are available on her online store.
Akshat’s design aesthetic is innovative and wonderfully fluid. His label, based in India, specialises in ensembles that defy gender norms while using biomaterials and archival textiles to create futuristic shapes and textures. Akshat’s first Paris Fashion Week a few weeks ago showcased how sophisticated tailoring can be easily combined with creative silhouettes, without being cliché.
This New York-based designer is all about camp and he does it perfectly. The SS23 collection was an abstract tale of creatures such as spiders, octopi, butterflies and more translated into peculiar ensembles. While his looks tend to lean towards costuming, it has not hindered his label one bit with celebrities like Christina Aguilera and Rina Sawayama proudly adorning Zhou’s designs.
Clinching the grand prize of Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore's Asia NewGen Fashion Award is no easy feat. Chua impressed the judges last November with a gender-neutral collection that sports transformative aspects – a dress that can be converted into a skirt and a top and jacket that can be zipped into a bag. This collection was later produced and sold at Design Orchard in June 2022.
Related article: NewGen 2022 Finalist Serina Lee Designs For MP Baey Yam Keng