Fashion designer Toki Wong won two prizes in one night at the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest 2021 (YDC). First, the Excellence Award, and second, the 193’s Favourite Collection Award singled out by 193, member of boyband ERROR. This is considered a milestone by him, since he’s worked in the fashion industry for five years.
Igniting the passion of fellows
A graduate from the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and working as a knitting designer in an international trading company for five years, Wong can recall the whole journey of the contest vividly. "What’s unforgettable is when I showed my works to my friends, one whom I’d studied with back then burst into tears. She’d left the fashion industry and was moved by how I’m holding on to my fashion dream, which also ignited her long forgotten passion! YDC is indeed a test for myself to prove how determined I am as well.”
Wong feels that the YDC competition can be seen as a milestone and summary for his fashion journey. “In the past few years, I’ve gained more experiences and connections, pushing me to grow up professionally and personally. I was applying all these learnt skills to the competition and finally handed in a satisfactory score report to myself."
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The designer is very busy even after the competition, as this experience has brought him a lot of opportunities. He began making costumes for artists like Ansonbean and ToNick, designing handbags in collaboration with ViuTV and creating stage costumes for the Ultimate Song Chart Awards Presentation. In addition to all these projects, Wong has recently launched his own label. “My goal is to establish a stylish brand with wearable clothing. During this process, I realised that the public has a wide range of tastes, and Hong Kong people are more accepting of flashy designs than previously. Japan has a signature Japanese boy look, Korea created the K-pop style. I really hope that I can create a typical Hong Kong boy look in the future.’
He is eager to demonstrate his ideas via different mediums. " I share my aesthetics through photos, videos and my website, and hope to develop into a lifestyle label in the near future."
Registration for YDC 2022 is now open. Wong has a few words to share with potential participants. "It’s definitely worth joining YDC! They provide designers with a platform to display their works and support you with the production of a look book and models for launches. Throughout the journey, there are tutorial sessions, where representatives of the fashion industry give you professional advice. This is undoubtedly a good experience.”
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