Fashion Focus:
A culture of collaboration and sustainability dominated SCAD Hong Kong’s graduating collections.
The SCAD graduates to look out for
In early January, SCAD Hong Kong students s showcased their final collections in front of the e city’s fashion elite, including renowned Hong Kong g supermodel Kathy Chow.
The evening marked the college’s fifth annual l Fashion Showcase, and treated guests to a newly y structured show format curated by Michael Fink, , Dean of the SCAD School of Fashion.
Fashion-forward designs were spotlighted from 20 0 senior fashion students and recent alumni from SCAD’s s four campuses – Atlanta, Savannah, Lacoste and here e in Hong Kong.
Representatives from the fashion industry and arts community were treated to an experiential evening that included three floors of fashion vignettes, with an alfresco catwalk show as the finale. It was an impressive affair that saw 52 designs on show at the elite design school’s UNESCO award-winning Sham Shui Po campus.
Among the collections on display were those of four Hong Kong-based fashion students.
Maria Nava was one whose futuristic women’s collection Green ( below, left) was inspired by movement and German Expressionism.
Maria is already heading for commercial success and is a testament to SCAD’s impressive heritage of 99 percent employment (or continued studies) for the their graduates within ten months.
Tammi Lau is another success story, already working as an assistant fashion designer in the city. Her abstract womenswear collection, Windaholic, draws inspiration from the movement of wind and its symbolic meanings. It incorporates illusion graphics and creates a psychedelic mirage using neoprene fabrics.
This was a sparkling event – not just for the flowing French champagne, but thanks to sponsorships from Swarovski. Cheryl Ma sparked interest from the global crystal giant, which sponsors crystals to SCAD Hong Kong students with an interest in sustainability. Cheryl’s collection, RISE ( below, right), utilised crystal accents and was in inspired by fungi’s ability to continue to grow despite adversity.
The experience of hosting and participating in a professional fashion showcase is part of the col college curriculum. Mr Khoi Vo, Vice President of SCAD Hong Kong, explained, “Our top-ranked fashion programme offers a rigorous curriculum structured around principles of design, unbounded creativity and state-of-the-art technology – all of which is evident in these latest fashion collections.”
In short, the event was a reflection of just how well the students are prepared to take on the dynamic and ultra-competitive global fashion industry.
Savannah College of Art and Design is at 292 Tai Po Road, Sham Shui Po. scad.edu