GENERATION NEXT Your first look at the talented designers of the Harper’s BAZAAR Asia NewGen Fashion Award 2018
The Harper’s BAZAAR Asia NewGen Fashion Award returns for yet another exciting instalment, where the brightest talents from home and abroad get to shine. By Gerald Tan. Photographed by Tan Wei Te. Styled by Windy Aulia
The Asia NewGen Fashion Award was launched in 2013 with the simple aim of unearthing the region’s best fashion talents. Since then, it has crowned four winners; each one walking away with the coveted title after impressing the judges with a unique display of design savviness and business acumen. After graduating from a one-year master’s degree course in Fashion and Luxury Brand Management at Istituto Marangoni, the designers have each gone on to carve a niche for themselves: 2016’s winner William Utama, for example, has amassed a cult following for his experimental take on urban dressing.
And with the digital revolution disrupting fashion’s system, the competition has also become an invaluable platform that lets young designers cut through all the clutter and noise, and make their voices heard. Backed by Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore, and other editions in the region, as well as partners Swarovski and Zalora (both key players in their respective fields), the competition is a once-in-a-lifetime shot at success. The stakes are high for the Harper’s BAZAAR Asia NewGen Fashion Award 2018, but Singapore’s trio of Ang Jui En, Julian Cheong and Andrew Low have demonstrated their potential.“I think that this year’s contestants have so much to live up to as Singapore’s Phua Chun Huen won last year,” observed Kenneth Goh, Editorin-Chief of Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore, who has taken on the role of mentor alongside esteemed designer Lai Chan.“But we have great talents who have shown their maturity over the course of the competition.” The trio ensured a closely contested fight by exploring a diverse range of ideas in their works. It’s especially apt, considering fashion’s role in dressing the women of today. Goh added:“I think the young designers of today no longer desire to just be the next big fashion designer—they also want to make an impact beyond the cloth.”