Unveiling the three designers who possess the talent, tenacity and spunk to make the cut at this year’s Harper’s BAZAAR Asia NewGen Fashion Award.
Unveiling the three designers who possess the talent, tenacity and spunk to make the cut at this year’s Harper’s BAZAAR Asia NewGen Fashion Award.
Harper’s BAZAAR Asia NewGen Fashion Award began in 2014 as a platform to unearth and nurture the brightest designers from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Now into its third instalment, the regional competition is more than just a springboard for these gifted designers to show off their talents. In an industry that’s quickly adapting to the wide-reaching influence of the digital realm, and the lightning speed at which fashion is communicated and consumed by the masses, the competition accords the designers the loudest shot at getting their voices heard in the international arena.
But before they get a chance to witness their creations on the catwalk, the designers will first have to prove their design prowess and vision for fashion: After months of late nights, hard work and intense preliminary judging sessions, the responsibility to fly the Singapore flag high this year will fall onto the shoulders of two of these three promising designers: Sunny Lim, Fedri Mak and Ng May Ee. From pushing the boundaries of fabric design, to challenging the traditional notions of dressing, 2016 saw the most diverse range of ideas yet.
“The three students this year are so different in their approach to fashion. Fedri is from a menswear background, while May comes from print; Sunny has had retail experience in Japan, and all three possess the tenacity to succeed under the toughest conditions this year. I can’t wait to see their results,” said BAZAAR Editor-in-Chief, Kenneth Goh, who is also one of the mentors.
“Looking back, it has been life-changing,” recalls Silvia Teh, who took home top honours from the competition last year. “Every step of the way has been so inspiring. It was the most creative period of my life and the knowledge I gained then continues to impact my work.” With Teh having won last year’s regional finals, Fedri, Sunny and May have big shoes to fill. But from what we have seen them produce—from sportswear, to deconstruction, to vivid prints—Singapore just might have the talent, style and verve to make it to the very top once again.
