Shenzhen Business Daily Reading Client Reporter Tu Jingyu
It was the first time to go out of Hong Kong and enter Shenzhen for the first time. This is a creative collision of cutting-edge design forces in the Bay Area, and it is also an innovation and practice of industry leaders. On April 20, the HK-KIDS "Young Wool Designer Competition 2024" shortlisted fashion show X Decent was held in Shenzhen.
Sponsored by Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, organized by the Hong Kong Wool Innovation and Design Association, jointly organized by the Hong Kong Wool Exporters' Association, the Hong Kong Wool & Chemical Fiber Knitting Manufacturers' Association and the Shenzhen Garment Industry Association, and strategically supported by Shenzhen Dingyi Garment Co., Ltd., the event attracted the active participation of young designers from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This is not only a test of the talent of young designers, but also an important embodiment of the cooperation and development of the fashion industry in the Bay Area.
Blowing the "rallying call" for young designers in the Bay Area
On the catwalk, tall models dressed in the contestants' carefully crafted works presented a beautiful fashion show for the audience. This competition is not only a competition of design, but also a demonstration of the deep integration of the wool industry and culture in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. These pieces demonstrate the functionality, sustainability and futurism of woollen garments. The competition has injected new vitality and creativity into the field of wool weaving design, and promoted the development and transformation of the industry.
"With the increasingly frequent exchanges and the gradual implementation of favorable policies in the Greater Bay Area, this year, the Young Woolen Designers Competition was held for the first time in the Greater Bay Area. I hope that through this competition, we can further understand the bright prospects of the wool industry in the Bay Area, and also look forward to more young and talented fashion designers joining the wool industry. Peter Hui, vice chairman of the Hong Kong Wool Innovation and Design Association, said.
At the beginning of this year, the competition openly recruited young designers aged between 18 and 35 in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to participate in the competition, and the judging panel of the competition selected nine finalists from among the many entries to pair with wool manufacturers to produce the entries. After several weeks of close collaboration with the production team and design refinement, each of the shortlisted designers finally managed to hold a shortlisted fashion show at Shenzhen Fashion Week. It is worth noting that the shortlisted fashion exhibition of the "Young Woolen Designers Competition 2024" will also be unveiled at the second "Green and Promising" Fashion and Sustainability Exhibition. This year's exhibition focuses on wool fashion design and innovation, combining wool fashion and sustainability, bringing more audiences to appreciate the beauty of wool weaving works and the achievements of industry leaders in innovative technology, design and practice. Promote more people to love wool design and support the development of sustainable fashion.
As one of the finalists of this competition, Tong Yali, a young designer from the Bay Area who graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University majoring in fashion and textile design, said bluntly: "This competition has far exceeded my expectations!" After six years of sweater design experience in Shenzhen and Hong Kong clothing brand companies, she established her own knitwear brand NONETONE in Shenzhen in 2022. "Hong Kong has strong fashion resources, Shenzhen has many mature local fashion brands, and has a complete production chain and supply chain. I also hope that my brand can go international as a representative of the Greater Bay Area. ”
Pan Ming, President of Shenzhen Garment Industry Association, said: "The fashion industry of Shenzhen and Hong Kong has a deep historical relationship, and the two places have had frequent fashion exchanges and in-depth cooperation over the years. Every year, we invite many Hong Kong fashion guests, brands and designers to participate in the fashion week catwalks, exhibitions and various activities, through resource sharing, complementary advantages and win-win cooperation, vigorously promote the 'interconnection' of the fashion industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and jointly promote the prosperity and development of the fashion industry. ”
She said, "We can not only appreciate the masterpieces of young designers, but also feel the fusion and collision of Shenzhen and Hong Kong cultures. This cultural integration is not only reflected in clothing design, but also in our joint exploration and efforts for the future development of the fashion industry. ”
Original design to create wool design "industry highlights"
"The choice of the Greater Bay Area for this event is of great significance to the wool industry, allowing us to see more possibilities in terms of talents. Pan Wei, general manager of Shenzhen Dingyi Garment Co., Ltd., said: "The designer is the 'director' of the entire production chain, and needs to have both creative and artistic thinking, as well as the thinking of science and engineering. As a result, there is a shortage of good designers in the sweater industry. This competition allows Bay Area designers to get in touch with the fashion atmosphere, but also brings more interaction with each other and sees their respective strengths. ”
The works of this competition will also be booked and sold at the Taobao store of Shenzhen Dingyi Clothing Co., Ltd. from April 25 to September 30, 2024.
The linkage development of the fashion industry between Shenzhen and Hong Kong has a deep historical origin. At the current stage of development, the interconnection of the Bay Area has become a historical necessity, Shenzhen's fashion industry has gradually transformed and upgraded, the creative level and branding process have been continuously improved, and the exploration of deeper and broader cooperation with Hong Kong's fashion industry has also become a consensus between the two sides.
Bay Area Young Designer Tim Kai Wu is a professional digital clothing creator. He is skilled in the use of various 3D software and has extensive experience in the design and production of knitted garments. As an innovator, he is passionate about exploring and implementing new design approaches and development processes. He said that this competition has brought him a lot of different experiences as a Hong Kong designer, and he has also seen the strength of mainland players. Talking about the deepest feeling of participating in the competition, he said that it is like the title of his work, "New Contact, New World, Hello, World." ”
Cao Xinan, a young designer from the Bay Area who was shortlisted for this competition, is an eighteen-year-old senior in high school, currently studying in Dongguan Textile and Garment School, majoring in knitting technology, and is full of curiosity and longing for the future. She said that she hopes that through this competition, she will continue to learn and grow herself and gain something in the future.
"The competition has given me great resources and confidence to achieve what I want to do. For her graduating from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University with a degree in fashion design, fashion design is a medium for her to express her thoughts and stories. Her experience in school has pushed her to experiment with design and learn about her own style. "Design is like an exploration of life, and I will continue to move forward on this path. ”
Feel the wonderful competition of youth and creativity, and witness the birth of cutting-edge wool designers and excellent works in the Greater Bay Area. The "Young Wool Designer Competition 2024" was shortlisted for the fashion show, creating a beautiful wool design fashion feast. It provides a unique opportunity for young fashion designers in the Greater Bay Area to showcase their creativity and break through innovations, and also provides an excellent platform for young designers in the Greater Bay Area to showcase their talents and exchange ideas. Inject more vitality into the vigorous development of the original design power of the knitting industry, and show the "infinite" possibilities in limited time and space in a new form of multi-dimensional, multi-sensory and immersive!