Cover Taiwan's Justin Chou of Just In XX
Taiwan's Justin Chou of Just In XX
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Whether classic or experimental, these Asian fashion designers and style leaders are creating the perfect looks for the festive season
These masters of style are putting Asian fashion on the world stage with collections lauded for melding East and West, modernising traditional garments or blurring the lines of gender. They recognise fashion’s power as a medium of expression, creating pieces that advance positive ideas or reflect what’s happening now. These fashion leaders on Asia’s Most Influential 2022 also know what you need in the season of celebrations: creations that spark wonder or joy, whether an ultra-feminine dress that floats over the body or a forward-looking number embellished with NFT images.
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Vivienne Tam, Hong Kong
Above Vivienne Tam
Vivienne Tam
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Gong Li, Jill Biden and Lady Gaga have turned to Vivienne Tam for her mastery of combining East and West (the qipao in denim, dragons flying on an abbreviated jacket) into creations that are equal parts romantic and forward-looking. Always adapting to what’s ahead, Tam weaves the metaverse in her summer 2023 collection, with the representations of blue-chip NFTs appearing as embroidery or crocheted elements in her designs. (Animoca Brand’s CEO and Asia’s Most Influential honouree Yat Siu was spotted in her jacket.)
In November 2022, AMTD Group announced its acquisition of the Vivienne Tam label, with the founder becoming the head of design and creation of AMTD Digital. The investment firm not only plans to grow the label globally, but also immerse it even more in the metaverse. Tam, herself, is optimistic about the partnership, sharing the following in a press release: “I believe this will be a great step in creating new ways of fashion expression under the Vivienne Tam brand and contributing to people’s living in better ways for the future”.
Read Vivienne Tam’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential
Don't miss: Exclusive: Vivienne Tam's Kaleidoscopic Year of the Tiger Collection is Here
Rachel Lim, Singapore
Above Rachel Lim
Rachel Lim
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The last few months have been eventful for Rachel Lim, co-founder of Love, Bonito, the Singapore label known for feminine pieces that are perfectly engineered for Asian women. In August 2022, the company embarked on a brand refresh anchored on the empowering tagline, “Come Into Your Own”. Then, in October 2022, it raised US$50 million via a funding round and acquired activewear brand Butter, relaunching it as Cheak, about which Lim said to Tatler, “It has great quality, fit and price—the same thing they already get from Love, Bonito”.
Reports have also surfaced of plans for its first US store in 2023, as well as an IPO in the near future. But back to style: Love, Bonito leans into the festive season with its latest releases: an organza babydoll dress with poufy bell sleeves, a romantic tie-waist dress in dusty lavender or a minimalist pleated knit dress. Take your pick from its online shop or physical locations in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Cambodia.
Read Rachel Lim’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential
Don't miss: How E-Commerce Entrepreneur Rachel Lim Built Her Fashion Empire
Moto Guo, Jay Perry Ang and Kinder Eng, Malaysia
Moto Guo
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Motoguo, the first Southeast Asian label to be nominated for the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, is a collaboration among friends: creative director Moto Guo, creative director Kinder Eng and business director Jay Perry Ang. Together, they established the fashion brand as a font of avant-garde and genderless expressions. And with each whimsical and odd collection, the label has advanced the idea that clothes can be worn by anyone regardless of identity.
Its spring-summer 2023 collection, dubbed Para-Para Phantasia, provokes wonder with a miniature of a T-shirt dress stitched on a regular-sized T-shirt dress for a double effect and a knit twin set emblazoned with an all-over confetti print—and then further embellished with fringe trim. In short, Motoguo emphasises the joy of dressing. Which is the right mood for the season of celebrations.
Read Moto Guo’s, Kinder Eng’s and Jay Perry Ang’s full profiles on Asia’s Most Influential
Rajo Laurel, Philippines
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Rajo Laurel
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Rajo Laurel’s creations are worn by elegant women such as actress and beauty queen Charlene Gonzales, who accompanied her daughter Atasha at this year’s Le Bal des Débutantes. For the occasion, Laurel dreamed up a modern interpretation of traditional Filipino garments, the tapis and the panuelo, into an evening number punctuated by a bow-topped billowy sleeve.
The designer, who also joined the debut season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Philippines as one of its judges, has just released the second volume of Miro, his holiday collection inspired by the Spanish painter Joan Miro. Apart from splashes of colour, expect even more feminine confections: soft pleated textiles, which are draped, layered or tied to create fluid silhouettes that float over the body.
Read Rajo Laurel’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential
Don't miss: Icons in Artistry: Rajo Laurel and Vania Romoff Reveal Their Creative Process
Justin Chou, Taiwan
Above Justin Chou
Justin Chou
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Justin Chou, who founded Just In XX, the boundary-pushing Taiwanese label that describes itself as a meditation on the contrasts of “east and west, tradition and modernity”, employs the full power of fashion as a medium for expression. During Taiwan’s local elections, the designer invited friends for a fashionable flash mob that reminded everyone of the importance of casting their votes.
Chou has recently collaborated with the National Palace Museum, for which he transformed his admiration for its treasures into a wearable piece. Adopting the Indian lotus pattern from a Qianlong-period stove, he created an open-collar shirt with 3D pockets (and mini pockets within the pockets) that allude to the usefulness of the art object. In the end, Chou said he wanted to create a piece that “we would want to wear”.
Tatler Asia's Most Influential is the definitive list of people shaping our world today. Asia's Most Influential brings together the region's most innovative changemakers, industry titans and thought leaders who are driving positive impact in Asia and beyond. View the full list here.
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