Wan combined all the skills he had acquired from these diverse courses to create his final-year collection; for example, he used a 3D modelling program to design a theatre set, then rendered them as prints for his garments. He saw this method as “almost like creating inspirations for myself: if I was an architect or a ceramic artist, how would I approach clothing? It gave me a lot of dynamics—I can use my different works and turn that into fashion.” This remains the essence of his studio today. In late 2019, Wan became the first Asian designer to have their creations acquired by the National Museum in Oslo as part of its permanent collection. “The curator emailed me and I thought it was spam,” says Wan, laughing. “For some reason, they liked my work, which is huge recognition. It proves that my vision is relevant.”

Read more: Beyoncé wears futuristic fashion by a Hong Kong designer on ‘Renaissance’ tour

Wan’s theatre training and multimedia practice are in large part what have led to his being the go-to designer for local musicians looking for unique, memorable costumes for their stage performances. In the past three years, Wan has customised designs for singers Kwok, Hins Cheung, Serrini and Janice Vidal, and girl group Collar. His research starts with listening to their songs and trying to understand their vision and the message they wish to convey.

“Recording music is an intimate moment for an artist. I want to create a piece that really belongs to them and that they feel a connection to, so it will help them to perform on stage,” Wan explains. “Similar to a director, I need to know their emotions. My clothing aims to tell stories and exaggerate what the artist has to say on stage.” After talking to the performer, Wan will commemorate that intention and vibe through his design, considering every detail, including how the garment needs to move, as if it is being shot on film and every frame captured needs to be perfect.

While this all sounds very philosophical, Wan’s creations rely on concrete plans and skilful execution. While he has a team of up to 10 people on each project, Wan still works on all of his designs. “You have to put your own hands on it to have an intimate relationship with your work, and I know every detail of each creation,” he says. “That way, I also know all the flaws. Often the imperfections turn out to be what makes the work better.”

Wan defines his design as standing somewhere between art and fashion. “The purpose of art is to ask questions and that of design
is to provide answers and solutions,” says Wan. “The artistic expression of my garments is shown through the concepts and looks, but the designs are also tools that fulfil practical needs in a performance—to make artists look good and achieve visual impact.”

One of most memorable moments to date is his collaboration with Cheung. For the pop singer’s 20th anniversary concert in 2022, Kit Wan Studios created a jacket made from individual panels of different shredded fabrics, each panel pleated using an antique manual smocking machine, then sewn together by hand. The fabric is built around a metallic structure to create a distorted yet effortless look. Another masterpiece he worked on for the singer is a heavily embroidered cape for the opening act at the Hins Cheung x Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra concert in 2020. Taking inspiration from the outfits worn by Chinese opera singers, nearly 10,000 pearls of different sizes were sourced and strung together in a way that created a three- dimensional silhouette.

The Kit Wan Studios aesthetic is futuristic and even robotic, and the designer cites David Bowie, Prince and Boy George among his muses. However, his approach to creativity is somewhat old-school, with an emphasis on craftsmanship. “The aim in fashion today is no longer to make things the most sophisticated way but to achieve more with less time, in the most cost-effective way.” Wan refuses to follow this speed-over-quality model, instead focusing on time and craftsmanship to produce his wearable art. “I want to break the presets; I hope to stay out of them. That’s why I added the human touch through crafts.”

The contradictory approach can be attributed, at least in part, to his time spent in Oslo, which was a reverse culture shock. “After being away from Hong Kong for a long time, when you look at the industry from an outsider’s perspective, you realise the constraints you thought existed do not,” Wan says. “Now I have that perspective and the recognition I received in Norway, I can express myself through different visual languages; it gave me the courage to be something different.”

Now he’s based back in his hometown, he is eager to share his approach, and assure the current generation of young Hong Kong and Asian designers that they should not feel limited by the challenges of their predecessors; geography, for example, is no longer an issue.

“I was a judge for a design graduate show,” he says. “There is no longer any emphasis on regional ties—some students are on the same track as what’s happening globally.” This is largely because pop culture has driven fashion to be more universal. “It’s not like before, when you had to work with agencies or showrooms [to gain exposure]; as long as your work is good, you can be seen and easily approached by stylists everywhere.”

The real question for designers now is how to sustain that exposure and relevance for a longer period, and not be forgotten after one look or collection goes viral. Wan acknowledges that the lifespan of a creative is compressed; what a designer might have experienced over the course of a lifelong career in the pre-digital era might now happen over two or three years. “The work all goes from unexpected to expected at some point; people will get used to it,” he says. “Once you reach your peak physically and creatively, you want different things. It’s important to not get side-tracked in the process—you need to know what you want to preserve from the moment.”

With live music performances back on track in the city, there are many more Kit Wan Studios commissioned works in the making. But don’t expect the designer to limit himself to dressing singers. “I want to allocate more time to installations and art works,” he says. “My focus has been on making garments for the past two years. But, like when I was in university, I now feel the urge to search for a new art form and apply it to fashion design.”

NOW READ

Meet Yueqi Qi, the new wave designer and LVMH Prize semi-finalist redefining Chinese fashion

The 5 Asian designers Fan Bingbing wore to the Cannes Film Festival this year

Robert Wun on the inspiration behind his Haute Couture Week debut