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In October, some of Macau’s most talented fashion designers gathered to present their latest collections at the Macao Fashion Festival 2020 at The Venetian Macao, held in conjunction with the Macao International Trade Fair.  After a year of setbacks and challenges, the designers were excited to present their collections, created under trying circumstances, and the audience members were certainly pleased to have a chance to view them all.  CLOSER caught up with a few of the designers to chat about their inspirations, the difficulties in creating them this year given the lockdowns and travel restrictions, and their hopes and expectations for the coming year. 
 
 
SARA LOLO
 
BY Erriss Ho
@SARALOLOFashionDesign
 
@bobollh
 
At the Macao Fashion Festival last month, ALo Lo, the founder of the local fashion design brand SARA LOLO, provided an escape from the troubles of 2020, into the fantasy world of his imagination with his romantic collection “Unreachable”.
 
“Due to the pandemic, my fashion tours in Italy and Paris were both cancelled, but despite the current situation, I wanted to encourage people that the situation will get better, by recreating a colourful collection using my imagination and past memories,” ALo says.
 
Femininity is the key word for SARA LOLO, which is expressed through a mix of Eastern and Western elements using a variety of sewing techniques to create a very feminine beauty.
 
“The inspiration for the brand designs is based on Macau, adding different Chinese and Western elements such as Western imperial styles, and Chinese embroidery. I like to imagine different love stories in Macau, and I love travelling.  All of these have inspired the making of this colourful and powerful collection,” Alo explains. “I hope to create those happy moments for my customers. I want my customers and audience to feel like a princess and be happy.”
 
The brand SARA LOLO is named after ALo’s mother, who evokes ideals of a princess and happiness for him.
 
“I remember my mother used to work at the sewing machine in my room after she came back from work in order to provide a better life for me, and I used to listen to that sound of the machine while falling asleep. It still evokes a feeling of joy within me.”
 
“I used to be an assistant of a hair designer for various shows when I was around 20 years old, but then I realized that hairstyles are not a dominant element, compared to fashion design. Therefore, after taking a course at CPTTM, I decided to forge my path in fashion design so I could tell my own personal story. Now I’ve been working in this field for 10 years.”
 
In regards to the impact of the pandemic situation on his work, ALo says, “My marketing plan in Hong Kong has been postponed as I cannot go there due to the coronavirus, plus the current situation is difficult for such affordable luxury brands, so we really need to do more research on how to adjust our work under the current situation.”
 
 
 
 
NO.42
 
BY Erriss Ho
@No.42.Studio
 
@jessicawaiiii  / @wingbooo
“Freedom from restraints and life with an attitude” is the core philosophy of NO. 42,  a local fashion design brand founded in 2019 by two young local designers, Ophelia Vong and Venus Tou. Free-spirited and creative, their designs are often full of interwoven patterns and unrestricted fashion styles using asymmetrical tailoring and various fabrics. 
 
“Our brand name NO.42 stands for being “carefree and random” in Cantonese, which reflects our ideas about how different clothing items can be mixed and matched to create a variety of styles that reflect the attitude of liberty, just like our concept,,” explains Ophelia. “Also, we happen to be two designers, so the name is perfect for us.”
 
“Clothes are a medium through which one’s ideas and feelings can be expressed. People can wear all kinds of styles, whether it is cool, disobedient, elegant or mixed, as long as it captures one’s mood, it can all be expressed through different outfits,” adds Venus. “That’s also why we always use ‘mix and match’ to express this mentality. We think everyone should have their own style with no restraints.”
 
Following these ideals, Ophelia and Venus showcased their latest collection “Where’s my soul?” at the Macao Fashion Festival in October, highlighting a journey of exploration of the soul.
 
“The soul is invisible and unmeasurable, but we want to express the ideas of our souls through our clothes for this collection. In the search for our souls, it’s like wandering, so we combined Bohemian styles and used textile printing, lace, tassels and translucent fabric to express the search for freedom,” explains Venus.
 
“At the same time, to represent the stress or difficulty of this journey, we also incorporated some military and neutral items and elements into our designs, such as dust coat fabric. In this way, we combine strength and gentleness into our collection, which can represent our values – freedom from restraints, so we can have more than one style,” notes Ophelia.
 
 Long before Ophelia and Venus jointly founded NO.42, their like-minded vision for design began back in their high school years, where they participated in fashion design contests held by The Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Center (CPTTM), and later continued to pursue their passion as Fashion Design students at Shih Chien University in Taiwan, where they gained in-depth knowledge and experience of the fashion industry in Taiwan.
 
“There are prospects for a local fashion industry in Macau as we can see there have been many new design brands sprouting up in recent years, which means people are being exposed to more diversified styles. At the same time, the government is supporting creative industries, so it definitely provides more opportunities to young fashion designers like us,” Ophelia reflects. “We truly hope that we can receive more feedback from our local customers in the future.”
 
The new collection of NO. 42 is currently on display at Macau Fashion Gallery until the end of December.
 
 
 
Ella Épeler
 
BY Erriss Ho
www.ellaepeler.com
 
@zebrachi
 
The global pandemic has affected all our lives, but for many designers, it has provided a tremendous creative outlet. This is the case for Ella Lei, the talent behind local fashion brand ella épeler.  Tapping into her vivid imagination, she launched her latest collection at Macao Fashion Festival 2020 using three entirely different sets of designs to express her emotions and reflect on the current situation. 
 
“The pandemic has transformed my creative process for this collection, which can be divided into three distinct patterns. The first set is very kaleidoscopic and sharp, representing Macau with lot of money and energy before the pandemic,” Ella explains.  
 
“The second set was created at the start of the pandemic in Macau. People were quite nervous, anxious and depressed about the situation, so this set has a darker tone using dark green colours, featuring insect patterns and using gingham print. Insects have a strong reproductive capacity just like the coronavirus."
 
“Lastly, the final set features the colour purple, which represents my imagination and vision for the post-pandemic era (in the case of Macau), where I am still hopeful for the future. For this reason, I drew some rabbits and young girls for the design items,” Ella explains.
 
One prevailing theme of ella épeler is Ella’s unique sketching and the creative use of mix-and-match colours and fabrics, which makes her designs fun and distinctive.
 
“I studied multi-media and used to make animations after graduating.  However, after taking a fashion course, I decided to pursue my passion for fashion. I was always passionate about fashion design since I was a little kid. I used to like making clothes for my stuffed animals,” she recalls with a smile. “Today, I want to make every piece of my collection a treasured item in the owner’s closet.”
 
Ella opened her own studio last year, selling her own collections and other vintage clothing from different places. 
 
“Vintage clothing and ella épeler have similar principles, which is to value every piece of clothing, and they can also match with each style at the same time.”
 
Regarding the local fashion industry post-COVID-19, Ella says, “I think quality is always a priority before price. Impacted by the pandemic, people have become more careful with their money, so some people think we should make casual wear at a lower price, but I think it’s important to keep the high quality of my pieces, while adding multi-functionality to the items. For example, this collection contains hoodies and windbreakers that both adults and children can wear, so people can wear the items for a longer time.”
 
 

JANKO LAM
 
Where Traditional meets Modern
 
BY Beth Che
classicsanew.com
 
@helenc810
 
Can you tell us about the collection you presented at the Macao Fashion Festival recently?
 
We chose a few pieces to deliver the overall concept of our brand. Focusing on Chinese culture, our designs are casual and ready-to-wear Chinese traditional costumes. We included denim designs while some gave the feeling of modern simplicity.
 
Classics Anew aims to marry traditional Chinese clothing culture and the contemporary, yet results in a modern simplicity. How are all of these incorporated in your design process?
 
I have a background in fashion design and previously worked as a designer at TVB, the Hong Kong local broadcast company, where I worked with fashion and theatre costumes productions, so I learned about almost every detail particularly for traditional Chinese costumes. Striking a balancing between a traditional aesthetic and contemporary fashion became clear after establishing my own contemporary fashion brand. I was also very lucky to be able to learn traditional Chinese craftsmanship from experienced teachers, from whom I gained knowledge about the different manufacturing flow and required tools, making it easier to bring elements together. While we try to enhance traditional designs that may look less chic, we have no choice but to stick with the traditional way for some sewing designs. On design, as a fashion designer, it very easy to understand what we want to give our customers.
 
How do you approach and achieve sustainability?
 
Firstly, in terms of culture, culture itself is sustainable and will not disappear over night. This goes the same for our brand development. Our brand can be sustained wherever Chinese culture and values manifest. Similarly, Japanese kimonos will never go out of style or come-and-go, they live with the culture. Moreover, our denim series always values sustainability first. We revive unwanted fabrics and create items out of them. The fabrics limit us, yet encourage our creativity. Each piece gives a one-of-a-kind feeling because we only make one design, which is exclusive and rare for our customers. Even if you are very fond of a particular design or pattern, we can only offer one size. Several manufacturers donate their leftover textiles to us. One of them focuses on investing in new fabrics and we recycle their denim fabric scraps that they use for testing the bleaching process.
 
How challenging has 2020 been for you as a designer?  How has the brand needed to adjust, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and did it affect or inspire any of the new designs?
 
We are facing a global challenge. Fortunately, we have also been holding workshops that teach traditional Chinese craftsmanship techniques. We also had some online classes. Under the pandemic, people are spending less, but we continuously offer courses and comply with the limits on public gatherings. Purchasing fabrics has been more difficult, so we have not particularly come up with new designs. Conversely, this period has allowed us to realise that perhaps we do not need to come up with many styles, but to take each design slowly, each item attentively. We have also dedicated more time to education since teaching others how to make a piece of Chinese clothing means more than just purchasing – rather than wearing a particular design whenever one feels like it, it is the value appreciation and the essence behind it that matters. The courses can help enhance our knowledge on the structure of Chinese costumes, their culture, details and production flow. 
 
What are your thoughts on the local fashion industry in Hong Kong?
 
Honestly, it’s not easy. In terms of manufacturing, we face a lot of challenges. Perhaps manufacturers have gotten used to producing clothing quickly and cost-efficiently. Since this kind of purchasing behaviour has persisted for many years, the quality of clothings seems to be declining. Fast fashion and clothing on Taobao emphasise mass production. Meanwhile, encouraged by the pandemic, people seem to have become more aware of whether their wants are their needs, which could be a challenge for the fast fashion industry, but an edge for high-end brands. We have been producing at a low volume but we still need to cooperate with our suppliers. If our suppliers are in the mainland, we are subjected to the talents there. Today, skilled workers are on the decrease. Our manufacturer is in Foshan, China, where the workers are used to producing garments rapidly so they do not like making slow and fine designs, which brings difficulties for our quality and profit control. On the industry prospects, fabric qualities are so-so and some of our suppliers have already gone out of business. Any interruption or change can influence the overall business prospects, it’s about the whole industry chain. Poor textiles will result in low quality products. We also rely on the mass produced textiles by big manufacturers, which might shut down if the European apparel market is in slump. Then, we have to search for other suppliers. Everything is interlocked.
 
What new projects are you currently working on or planning?
 
In the coming months, we look forward to launching an online cheongsam production course so that anyone who watches our videos can learn how to make a cheongsam on their own. Making a cheongsam requires many steps and students may not be able to remember all of them outside of the classroom if they are not familiar with the process. This is a pretty new idea. Previously, we introduced other basic technique courses, where students without sewing experience have to first grasp those skills. Now that they can follow step by step from the tutorial, I think it is the best way to promote traditional Chinese costumes. We want to say that traditional costumes are simple, something that anyone can make, so doesn’t this make them worth preserving?
 
Janko Lam
 
Hong Kong designer Janko Lam has been active in the fashion industry for more than a decade and particularly rose to prominence after winning the inaugural Redress Design competition, which focuses on collections made entirely from recycled fabric.  Today, her brand Classics Anew aims to combine traditional Chinese influences with more contemporary designs.  She continues to be a leader in sustainable fashion and with the challenges of 2020, is placing more emphasis on education and training.  CLOSER spoke with her after seeing some of her range at this year’s Macao Fashion Festival.
 
 
 
Yizhuo
 
Keeping up with the Times
 
BY Stacey Qiao
 
 
 
After many years of hard work in the wholesale apparel market with frequent travels to Hong Kong, Korea and Europe, Shenzhen businessman Sun Guitian decided to follow his heart and pursue his childhood dream, starting anew as a fashion designer. In 2016, he set up the brand YIZHUO and launched a series of “light evening dresses” – formal dresses with a casual touch, and professional womenswear, which received enthusiastic response from the market. The following year, he was named one of Shenzhen’s Top 10 Fashion Designers.
On October 22, at the opening ceremony and fashion parade of the Macao Fashion Festival 2020, Sun presented the latest collection of YIZHUO. Simple yet rich in detail, the black, red and silver womenswear pieces brought an air of elegance and refinement to town. 
 
“We presented 10 outfits from the new Fall/Winter collection, with a focus on ‘light evening dresses’. The theme of this collection is ‘Paper Cranes’, as we have applied a lot of folds and pleats on the fabric; paper cranes also carry the wish of good fortune, which is exactly what we hope to convey to people in this time of the pandemic,” Sun Guitian explains to CLOSER.
 
As a Chinese-inspired clothing brand, YIZHUO is committed to interpreting oriental culture and concepts with contemporary aesthetics. The brand’s light evening dresses are designed to be timeless and charming without being too over the top. Its professional suits attempt to add the element of fashion by altering the silhouette and introducing refined details. 
 
In addition to YIZHUO, Sun also operates two other brands: KENSUN, which focuses on new cheongsams with the design philosophy of street fashion brands, and SUNGUITIAN, which is dedicated to unisex clothing inspired by traditional Chinese culture.
 
In the young designer’s opinion, clothing is not simply a covering for the body, but also shapes the personal image of the wearer and carries cultural connotations.
 
“I think the future of fashion is all about the output of culture. I want to tell my own story and express cultural ideas through clothing. As Chinese designers, we are fortunate to live in a country with 56 ethnic groups and 5,000 years of civilization. Such splendid traditional culture is an inexhaustible source of inspiration,” says Sun. 
 
At the beginning of the year, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the launch of the Spring/Summer collections and many plans were put on hold. Faced with unprecedented challenges, Sun Guitian took this as an opportunity to design clothes that can bring beauty and warmth, and to make new attempts in his business to help brand franchisees tide over the difficulties.
 
“Centring on this goal, we have taken some bold steps, such as starting to do a lot of 2B (targeting businesses instead of customers) livestreaming,” explains Sun.  “We are the first in the industry to use push streams in 2B livestreaming, rather than simply using mobile phones. We teach our franchises to start livestreaming to customers and help them weather the difficulties. I think it’s crucial to keep up with the times.”
 
Due to travel restrictions, Sun was unable to attend the Macao Fashion Festival 2020 in person, which he deeply regrets. But he looks forward to more exchanges in the future: “This event is a great platform and I hope to have the opportunity to invite Macao designers to Shenzhen, where they can share ideas with their mainland counterparts. Such industry exchanges and interactions are very important.”
 
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