Dressed to the 11s
On Dec 3, the upscale K11 Musea welcomed the second installment of K11 Night, billed by organizers as "the Met Gala of Asia". The golden carpet was rolled out at Tsim Sha Tsui's Victoria Dockside, where Asia's most stylish gathered for a glamorous evening with a dual purpose — to preserve fashion history and celebrate young talent. The event was followed by the opening of The Love of Couture: Artisanship in Fashion Beyond Timeon Dec 8. The exhibition is co-produced by K11 and London's Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).
Curated by renowned production designer William Chang, V&A Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer Tim Reeve, and V&A Project Curator Claire Allen-Johnstone, the show features sartorial designs by European masters, including 19th-century classics, in a visual dialogue with creations by six up-and-coming East Asian couturiers: Celine Kwan, Tomo Koizumi, Sohee Park, Ryunosuke Okazaki, Sensen Lii and Yueqi Qi.
"This exhibition is driven by imagination, creativity and passion. Seeing how these designers have reimagined centuries-old craft and techniques has been truly inspiring, and provided me with a wonderful canvas from which to create and design," says Chang, who was inspired by Nobel Prize-winning poet Derek Walcott's Love After Love. The poem's title is displayed in the form of a golden-orange neon signage at the entrance. Also displayed prominently are twin images of MRI brain scan of a person experiencing the fits of obsessive love.
The space then opens to a display of the 12 classic British and French womenswear pieces that inspired the exhibition's young designers who went on to create their own.
Passionate about deconstructing tailoring styles of men's suits, Qi's signature is to use organic, nearly amorphous metallic elements in capes, gowns and even gloves. If Paco Rabanne has a Gen Z heir, it is Qi. Her piece merging a metallic gown with a blazer, complete with metallic opera gloves, is influenced by Elspeth Champcommunal's skirt suit and blouse, designed for Worth's London in the late 1940s, and also on display.
Okazaki is by far the most decorated young fashion designer at The Love of Couture. His gravity-defying creations won him a spot among the finalists at the ninth edition of the LVMH Prize earlier this year. His work reflects a global fashion trend toward incorporating insectile elements — think wings, antennae and segmented legs — as championed by couturiers including Iris van Herpen, Alon Livne, Yuima Nakazato, Serhat Isik as well as Okazaki's peer and fellow exhibitor Lii, founder of the Windowsen label.
Lii champions a young movement dubbed "sports couture". His innovative approach lies in using athletic fabrics to construct dramatic forms. Although the gowns he presents are nothing short of ingenious, it's disappointing not to find his signature erotic, gender-defying bodysuits at the K11 exhibition.
Park is an honoree and exhibitor who needs little introduction. Her classically feminine silhouettes exaggerate the aesthetics of old Hollywood glamour. On display is her take on the skirt of a 19th century lady-in-waiting, paired with a late-'90s-inspired corseted black velvet bodice. On the golden carpet at K11 Night, the designer was escorting Korean-American fashion blogger and influencer Irene Kim, who wore a scarlet two-piece embellished with crystals and Sohee's signature silk-threaded inserts.
K11 Night and The Love of Coutureare part of an ambitious attempt to reinvigorate Hong Kong's status as a fashion capital. And K11 might have taken a significant step in that direction by showcasing six of the region's brightest stars of couture.
If you go
The Love of Couture: Artisanship in Fashion Beyond Time
Dates: Through Jan 29
Venue: 6/F, Kunsthalle, K11 Musea, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
