Supporting local original fashion design for the fifth consecutive year, the Macao Fashion Gallery (MFG) is pleased to present the “Style‧Encounter Moment”—The 5th Fashion Exhibition of Subsidy Programme for Fashion Design on Sample Making, to display excellent works and progress made by local fashion designers selected in the “2017 Subsidy Programme for Fashion Design on Sample Making”, launched by the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government.
Apart from an endowment of unbounded imagination, a successful designer must possess with sewing skills and a good knowledge of cloth colours. Not simply devoted to design, outstanding designers also need to acquire “the art of reading people’s minds”, with which they can understand the market and their consumers before tailoring their design to people’s expectations of a certain style, attitude and pursuit. Together with brand marketing strategies recognised by the market, these qualities could ensure the sustainable development of the fashion industry.
This exhibition will showcase works by eight designers (or teams), including Leng Carmen, Cheang Man Cheng and Mac Chi Lon (team), Tam Chi Kit, Wai Chin Seong, Siu David, Cheang Chi Tat, Lo Ka Heng and Choi Wai Leng (team), and Wong Ha and Cheong Kuan Peng (team). Their works stood out from a wide array of submissions which were subjected to strict initial and second reviews. Two pieces were carefully selected from a line of clothes by each designer for display at this exhibition, covering family outfits, fashion knitwear, dreamlike womenswear, street style clothes, vintage sportswear, romantic womenswear, and unisex fashion clothes.
In 2013, the Cultural Affairs Bureau launched the Subsidy Programme for Fashion Design on Sample Making. The programme aims to foster creativity of local fashion design, encourage fashion designers to equip with a feasible and credible business plan, as well as stimulate the fashion industry to organisemore business activities or participate in local and overseas fashion shows and events, thereby helping to improve the visibility and market competitiveness of the Macao fashion industry, promoting sustainable development of the local fashion design profession.
Originally, clothing performed the functions of covering up and protecting the body. As time passes, clothing or garments now serve as an embodiment of personal preference, character, or the symbolisation of one’s status. Under the background of a commercialised society, clothing design has developed into fashion trends. Furthermore, as a response to consumers’ pursuit of fashion, the fashion industry is producing tons of clothing every season. As the fashion industry is blossoming, nevertheless, it becomes the world’s second-largest source of pollution, so it is high time for us to ponder over the impact of fashion industry on the environment.
In recent years, the fashion industry has set off a trend of sustainable development, which advocates the notion of “zero-waste”. With a view to environmental protection, fabrics that reduce the emission of pollutants and fabrics that are recycled and disassembled are reused to manufacture innovative garments, thereby putting sustainable fashion into practice and maintaining a balance between environmental protection and fashion. Furthermore, with advances in and popularisation of science and technology, textile fibres have been improved by generations of technology, for example, traditional artificial fibre has been developed into functional fabrics with different added values. In addition, the ever-emerging functional garments not only help improve the quality of life, but are also gradually dominating the fashion market.
The exhibition, titled “Fashion Rejuvenation—Exhibition of Eco-Friendly and Functional Fashion”, is exclusively presented by the Macao Fashion Gallery. The exhibition aims to inspire and encourage local fashion designers to seek for new breakthroughs in their designs, and to promote the use of recycled fabrics to give garments a new lease of life. Furthermore, a great variety of garments made of functional and eco-friendly fabrics are gathered at this exhibition, such as moisture-wicking, water-repellent, mechanical stretch, cooling, and quick-drying fabrics. In addition to these, chemical fabric that helps reduce pollution, alongside eco-friendly fabrics such as vegetable fibres and recycled polyester made of plastic bottles, are also showcased.
Through an open call and a rigorous assessment process, eight local fashion designers have been selected for the exhibition, namely, Milk Ng, Kitty Ng, Jack Lam, Celestino Maria Cordova, Jane Chan, Jade Leong, Connie Wong and Nicole Tam (in no particular order). Each designer will present two garments made of eco-friendly or functional fabric, making up a total of 16 creative fashion pieces. The exhibition also allows visitors to further explore and learn more about the application and integration of eco-friendly, functional fabric and fashion design, which in turn gives rise to the visitors’ concern for fashion, environmental protection and technology.
Herein, the Macao Fashion Gallery would like to express our special thanks to the Taiwan Textile Federation for their tremendous support, and for the provision of various functional and eco-friendly fabrics, without which the exhibition would not have been possible.
Every touching story has unusual storylines and elements. How much you know about the story depends on your attitude to, curiosity about and exploration of it. We can easily figure out the brand logos on the clothing of people walking through streets and alleys, but how much do we understand the stories behind the brands? A number of independent original fashion brands have sprung up in Macao, as the SAR government vigorously promotes the local cultural and creative industries in recent years. In view of this, the Macao Fashion Gallery continues to organize the “2018 Brand Story—Macao Original Fashion Exhibition” this year, providing a platform for local original fashion brands to tell their own stories, through open call for brand stories, followed by evaluation and selection. Six fashion labels including I.N.K, Jade.L, alexis jordan, Nega C., Denimworks and ella épeler will be showcased and available to purchase in the exhibition. The exhibition is divided into three phases, with two brands to be shown in each phase. The event will start with the street fashion of I.N.K and gender-neutral designs of Jade.L, followed by alexis jordan’s male clothing of metropolitan improvisation as well as Nega C.’s sweet and romantic style in the second phase. It will be concluded by Denimworks’ jeans featuring unique craftsmanship and ella épeler’s totem illustrations. 2018
Brand Story—Macao Original Fashion ExhibitionIII：
Denimworks Exhibition theme：Camoudream
This concept exhibition, themed on 2017 Camoudream, is jointly created by Denimwork and Fortes Pakeong Sequeira, the founder of Blademark.
Life is like changing weather, with sudden cloudbursts or sunshine; unpredictable storms are against our will. Somepeople stoop to compromise, are worldly wise and play it safe in order to protect themselves, or even change their own character and immerse in the environment. This group of people lose themselves and let their souls “be buried in a rotten grave”, dragging out an ignoble existence in this merciless, corrupt and coldblooded world.
However, is dragging out an ignoble existence in this distorted era the only way of survival?
No! Even though we have to put on “camouflage colors”, we should live our life to the fullest and brightest!
ella épeler Exhibition theme： I Dream of the Sea
It tells a short story about a little girl and her dream in which she swims in the sea and meets different types of marine animals. Seeing sunlight shining through the clear water, she wanders freely around the beautiful and mysterious realm. The little girl transforms the marine animals she met into pattern, emphasizing the delicacy of dream with light and soft tone. The layers of chiffon conveys the sensation of flowing sea water and the joy of swimming. The patterns are covered with embroidered fabric, showcasing a mysterious ocean painting.
Every touching story has unusual storylines and elements. How much you know about the story depends on your attitude to, curiosity about and exploration of it. We can easily figure out the brand logos on the clothing of people walking through streets and alleys, but how much do we understand the stories behind the brands?
A number of independent original fashion brands have sprung up in Macao, as the SAR government vigorously promotes the local cultural and creative industries in recent years. In view of this, the Macao Fashion Gallery continues to organize the “2018 Brand Story—Macao Original Fashion Exhibition” this year, providing a platform for local original fashion brands to tell their own stories, through open call for brand stories, followed by evaluation and selection.
Six fashion labels including I.N.K, Jade.L, alexis jordan, Nega C., Denimworks and ella épeler will be showcased and available to purchase in the exhibition. The exhibition is divided into three phases, with two brands to be shown in each phase. The event will start with the street fashion of I.N.K and gender-neutral designs of Jade.L, followed by alexis jordan’s male clothing of metropolitan improvisation as well as Nega C.’s sweet and romantic style in the second phase. It will be concluded by Denimworks’ jeans featuring unique craftsmanship and ella épeler’s totem illustrations.
2018 Brand Story—Macao Original Fashion ExhibitionII：
alexis jordan Exhibition theme：alexis jordan
Inspired by international fashion metropolises, the brand “alexis jordan” creates series of willful, cozy and stylish menswear items with premium imported fabrics and sophisticated sewing techniques in response to metropolitan men’s quest for quality clothing, while showing the fashion of big cities. Therefore, the exhibition is arranged in a way that combines alexis jordan’s styles with Macao’s distinctive landscape of Chinese and Portuguese architectures, reflecting modern men’s unique attitude towards life and their sense of fashion.
Nega C. Exhibition theme：Continuing the Dream
I played around in my family’s “small factory” during my childhood. I grew up hearing the endless hum of sewing machines and seeing piles of sewing patterns and stacks of garments. These are my memories about the two generations of my hardworking and diligent family, which helped shape me and made my dream come true today. I am grateful for that, and hope to work diligently like them. Through establishing the local fashion brand Nega C., I hope I can pick up the baton and carry on with the diligent spirit of the older generation to continue the dream of the new generation.
Every touching story has unusual storylines and elements. How much you know about the story depends on your attitude to, curiosity about and exploration of it. We can easily figure out the brand logos on the clothing of people walking through streets and alleys, but how much do we understand the stories behind the brands?
A number of independent original fashion brands have sprung up in Macao, as the SAR government vigorously promotes the local cultural and creative industries in recent years. In view of this, the Macao Fashion Gallery continues to organize the “2018 Brand Story—Macao Original Fashion Exhibition” this year, providing a platform for local original fashion brands to tell their own stories, through open call for brand stories, followed by evaluation and selection.
Six fashion labels including I.N.K, Jade.L, alexis jordan, Nega C., Denimworks and ella épeler will be showcased and available to purchase in the exhibition. The exhibition is divided into three phases, with two brands to be shown in each phase. The event will start with the street fashion of I.N.K and gender-neutral designs of Jade.L, followed by alexis jordan’s male clothing of metropolitan improvisation as well as Nega C.’s sweet and romantic style in the second phase. It will be concluded by Denimworks’ jeans featuring unique craftsmanship and ella épeler’s totem illustrations.
2018 Brand Story—Macao Original Fashion Exhibition：
I.N.K Exhibition theme – “BATTLE: expedition”:
This time I.N.K presents its themed series by “chapters” instead of “seasons” hoping to tell a story in a more complete way. The theme is inspired by the 50s’ military garments. The designer redefines the fashion marked by solemnity with humourous designs featuring odd-length, disproportionate and misplaced parts, as well as eye-catching accessories adapted from military buckled belts.
The theme not only carries the military spirit of toughness, but also elements of Hip-hop music, namely, of impromptu street rap battles, which are exchanges intended to get audience’s cheers. The fashion series of this exhibition adds creativity to graffiti and sport cultures, innovating Hip Hop music culture with the 90s’ cutting style.
The series uses jungle green, vermilion, grey, black among other colours used for military purpose. Military coats made of soft alpaca wool, coupled with skateboard pants of lazy, casual denim and hooded sweater of cozy cotton build a new fashion in a leisure city. Classic MA-1 and M-65 flight jackets are transformed with elastic nylon, breaking away from the stereotypically grave image of military clothing.
Besides, this first series adopts the flower symbol of Macao as the theme, demonstrating the culture underlying the city’s fashion brands. The designer links Macao, fashion and taste of life with “ink”, suggesting the flying of the flag for fashion, and the start of the brand’s “expedition”.
JADE.L Exhibition theme – “Gentlewomen”:
The theme is inspired by feminism of the 19th century, when women’s dressing became increasingly gender-neutral with fewer constraints under the influence of men’s dressing style.
Referring to the dressing style of the then British gentlemen, the designer applies the ideas of frock and cape coats in the details of the women’s clothing in an attempt to blend feminine glamour with unpretentiousness and competence in the series. The double faced wool, as a main clothing fabric, carries the visual effect of haziness like the view on a smoggy day, while the overall yellowish grey colour of the series gives a fuzzy and confusing impression.
The exhibition is set in a way reminiscent of the smoggy atmosphere in the time of industrial development, accompanied by the assorted wheat and flaxen exhibits which being in sunlight, help create a dim, yellow space of warmth. It makes visitors feel as if they were back in the 19th century, experiencing the fusion of modern and vintage fashions in the era of mystery and simplicity.