Hong Kong-based digital fashion program FabriX wants designers to connect with Metaverse – WWD

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Reflecting the growing importance of digital innovation and the fashion metaverse, Hong Kong’s creative hub PMQ will showcase the first designs from FabriX on Thursday.

From Thursday to September 11, the immersive physical installation will be centered around PMQ Hong Kong and will be distributed online through digital platforms and partner social media platforms.

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, project director Shin Wong, a Taipei-born, New Zealand-raised curator who has led the city’s “D Tour” design festival since 2015, realized there was a lot of awareness but a lack of knowledge surrounding digital fashion in Hong Kong and other Asian fashion. In centers.

“[Designers] You know about it, but you’re not sure how to get started. And it was very difficult for them to get investment [to develop in this field]She told WWD ahead of the exhibition, which will feature a class of 12 designers from the first edition.

Funded by Create Hong Kong, an agency for the development of the city’s creative agencies established by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Fabrics’ main objective is to support fashion businesses and open new revenue streams. Conceptual level using digital creation tools to catalog items found in unique marketplaces such as The Dematerialized.

Although several digital fashion projects have been launched since the start of the pandemic, “it was important not to jump on a bandwagon; [being] Time to deliver the experience [to the public] But it’s also about teaching designers how to benefit from the whole process,” explains stylist and creative consultant Declan Chan, who serves as the project’s fashion curator.

So the program aims to connect the dots for society, for whom digital clothing – let alone Metavas – remains a confusing concept.

Therefore, the addition of explanatory sessions on Metaverse, the impact of digital fashion on the industry and how to respond to these new questions will be offered to students, designers and the general public between Friday and Sunday.

The 12 designers who participated in the inaugural edition of Hong Kong-based digital fashion program FabriX.

An open call for the first edition of FabriX resulted in 60 proposals, which were whittled down to 12 by the project’s selection panel of creative, fashion and retail experts.

The winning proposals were those that showed “a vision of how to translate their style into a digital setting — creating something more magical,” Wong said. “It was important to see that they could use it [digital fashion] As an update to the existing brand DNA,” rather than using the medium as a shortcut to add more styles to the lineup.

This year’s selection includes womenswear from Cadylee, Celine Kwan and LoomLoop; menswear labels Demo, Harrison Wong, Kay Kwok, Shek Leung and Wilsonkaki; urban clothing specialist Nielmans Studio; Christian Stone, designer of Gender Fluid; Street culture-influenced YMDH, and accessories Jüü Jü.

Another requirement was that designers already have an existing business, though an exception was made for Lee, who recently graduated, whose bold real-life textile experiments and distorted images feel like they belong in cyberspace, Chan said.

As Adama ensured the project’s global footprint, Wong and Chan selected influencers and organizers to bring these designs to life through social media, including London-based Suzy Lau, Japanese journalist Yu Masui, and Chengdu-based Xiao Yang. Long-term support for emerging design and future-leaning personal style.

In the future, Shin took Fabrics to other locations, naming Tokyo as a destination for shows. But beyond providing more exposure for existing designers, Shin wants the project to spark deeper conversations with schools in Hong Kong and across Asia, where she sees the importance of teaching aspiring designers digital fashion tools.

“Many young designers want to create digital objects, but [the process] It’s too expensive for them, especially when they don’t know the tools,” Wong said. “Schools in Hong Kong have started teaching them but it’s still very good. [rudimentary] And it’s going to take a few years before they’re up to speed,” she continued, noting that discussions are underway to speed up delivery through FabriX.

After the physical exhibition, this year’s 12 capsule collections will be released to digital fashion marketplace The Dematerialized on September 15, before rolling out to DressX and Asia-based NFT marketplace BlueArc in the coming weeks.



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