“Thai Silk Crossover” Collections by Hong Kong Fashion Designers to debut at Bangkok “In Style • Hong Kong” Gala Dinner in October

15 September 2016 – Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), “In Style • Hong Kong”, a large-scale promotion,  will run from 3 to 9 October 2016 in Bangkok to showcase a range of Hong Kong lifestyle products as well as business services to Thai entrepreneurs and consumers. Six collections by renowned Hong Kong fashion designers will be featured in a “Thai Silk Crossover”, a display of works created from the traditional Thai fabric, symbolising the “In Style • Hong Kong” theme of style, creativity, and collaboration between Thailand and Hong Kong. Thailand Textile Institute will be the co-organising partner for the fashion parade.

To highlight the smooth and soft texture of Thai silk, the fabric is used in Koyo William Cheung, Polly Ho and Mountain Yam’s casual wear designs. Doris Kath Chan, Bonita Cheung and Henry Lau will demonstrate the elegance and aristocracy of Thai silk evening dresses. The “Thai Silk Crossover” collections will be showcased to some 450 Thai and Hong Kong government and business leaders during the Gala Dinner (by-invitation) on 6 October under the theme “Hong Kong: Day and Night”. Miss Hong Kong 2015, Louisa Mak will be among the models in the fashion parade.

Koyo William Cheung: When elegance meets rock and roll style
Koyo William Cheung is a famous fashion designer and style leader in Hong Kong. He was invited to do styling for well-known artists, singers and celebrities. Koyo William was one of the Ten Outstanding Designers at the Hong Kong Art & Design Festival in 2013. Last year, he launched his Spring/Summer 2016 collection at the Tokyo Fashion Week. In his “Thai Silk Crossover” collection, Koyo William will integrate French romance and gothic rock to give a chic and heavy metal feel. He will be also making good use of the soft and comfortable Thai silk to make his designs light and handy.

Polly Ho: Merging Thai silk with Canton silk
Polly Ho is a graduate from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, who has pursued further study at the University of Central England. Passionate about designs mixing traditional craftsmanship of the heritage Canton silk with a modern approach, Polly founded LOOM LOOP with Melancholiandy in 2014. Led by the HKTDC’s Fashion Hong Kong promotional campaign, Polly Ho’s designs have reached the runways of several international fashion week events, including Tokyo Fashion Week 2015 and New York Fashion Week 2016. Holding a strong belief that every piece of fabric has its own story, she is merging the Thai silk with Canton silk in her collection to mirror the diversity and inclusiveness of Hong Kong.

Mountain Yam: Developing own unique prints on Thai silk
Mountain Yam, also a graduate from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, has pursued further study at the Fashion Institute of Technologies (FIT) in New York and previously worked as designer for the international brand ANTEPRIMA. He was the finalist of the Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest (YDC) organised by the HKTDC in 2009. In 2011, he established his own label 112 mountainyam. For Mountain Yam, Thai silk is a precious and delicate fabric that could unleash creativity in design. Therefore, he is developing his own prints on Thai silk to design contemporary casual wear.

Doris Kath Chan: Modernising traditional Thai silk
Doris Kath Chan is a talented young fashion designer. She has won the Young Talent Award (Haute Couture Group) and is studying Fashion Design Womenswear at the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London . Doris Kath Chan showcased her collection at the Copenhagen Fashion Week in 2015 and 2016. Seeing Thai silk as a traditional fabric with modern patterns, she will apply a wide range of colours including pink, blue and white to create designs with versatile styles.

Bonita Cheung: Highlighting Intense colour combinations of Thai silk
Bonita Cheung first presented her collection in 1998 during the HKTDC Hong Kong Fashion Week. Famous for her eveningwear designs, celebrities and stars like Michele Reis, Gigi Lai and Cathy Lee Chui were her loyal followers. Participating in large-scale shows in New York, Sydney, Dubai and Beijing places her designs on the international map of fashion. Bonita Cheung sees fashion as more than a piece of fabric or a trend, but a style. She aspires to present a pleasant surprise in her designs while highlighting the intense colour gradients of Thai silk.

Henry Lau: Thai silk as a Thai signature
Henry Lau is one of the top fashion designers in Hong Kong. Inspired by the details of everyday life, he enjoys injecting theatrical and experimental elements into his collections through the use of special themes and stories. Having worked with numerous internationally renowned brands, such as Cartier, Debeers, Tiffany & Co, Cotton USA, Chicks and more, he has also participated in the famous reality show “America’s Next Top Model”. Henry Lau thinks that Thai silk is a signature of Thailand, and he will preserve the tradition and aristocracy of the fabric while incorporating modern elements into his “Thai Silk Crossover” designs.  

The Gala Dinner will also feature “Lifestyle Chemistry”, an interactive display window featuring live models, to present selected lifestyle brands from the HKTDC Design Gallery, including Adamo 3D Bag Original, Chailie Ho, Glush/, Louella Odié, SAGA and SiliBAG.

Experience Hong Kong’s dynamic & cosmopolitan lifestyle
Starting from 3 October and continuing through 9 October, the “Hong Kong Galleria” featuring Hong Kong fashion, lifestyle products and gourmet will be launched at Siam Paragon shopping mall in Bangkok. An e-wardrobe will be placed for Thai consumers to try out collections presented by the six designers and to take photos. Consumers can also experience the convenience of O2O (online-to-offline) shopping for selected lifestyle products from HKTDC Design Gallery via Lazada.co.th and hktdc.com Small Orders. Complimentary tea tasting and food tasting sponsored by Lee Kum Kee should also not be missed.

From now until 31 October, renowned fashion brands Bossini, Episode, Esprit, Giordano, G2000 and Jessica, as well as popular watch retail brand City Chain and optical boutiques eGG and Optical 88 will offer a variety of attractive offers. Online Dining Guide OpenRice Thailand (openrice.co.th) has enticed more than 10 local Hong Kong-style restaurants such as B.Duck Café and Tim Ho Wan to join the Citywide Promotion by offering special menus and discounts. For more information, please visit the “In Style • Hong Kong” website, http://www.instyle-hk.com or follow us on Facebook: HKTDC Bangkok. The Hong Kong Tourism Board will also host a promotion at the Siam Paragon to showcase Hong Kong as a top travel destination for Thai tourists.

Media Enquiries
Hong Kong: Please contact the HKTDC's Communication and Public Affairs Department:

Joe Kainz     Tel: (852) 2584 4216           Email: joe.kainz@hktdc.org

Bangkok: Please contact Vero Public Relations

Piyachat Nambundid      Tel: 0 2684 1552-2 ext 21, Mobile: 0 86 093 9019         

Email: piyachat@veropr.com

Papatsorn Pisutpunya     Tel: 0 2684 1551 ext. 19, Mobile: 0 89 499 8349

                                       Email: papatsorn@veropr.com        

HKTDC Media Room: http://mediaroom.hktdc.com/

About the HKTDC
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) celebrates its 50^th anniversary this year. The HKTDC is the international marketing arm for Hong Kong-based traders, manufacturers and services providers. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China and throughout Asia. The HKTDC also organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in overseas markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus.