Top 10 Promising Asian Designers in 2011

A fresh crop of top fashion designers from the region.

Audi Fashion Festival 2011 Singapore has its fair share of not only established, but also emerging designers. To create our “Top 10 Promising Asian Designers” list, we’ve shortlisted the most promising up-and-coming talents with fashion-forward vision that stand out from the rest.

At the Star Creation show – a fashion design competition that nurtures this new talent – designers had the opportunity to present their capsule collections after a year-long internship at FJ Benjamin.

Daniel Ngoo

Malaysian designer Daniel Ngoo presented her collection titled “Her Unidentified Grunge” which mixes fabrics, cuts and heavy draping to interpret the new “grunge” look.

Andrey Lim

Singapore’s Audrey Lim went with gender-bending in a Japanese-inspired “Amalgamation” collection, by marrying menswear inspired detailing with feminine silhouettes.

Kit Mu

Kit Mu from China created clean lines and lots of structure with her “Rational Life” collection with lines that are clean yet chic and look set to become wardrobe staples.

Chen Zhi Gang

Hiroyuki Watanabe

Japan’s Hiroyuki Watanabe picked up the Audi Young Designer Award 2011, while Chen Zhi Gang‘s collection from China entitled “We’re Inseparable” hac a fierce, sexy modern look punctuated with bright pops of fuchsia. The winner’s, on the other hand, “Modern Folk Costume” impressed the judges (and us) so much with its concept, originality and bold ethnic-inspired prints.

Anindya Intan

Karn Karnjanamai

Two amazing finalists in this year’s Star Creation that stood out were Anindya Intan from Indonesia who sent “Scouts Honor” down the runway in relaxed but strong styles, along with Thai designer Karn Karnjanamai’s “Jabkang – The Laborer Culture” which was an interestingly functional but stylish take on construction workers’ outfits.

Maheshika Thudawa

From the LASALLE’s BA(Hons) Graduate Fashion Show, Maheshika Thudawa now looks set to win hearts with her “Exquisite Enchantment” with clothes that are very romantic and ethereal – her attention to detail and level of craftsmanship extremley impressive.

Sevwandi Wimalaratne

Sevwandi Wimalaratne’s “Revival” collection also stands out in its own way for its colorful dresses in geometrical lines and shapes that look set to walk straight off the catwalk and into our wardrobes.

Shadeena Ann Mendis

Finally, Shadeena Ann Mendis succeeds in turning traditional batik prints and lively hues and motifs into an unexpectedly modern combination. All in all, a wonder for the eyes!