Mindful Maker

Amiable and altruistic, Pearly Wong is the girl next door making a splash overseas with her sustainable designs and philanthropic partnerships, affirms Samantha Lim.

- Samantha Lim

In true pearly wong fashion, the intrinsic ingredients are ever-present: loose-fitting fabrics, fluid shapes, a high-energy soundtrack with a thumping bass, and an unconventional catwalk that forces straight-faced models to make sharp, sudden turns, tracing geometric shapes in their stead and showing off the garments from every advantageous angle. The Pearly Wong Sze Women of Hope collection is, however, Wong’s maiden collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Exhibiting exceptional empathy, Wong and her team took refugee artisans from Myanmar and Pakistan under their wing, providing the displaced persons with vocational training plus a platform to vend their products. Linguistic barriers occasionally left both parties speechless, but visuals would often save the day.