Talents of Tomorrow

Ten promising designers from Asia are trying to prove they can hold their own among the perennial fashion week giants of Paris and Milan

- Rosana Lai

Look at the fashion week coverage this season and a discerning viewer might notice something different. Sandwiched on the Paris calendar between world-famous labels Chanel and Miu Miu, for instance, is Jarel Zhang, a futuristic streetwear label helmed by a Chinese designer. Rokh, the South Korean brand that supermodel Gigi Hadid has been sporting lately, is scheduled just before Christian Dior.

In 2015, Chinese couturier Guo Pei was one of only a handful of Asian names on the lips of fashion aficionados, propelled to further global acclaim after Rihanna walked the Met Gala red carpet in a magnificent yellow cape-gown of her design. But recent years have seen the notoriously selective fashion capitals of Milan and Paris offer a wider embrace of new talents from all over Asia, not only to tap into their fresh perspectives, but also to attract new clients hailing from the region’s growing middle class. Meanwhile, governments of Asian capitals have also thrown their support behind local creative talents, funding platforms like Seoul and Shanghai fashion weeks, which have become important events in their own right and thrust more emerging design stars onto the global stage.