On a night when you could slice the excitement with a knife, or the proverbial couture needle, fifteen of Hong Kong's emerging design talents converged for the Young Fashion Designers' Contest 2017 awards at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, before a table of top industry players and tastemakers, and iconic Japanese designer, MUG, who was the night's VIP.

MUG, a veteran of the Japan fashion scene through her own sassy label G.V.G.V, carried by Hong Kong's I.T Group, also judges contests at Tokyo's legendary Bunka fashion college, the design laboratory where Issey Miyake, Rei Kawakubo and Yohji Yamamoto cut their textural teeth. How did she find the comparison between Tokyo and Hong Kong's designers in 2017. "I found them very close," she says. "The work has similar attention to details and fabrics, and some feels very commercial. You could sell some of the work straight away that I've seen today," she told ISBN, one hour before heralding Hong Kong's design champion.

Which in this case was Arto Wong Hiu To, also winner of the New Talent award, whose collection (left) elevated the mise-en-scene to another level. Her looks graced the runway, a quartet of canvases in quiet harmony. Already a full-time designer, Wong was inspired by the possibilities of transforming molecules into matter. She played with weight and proportion for the ruffles in her knitwear and created patterns from scratch which formed vivid and striking motifs. Voluminous yet light and uplifting, the collection [Zero to Unlimited] and its energy derived from a less-is-more, stealth philosophy. Small molecules, big moment and Wong finds herself HK$35,000 richer, receives mentorship from Joyce boutique to develop a capsule collection of shoes. She will also make a study trip abroad, which includes a visit to G.V.G.V studio, courtesy of Sun Hing Knitting Factory Limited.

Where Wong was stealthy and linear in mind and material, other designers couldn't raid their cupboards fast enough and lacked the same coherence. Stuff was piled high and low, like multiple walking catalogues; one particular standout though was Sonic Lam's outsized red bag [Barren Land], which helped him win First Runner-up prize. There were great themes and ideas elsewhere, too - Jason Lee [Kingdom of the Underground] asked the question: what if grunge rocker Kurt Cobain found himself living in Qing Dynasty China? While the answer wasn't nirvana, Lee's looks, a sort of mashed-up 'China grunge', won him the Best Footwear Design Award (right). 

Murfi Lau enacted iconic singer and actor Leslie Cheung as inspiration, exploring the idea of fluid sexuality through gold foil embroidery and cheongsam tailoring techniques [Les Lie]; Helianthus To treated humans as scientific experiments [Lab Rats] in silk organza and yarn, along with ropes and hangar knots, symbolising transparency and constraint. A dotted pattern on the trousers spelled out the Morse Code for "lost" and "SOS", suggesting a cry for help. Oddly, they felt more like angels than laboratory agents and more serene than sterilised. Yoyo Ng [Humeur} reacted to the distorted reality wrought by social media in overlapping and asymmetrical techniques distinguished by digital print, silver foil and netted heads. A particular shout-out must go to Ayumi Kwan [Primordial Hue], an environmentalist whose coral-influenced renderings in an array of pastel felting, hand-painted and weaved embroidery, were as popped-out as Murakami, and surreal as big, fluffy soft toys. The other prevailing trend was black, tribal, utility, functional, sportswear-y street, in styles reminiscent of Yamamoto's Y3, both in Wong Ka Wai [Streamline], and Second Runner-up winner Wilson Choi [The Stolen Soul]. 

A vibrant, compelling and vivid night for Hong Kong fashion was concluded by MUG addressing the designers. She said each should "try to express their own style through designs that are true to themselves". She noted the originality of Arto Wong's winning knit collection which she said showcased "originality, personal style and market value", and believes Wong is destined for a buzzy career. She also added a word of caution, too. "While marketability is important, designers should not easily be influenced by trends, nor should they find ways to adapt their works to the trends." Ultimately, Wong's collection, Zero to Unlimited, dressed not just the body but best expressed the mindset of the competing designers - four of whom represent The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HK PolyU) - and watching students, too.