5 Brands To Watch From Hong Kong’s Biggest Fashion Showcase, CENTRESTAGE

CENTERSTAGE is back, proving there’s so much more to see outside of “The Big Four” fashion weeks. Home to more skyscrapers than any other city in the world and nicknamed “Asia’s World City” for good reason, the vibrant vertical playground that is Hong Kong undoubtedly keeps pace with fashion capitals New York City, Paris, Milan, and London. Hypebae recently traveled to the beautifully chaotic megalopolis, where we attended the ninth edition of CENTRESTAGE, the annual fashion showcase and trade show organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and sponsored by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA).

This year’s four-day fashion extravaganza set up shop within the gigantic Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, which overlooks the skyscraper-studded Victoria Harbor front. More than 250 up-and-coming names from Hong Kong, across Asia, and beyond unveiled their latest collections via runway shows, fashion presentations, on the racks at the massive fairground.

Below, we revisit some of our favorite CENTRESTAGE moments and share the designers whose talent soars like the city’s cloud-piercing skyline, proving that Hong Kong always belongs on the fashion map.

CENTRESTAGE perpetually kicks off with a bang with the anticipated CENTRESTAGE ELITES grand opening runway show, which spotlights established designers and, in previous editions, has featured collections from Seoul’s JUUN.J, Tokyo’s Facetasm and Fetico, and New York City’s Altuzarra. It was a high-style homecoming for this year’s headliner, the Hong Kong-born, London-based Robert Wun, who made history in 2023 as the first Hong Kong designer to present at Haute Couture Week in Paris and who has outfitted Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Doja Cat, Cardi B, and Adele, just to name a famous few. Coinciding with the bold and beautiful brand’s 10th anniversary, Wun presented his fittingly titled “Homecoming” collection, a tribute to his grandmother that was inspired by “the indomitable spirit and resilience of Hong Kong women,” the “cultural balance of strength and elegance” of Hong Kongers, and Hong Kong’s vibrant arts scene.

A shadowy soundtrack filled the red-light-drenched space as brooding models, including Japanese-American singer and model Mika Hashizume, walked the runway in head-turning numbers at a slow, sinister pace. The mysterious, glamorous and downright thrilling collection featured “Formation” meets Lydia Deetz-esque hats and glittering veils, seriously cinched bodices, and runway-sweeping, crystal-embroidered trains for days. The whole experience was like watching sculptural works of art—including jagged, apocalypse-ready umbrellas—come down the runway, making the off-site venue of The Hong Kong Palace Museum all the more fitting.

A handful of exciting local brands debuted theatrical collections at the Fashion Hong Kong designer showcase. Still, designer Angus Tsui’s eponymous, buzzy and sustainably designed futurewear was the showstopper, nailing it in the cinematic, sci-fi chic department. This makes sense when you learn that his SS25 experimental collection was an homage to the brand’s biggest influence, Swiss artist HR Giger, known for his biomechanical design elements and special effects work on Ridley Scott’s Alien. Tsui’s hyper-futuristic, structural showcase was an apocalyptic sci-fi fever dream. Think: moody, red-lipped models with wet and wackily-styled locks storming the runway to a throbbing industrial soundtrack. Envision: an array of exquisitely crafted The Matrix meets The Fifth Element alien core looks, like Chromatica Ball-esque spiky and tentacled numbers and lots of masterfully constructed vegan leather pieces, from midriffs and miniskirts to killer thigh-high boots and giant claw gloves.

Super Typhoon Yagi may have brought dark clouds and downpours to Hong Kong, but röyksopp gakkai kept things bright and contagiously cheerful for their SS25 collection named “citta-matra,” meaning “the heart” in Sanskrit. Founded in 2014 by Chan Brun, who studied knitwear design and technology at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the label’s design concept illustrates the transitional stage when a teenage girl becomes an adult. Megumi Mizusawa’s 1992 magical girl manga series Hime-chan’s Ribbon inspired the kooky and lighthearted collection, featuring cutesy prints, in-your-face brights and Little Bo Peep-ish numbers paired with Betsey Johnson-inspired styling. Supersized tulle, bows and ribbons, oh my!

Ravers with an affinity for athleticwear and bold ’80s aesthetics, “It” Hong Kong brand selfFab’s SS25 collection is for you. Named “RE-SYNTHDELIC,” the crazy, sexy, cool collection, dreamt up by selfFab founder and creative director Menu Tsai, reimagines sportswear through an ’80s-drenched techno lens. The collection features everything club kid-friendly, from Sporty Spice Gone Wild takes on the traditional tracksuit and fencing-inspired silhouettes to gothy leather tennis skirts, biker shorts and big, pop-star-friendly sunglasses. In other words, someone needs to get Billie Eilish’s stylist on the phone ASAP.

All the cool kids of Hong Kong have been wearing stylish designs from Rickyy Wong’s eponymous, ethically-made label since he launched it in 2019. The Bunka Fashion School graduate’s latest collection was made of effortlessly cool dreams and featured soothing colors, from a laser- cut denim dress to several fresh takes on men’s tailoring. While the duds skewed on the wearable side, the show’s warehouse rave-y soundtrack was downright visceral. Featuring the rhythmic, rapid beeping loudly heard at pedestrian signals at crosswalks across Hong Kong, the whole thing felt like a love letter to the beautifully chaotic city.