12 up-and-coming young Asian designers you need to know

Here’s the great thing about fashion: there’s always space for everyone. While we love our storied fashion houses and discovering the new collections at the four major cities during Fashion Week, we are just as excited by buzzy, young Asian designers. They bring their own perspective and views on the world, and are always finding new and creative ways to impress, provoke and inspire.

Beyond having their finger on the pulse of what younger customers tend to want, these budding designers are also able to offer a uniquely-Asian take on fashion, thanks to their background and understanding of certain cultural nuances.

Below, we round up a couple of young Asian designers from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, India and China who are making waves in the local and international scene, and are worthy of keeping an eye out for.

1. byū

As the winner of last year’s Harper’s BAZAAR NewGen Award design competition, one of the opportunities that byū’s founder Lim Su Hui got to experience was to develop her collection into a fashion brand that now retails in the heart of Singapore’s shopping belt, at Design Orchard. “byū embodies the idea of blending elegance with low to zero-waste pattern-making practices for everyday wear, harmonising with the beauty of Singapore’s landscape,” she told BAZAAR Singapore, and this has translated into a wardrobe of easy, featherweight separates light enough to be worn in our tropical humidity. Her first collection, titled ‘Homeland’, pays homage to the surroundings of Fort Canning Hill, where the Hindu-Buddhist architectural influences transcend into muted, zen-like colours in geometrically-cut silhouettes.

2. Fassbender & Mellon Collie

Fassbender & Mellon Collie is a labour of love from 27-year-old Singaporean Ethan Lee. After he got a taste of tie-dying in a workshop some years back, Lee dived into the artform and created his own line of naturally-dyed separates. Unlike most designers, Lee’s approach to dying involves using ice, which helps to diffuse the colour into the fabric in an almost-Rorschach-esque manner. He documents his process on Instagram, and occasionally incorporates silkscreen graphics on his one-off designs as well.

3. Denise Chong

Beads have made a comeback thanks to the resurgence of Y2K sensibilities, but Singaporean designer and artist Denise Chong is one of the few people pushing the limits of this material. Her first step in the spotlight came when she designed a showstopping dress for local actress Chantalle Ng at the Star Awards 2023, which stirred netizens up over its unconventional beaded materials and its sensual silhouette. She has crafted several ready-to-wear clothing and accessories purely made out of beads and in high-fashion silhouettes, all of which are available on her online store

4. Dickson Lim

Hailing from across the causeway is Dickson Lim, whose eponymous fashion brand has been charting a steady path with exciting, innovative menswear. While most men’s fashion brands rarely stray too far from the straight and narrow, Lim’s approach is to take the suits that guys know and love, and twist it, turn it, and deconstruct it to create fascinating new pieces. From blazers that wrap around the body like a cocoon to pants that kick out into pleats, nothing is ever “business as usual” with this designer.

5. RUIbuilt

The rising Chinese designer has already dressed the likes of musicians Cardi B and SZA in her iconic webbed pieces, and judging by her latest collection, there’s no stopping Rui Zhou and her brand, RUIbuilt. Her pieces are instantly recognisable as Zhou has cultivated a signature look that involves pinning small pieces of gauzy knits together to create intricate puzzles that become dresses, skirts, jumpsuits and so on. Zhou’s designs embrace sensuality, without crassness or shock value, and continues to encourage wearers to explore their own relationships with their bodies through fashion.

6. Louis Shengtao Chen

For a brand that’s only in its third year, Louis Shengtao Chen is already making plenty of waves, thanks to a slew of celeb clients including Lalisa and Chinese actor Tan Jianci. There’s often a thread of romanticism in his collections, which manifests in the forms of densely-embroidered 3D roses, dramatic ruffles or giant bow-like sculptures. Silhouettes veer on the side of womanly—think mermaid-cut skirts, wiggle dresses and so on.

7. Ahluwalia

Indian-Nigerian designer Priya Ahluwalia founded her brand in 2018, and according to the designer, “represents the intersection between near and far, past and present.” What this means is that she draws heavily from her culture—be it folklore, fabrics or techniques—to inform her designs, which often come in a cacophony of colour, textures and prints that put the fun back into fashion.

8. La Lune

Little wonder why Vietnam-based fashion brand La Lune is a hit with Gen Z shoppers: the fashion brand embraces the Y2K aesthetic in ways that feel fresh and intriguing. In a La Lune collection, you’d expect to find Gen Z go-tos such as bustiers, distressed and deconstructed denim, handkerchief skirts and so on, but where it gets interesting is in the way the brand creates one-of-a-kind pieces using 3D-printing methods. From this, creations such a top with snaking rose buds or a horn-festooned top are certain to turn heads.

9. Drunk Dad

Based out of Jakarta, Drunk Dad was started mid-pandemic by ex-fashion editor Raynard Randynata as a creative outlet. The brand draw its name from a lyric found in the song “Theme For A Taiwanese Woman In Lime Green” by singer Devendra Banhart, and what started out as his project to create clothes for himself quickly attracted a cult following, thanks to the brand’s witty take on fashion. His designs focus mainly on separates with a twist—think tees with beaded flowers, screen-printed shirts and so on. There is a certain normalness that Drunk Dad plays upon, but it’s never boring. Striped shirts that you might find in your father’s wardrobe now come with an asymmetric button placket, or the Gen Z-favourite mini skirt is given a drawstring bubble hem.

10. 3Mongkis

3MONGKIS is one of those brands where if you know them, you’ll love them. It’s under the radar, but has amassed a fanbase of customers who seek out its pieces in Jakarta and Bali outposts. Founded by designer Hetty Awi, the look often trades on what’s hyped amongst younger customers—maxi skirts, acid-wash denim and so on—but the pieces are also imbued with a coolness that remains approachable. Edgier kids will love the daring cropped tops and micro minis, but those who want something a little bit more demure will defer to the collared shirts, pastel dresses and so on.

11. Landmee

Started by Netdaw Vattanasimakon, this Thai brand is a hot favourite amongst the likes of it girl celebs like Lalisa and actress Tontawan. Landmee’s collections always play on romance, exploring central motifs of bows, lace and ruffles in past collections. Yet in Vattanasimakon’s hands, they’re blown up to over-the-top proportions, or include unexpected details and tactile embellishments.

12. Janesuda

Janesuda is the eponymous fashion brand that was started by Thai actress Janesuda Parnto, and today, the brand is a go-to for feminine, elegant pieces. Lace dresses, floral twinsets and frilly tops are all expected in many of the collections and even the simplest pieces come in saccharine colours and patterns that promise to brighten your day.

This article was originally published in Harper’s Bazaar Singapore.