August Asian fashion designers

August Asian designers

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The fashion stars seem to be shining extra brightly in August as these fashion bigwigs were all born in the same month. Here's why they should be lauded — just for being them. 

Here’s to your birthdays, August babies!

Anna Sui

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Born: 4 August 1952

She’s dressed everyone from Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell, to Gigi and Bella Hadid. Time magazine listed her as one of its Top 5 Fashion Icons of the 2000s. And in 2009, the Detroit native was honoured with the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s (CFDA) Lifetime Achievement Award.

The graduate from Parsons The New School for Design has a fashion empire spanning clothing, footwear and even beauty lines — with the iconic rose motifs on black packaging — that are worth some US$400 million.

In her words: “My whole thing is that I’m kind of like a show-off! If I’m excited about something, I want to pass on that same thrill,” she said of her design philosophy in a CNN interview in 2004.

Photo: annasui/Instagram

 

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John Rocha

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Born: 23 August 1953

This Hong Kong-born, Ireland-based fashion designer got his start in the 1980s with his own label, and in 1993 was crowned Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. He announced his retirement in 2014, during a time which critics have said he was producing his best work.

However, he has kept on working, and his line is carried in British departmental store, Debenhams. There, you’ll find pret-a-porter for both women and men, as well as home wares. He’s clearly passed his flair for fashion on, as his daughter Simone is a well-known designer herself.

In his words: “I've always had an interest in fashion, from the wonderful mohair suit my grandmother made for me to a funky Afghan coat I once wore. But the opportunity to study psychiatric nursing arose when I was 17 and I jumped at this chance to move from Hong Kong to the UK, to get as close to London as I could. So that I could be in the same country as the Beetles, and where everything seemed to be happening,” he told Image magazine in 2018.

Photo: johnrochastore/Instagram

 

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Simon Chang

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Birthday: 3 August 1947

Born in Guangzhou, this Chinese fashion designer draws inspiration from Broadway musicals, art and street fashion. Currently based in Montreal, he’s listed as one of Canada’s most successful commercial designers — one who has turned out over 300 womenswear collections.

In 2008, Governor General Michaëlle Jean presented him with the Order of Canada medal “for his contributions to the fashion industry as well as for his philanthropic and social engagement”.

In his words:  “It’s our industry’s responsibility to excite people,” he told the Global Atlanta in 2009. “I think we send out a message of hope.”

Photo: bansgran/Instagram

 

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Fong Leng

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Birthday: 13 August 1937

This Chinese-Dutch designer kicked off her fashion career in 1969, opening a boutique within a drugstore in Nieuwendijk, Amsterdam. Today, she’s known for creating luxurious looks such as cloak dresses in expensive materials like silk, featuring embellishments such as marabou feathers and fur.

Her clients often include high-society women like Mathilde Willink, the wife of Dutch painter Carel Willink; and celebrities like British singer-songwriter Kate Bush.

In her words: “I have never identified myself with fashion or trends. I was always far ahead of my time and therefore could not tell what trends would become,“ she told Independent Fashion Daily in 2013.

Photo: fong_leng/Instagram

 

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Michael Cinco

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Birthday: 27 August 1971

The Dubai-based couturier originally from the Philippines has appeared in the Next Top Model franchise — both in Asia and in the US. He launched his label in 2003, and since then has made a name for himself with an inimitable, extravagant aesthetic. His Fall/Winter 2017 Haute Couture collection, for instance, paid homage to the Palace of Versailles.

He doesn’t shy away from creating designs that are rife with crystals, and so it’s no wonder that he’s the go-to guy to dress royalty in Dubai. His roster of international celebrity clients includes Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Aishwarya Rai, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Tyra Banks, and Naomi Campbell.

In his words: “I always had the mindset of a fashion designer even as a child while growing up in Samar in the southern part of the Philippines. I frolicked along the seashores, gazing at rainbows and reveling in their magnificence. I only had a black and white TV at home where I watched Audrey Hepburn and other glamorous actresses in classic Hollywood films. The vivid colors of the rainbow inspired me to drench these monochrome films in colour and create amazing designs in my child’s imagination,” he said in 2015 in an interview with Khaleejesque.

Photo: michael5inco/Instagram

 

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Auguste Soesastro

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Birthday: 10 August 1981

He made his debut at New York Fashion Week in 2009, considers himself a feminist who’s against female objectification, and is known for sleek designs in neutral palettes.

The Jakarta-born-and-based designer who has worked for the likes of Givenchy (and who’s shown his designs to Michelle Obama) is proud of his heritage, often featuring handwoven fabrics from Indonesia in his clothes. He’s environmentally conscious as well, using biodegradable textiles made of pineapple and water hyacinth.

In his words: “I’m more of a handyman. I like to spend my time at home, in t-shirt and shorts, making patterns and cutting fabrics,” he told the Jakarta Globe in 2016.

Photo: melanisetiawan/Instagram

 

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Adrienne Wu

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Birthday: 9 August 1990

This Canadian fashion wunderkind whose family came from Hong Kong lists everyone from mum, Jean Carole Wu, to famous author Margaret Atwood as inspirations. The unconventional Wu prefers to be gender-neutral — preferring to be referred to as “they” instead of “s/he”.

Wu’s designs and aesthetics are just as unconventional — in March, the brand's series of lookbook images included a male model in Wu’s clothes, but with pants around the hips or unzipped to expose the crotch (the naughty bits were censored to be Instagram-friendly, natch).

In their words: “I’m fascinated with inhuman qualities and fantasy. I’ve always loved X-Men,” Wu told Quill & Quire in 2012.

Photo: wumingbong/Instagram

 

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Jun Ashida

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Birthday: 21 August 1930

This Japanese fashion designer is tight with Japan’s royal family — he provided garments for Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan, in 1965; and for 10 years from 1966, was the exclusive designer for Empress Michiko, when she was Crown Princess.

In 1991, he was awarded the Purple Ribbon Medal, the highest award one can receive in Japan for cultural and artistic achievements. Rather than flashy fashion statements, this revered designer’s aesthetic is one of elegance, harmony and practicality.

In his words: “Maybe other designers have more fantasy; I may be too serious… But I am designing for myself, and sending a message from my heart,” he told The New York Times in a 2002 interview.

Photo: Jun Ashida's website

 

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