Lasalle fashion student wins Harper’s Bazaar NewGen Award with zero-waste designs
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Harper's Bazaar Singapore's editor-in-chief Kenneth Goh with award winner Lim Su Hui. The judges chose the eco-friendly and sustainable collection named Homeland (right) from the designer's label byu.
PHOTOS: ASHLEY MAK/HARPER'S BAZAAR, LMSUHUI/INSTAGRAM
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SINGAPORE – Creating an eco-friendly and sustainable collection paved the way for fashion designer Lim Su Hui to be crowned the 2023 winner of the Harper’s Bazaar NewGen Award.
The 23-year-old from Lasalle College of the Arts beat five other finalists to win the title on Nov 16, taking home $10,000 in cash and a sponsorship worth $55,000 for a 15-month master’s degree course at fashion and design school Istituto Marangoni’s London campus.
The local fashion design and textiles student will get to showcase the collection, named Homeland, from her label byu in a Harper’s Bazaar Singapore fashion spread. Her designs will also be retailed at Design Orchard in early 2024.
Miss Lim’s innovative designs impressed the judges – Ms Vanessa Lim, general manager of communications at Chanel, Singaporean couturier Lai Chan, Harper’s Bazaar Singapore’s editor-in-chief Kenneth Goh and the publication’s creative director Windy Aulia – with her creativity and the viability of her business plans.
Said Mr Goh: “In pursuit of a more circular approach to sustainable fashion, Su Hui went for a zero-waste practice in pattern-cutting. With her final collection inspired by the architecture, shape, form, history and colours of Fort Canning, she created a romantic collection of dresses and separates that stood out for its sophisticated palette and fluid shapes.”
The judges chose Homeland as the winning work because of the designer’s “beautiful medley of storytelling, coupled with a deep respect for iconic spaces in Singapore and a steadfast belief that beauty does not have to come at the price of gratuitous wastage”, added Mr Goh.
Now in its 10th year, the Harper’s Bazaar NewGen Award started as an initiative to spotlight and uplift the best of new design talent. The annual event provides aspiring fashion designers a platform to showcase their talent and build up their business acumen.
This year’s finalists participated in a month-long mentorship programme by Harper’s Bazaar Singapore and French luxury brand Chanel that equipped them with the skills to navigate the fashion industry, such as social media strategy and content management, branding and marketing.
