Celine Kwan: 40 Under 40 2022

Fashion designer Celine Kwan made her mark on Hong Kong’s creative landscape with her daring silhouettes and vibrant colours. Her eclectic designs have garnered reverence from such names as Lizzo and Melanie Martinez. After showing at Paris Fashion Week last season, her work was noticed by Fashion Asia, the government-supported initiative that acts as an incubator for young designers, which earned her a spot on the Top 10 Asian Designers to Watch listing.

At the age of 13, Kwan left Hong Kong to attend boarding school in the UK. There, she discovered a fascination for fine arts and design – “if I wasn’t painting, I was sewing,” she says. Her passion and natural aptitude led her to Central Saint Martins, where she honed her skills and was soon noticed by brands such as Roksanda, Shrimps and Viktor & Rolf Atelier, which offered her placements. This behind-the-scenes experience led her to share with the world her inspiration of fun and joy with a “nonsensical aspect”. In future, she hopes to push boundaries even further by incorporating sustainable technologies and 3D printing into her designs, and possibly introducing a range of digital wearables.

Being a young brand owner comes with specific challenges, such as logistics, supply chain and production, not to mention the internal struggles and self-doubt – Kwan dubs them her “biggest hurdle” – she had to overcome. It motivated her to push forward: “I often look at my past work and collections to see what I can improve, how I can innovate this technique,” she says. “There’s always something that can be enhanced.”

Not surprisingly, Kwan’s days can be hectic. She wakes early, sometimes spinning in the morning, then travels to Sham Shui Po to source fabrics and other essentials for her creations. Then she goes either to her studio to sew, drape or draw up new designs, or to the factory where she monitors the production process.

And wherever she goes, no matter how chaotic her days might be, she always carries a crochet kit. “You’ll see me crocheting in the MTR, in the car and even when I’m eating,” she says. “I usually end my day with more crocheting or sewing.”

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