Hong Kong Design Centre

The fashion sector has always sought breakthroughs through collaborations, and few would disagree that music is its faithful ‘partner in crime’. Hand in hand, the two art forms have catalysed new phenomena throughout history. Successfully held in the past few months, three EarUp Music Gig On virtual concerts, organised by Renaissance Foundation - EarUp Music with Create Hong Kong as Lead Sponsor, provided an unprecedented opportunity for budding local fashion designers and musicians to crossover and spark off the best in them.

Music and fashion have always inspired and influenced each other. They are inseparable.

Having taken place in Haw Par Music, Cattle Depot Artist Village and Oil Street Art Space respectively, the concerts featured 20 crossover pairs of local bands and brands, the latter of which were all current or former incubatees of Hong Kong Design Centre’s Fashion Incubation Programme and Design Incubation Programme. The performance outfits designed by the emerging fashion brands greatly boosted the stage presence of the music bands. Despite working under the stress and uncertainty of Covid, they pulled off a marvellous visual and acoustic feat together with flying colours and styles. Let's check them out!

Sharing the philosophy of blending East and West, old and new, FIP designer Classics Anew and music unit Ma Wai Him & Zenwester made a heavenly match. Known for reviving traditional Chinese aesthetics with a contemporary touch, Classics Anew added multiple Chinese dress details to play up the band's hybrid music sensibility.

DIP designer Vvisionary puts sustainable fashion at the forefront of their mission. They mixed and 'merged' second-hand jackets of distinct styles into stage-worthy fashion pieces for The Hertz. Each design was tailor-made to fit the vibe and personality of each band member.

FIP designer CAR|2IE shared her experience working with Serrini, "Her personal style and stage presence have a strong chemistry with my brand's DNA and palette. Together we created a feminine but powerful fashion statement. The experience was a lot of fun and stimulated me to explore gender-fluid fashion."

DIP designer Atelier 1303 used bright colours, funky patterns, utilitarian details and delightful accessories to play up Chonotenki's funkiness and playfulness. To them, "music and fashion have always inspired and influenced each other. They are inseparable."

FIP designer MASSBRANDED translated the spirit of unity in Mocking Bullet's music with the brand's iconic black and white palette. The tribal patterns and lacing elements added a bold and stylish graphic appeal to the outfits, creating an impactful visual statement.

The instrumental style of Prune Deer inspired FIP brand Oplus2 to infuse nature and vintage elements into the costume design. The hand-made plaid suits with hand-pressed floral patterns gave the band a tasteful rural English gentlemen vibe.

The creative crossover gave Dipsy Ha and their team of classical musicians a chance to shift from black gowns and suits to expressive costumes designed by FIP brand Blind by JW. Their designs brought the limelight from the music back to the band members, letting their characters shine on the stage.

DIP designer YMDH found resonance between The Flashback’s creative impulse and the punk-rock style of their AW2021 collection THE BIG BAD CLUB. Based on this collection, they created distinct but equally spectacular styles for each band member using ‘90s vintage, baggy biker jackets, utilitarian details and metal accessories.

WHIZZ’s upbeat, groovy and powerful music inspired DIP designer KLOCKWISE to play up the bold side of their iconic feminine style. The result was four sophisticated outfits blending edgy and girly elements that opened a new style horizon for the girl band.

FIP designer ALPS Annie Ling's chic minimalism and timeless monotone balanced out the strong personalities of TAOTAO & flat 550’s band members, each of which were represented by a bright colour. They also used the chance to explore cross-gender fashion by adding playful details to the costumes.

Finding Cow Head’s music soul-evoking, DIP designer KEVIN HO made bespoke blazers, shirts and skinny jeans in classic rock style for the acoustic band. He also re-fashioned their logo into a cow head silhouette, which became a unique detail of the outfits to accent the band’s identity.

To echo Clave’s eclectic music style, DIP designer FromClothingOf spotlighted their brand’s unique approaches of minimalistic layering, deconstruction and fabric collage. The subdued greyish tone gave a visual clarity to balance the visual and music enjoyment.

DIP designer REDEMPTIVE, whose design balances individuality, functionality and practicality, found an echo in Club Fiasco’s chill and light-hearted vibe inspired by the ‘80s and ‘90s electronic genre. They merged sports, street and vintage elements to create a smart and sharp, young yet mature style for the band.

For a band with a distinctive funky character like MerryLambLamb, DIP designer Somewhere Nowhere played with the drama of mismatch elements to create a feeling of odd and unusual – just look at the strong contrast between the vocalist’s shimmering pink outfits and the dark-toned costumes of the rest of the band.

Along with the current FIP and DIP designers, 6 FIP alumni were also part of this unprecedented fashion and music crossover. Having toned up their skills through their time with FIP, they displayed exceptional fashion finesse and sophistication in their designs.

Yeung Chin X Saiseichu	ANGUS TSUI X Nowhere Boys
112 mountainyam X Carrier	The World Is Your Oyster X METER ROOM
MODEMENT X GDJYB	DEMO X Michael Lai