Just two days before his Spring 2024 couture show, Robert Wun joined us for a brief portrait session and a heartfelt chat about his Hong Kong roots. “For me, the Hong Kong spirit is one of hard work and sleepless nights — that’s what makes it so exciting,” he said. “This is a story about my city, so I made time for this no matter how busy I was.”
Wun was born in Hong Kong. Despite moving to London as a child, memories of this unusually small metropolis remain deeply etched into his heart. “When I returned to Hong Kong last November after being away for five years, everything seemed so familiar. The pace of life was very fast and people were working just as hard, but I had changed a bit in the past few years,” he said. Indeed, after Wun graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2014, his career has gone from strength to strength. In 2022, the visionary designer became the Prix Spécial winner of the ANDAM Fashion Awards and less than a year later, under the guidance of Chanel Fashion President Bruno Pavlovsky, wrote a new chapter in fashion history as the first Hong Kong designer to show at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week. Wun has also made fans out of some of the world’s biggest superstars; Beyoncé, Adele, Björk, Lady Gaga, Blackpink’s Lisa and Naomi Campbell are among those who have worn his creations on various international stages.
I’ve never feared hard work, and feel satisfied when I accomplish something — perhaps this is the Hong Kong spirit?”
Robert Wun
Today’s young designers are all patiently waiting for opportunities to develop, and Wun appears to have struck gold in terms of timing, place, and people, receiving resounding praise across social media and major fashion publications. “I’m always grateful but face constant pressure because of all the attention,” Wun admits. “Haute couture demands meticulous designs that showcase the creator’s creativity, and all you can do is to work like crazy 24 hours a day, constantly questioning yourself. But eventually I realised that creation is an outlet for you to express your emotions. For example, my second couture collection is a continued exploration of last season’s “Fear” theme, which looks at the various emotions that come as a result of fear. In a way, it sums up the feelings I’ve accumulated over the past few years.”
There’s often a sort of madness to great fashion designers. Take Wun’s fashion role model Alexander McQueen for instance, who mastered his craft through works that surpassed all boundaries of imagination. “When I was a kid, I was at a Hong Kong barbershop flipping through a magazine that mentioned him,” recalled Wun. “I truly felt his surging creativity, and I wanted to seize those boundless inspirations for myself. I’ve never feared hard work, and feel satisfied when I accomplish something — perhaps this is the Hong Kong spirit?”
Two days later, I met Wun again backstage at his show in Palais de Tokyo. He was surrounded by fashion experts from around the world, all wanting to know more about his creative world. It was in this moment that I felt Wun’s charisma; like a firefly he beamed with light, as if the whole world was watching. “I don’t think I’m a successful person, nor do I compare myself with others,” he said. “There are still many things I want to do and I just want to make myself known to more people through my creations. Being true to yourself is the only way to make people resonate with your work — that’s what I’d like to say to the next generation of designers.”
When Wun looks back on his earlier days, he speaks of wandering the stores along Tai Nan Street in Sham Shui Po, shopping for materials. Or scouring thrift shops for used clothing to transform into his own. Doesn’t it all seem familiar? This is precisely a part of life that every Hong Kong designer must have experienced: a period of the most passionate pursuit of your dreams. Wun’s story tells us that regardless of how far along the road of success we are, we must continue to dream – and dream well.
Translated by Alyanna Raissa J. Payos
Photography: Chuck Reyes
Text: Simon Au
Editor
Simon Au