Serving as the spearhead of Hong Kong’s designer outreach in Paris, HKFG, the event formerly known as “Fashion Guerrilla,” presented its fourth runway show with brands Id, Cynthia & Xiao and Kenaxlung.
Summer fabrics and a lighter palette did not serve Julio Ng & Cyrus Wong of Id well. Filmy jackets, a burgundy greatcoat in coated canvas that showed its satin lining at the waist and shoulder, and denim spray-painted in acid colors didn’t coalesce into a fully coherent ensemble, but stood out. They also were those in which the deconstruction was done with the lightest touch.
Cynthia & Xiao’s Cynthia Mak and Xiao Xiao continued to mine the designers’ proclivity for knitwear while playing with youthful shapes. The best were a skirt in highly worked crochet and technical mesh tops adorned with thick thread embroidery. The rest was saccharine enough to hit the spot but did not make for a memorable treat.
A passing glance at Kenaxlung offered tropes seen elsewhere, such as louche thigh-high footwear, odd denim confections, jolie laide dress-over-trouser combinations and ill-fitting workwear. Designer Leung Ka Kin nonetheless gave a distinctive touch to his denim, suiting and workwear chop-shop that made the line-up look of-the-moment and personal.