A NEW WAVE of talent is washing over the city: Hong Kong-born accessory designers have returned home from overseas with collections to rival counterparts in New York and Paris.
Leading the pack are designers Piecco Pang and Kelly Chan. They started their line Deino Saurus by Vicious Venom and PP4E last year, and are now stocked by hip boutiques in Paris including L'Eclaireur and Delage.
'My father was in the garments industry and my aunt was the Swank Shop manager,' says Pang, a former banker. 'By the age of 13 I already knew who designers such as Azzedine Alaia were.'
He fell into fashion design when he created a bag for a colleague's birthday present. 'Her best friend wanted one too, and it just grew from there,' he says.
His partner Kelly Chan was a criminal barrister for five years before deciding to follow her passion for fashion. 'I've always liked drawing, but I never took any design classes. I couldn't go into clothes because it depended on knowing techniques such as pattern cutting. Bags were much easier - I could still display the art and learn along the way,' she says.
Chan quit her job last year and was introduced to Pang through a mutual friend. He helped her launch Vicious Venom, featuring studded leather and canvas bags with silk linings printed with Chan's illustrations.