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Hong Kong Fashion Week offers designers from around the region an opportunity to show their collections to a worldwide audience.

Thailand and Indonesia are usually well represented at  the spring/summer and the autumn/winter editions, and this week's fair is no exception. Joining them are contemporaries from Australia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Patsarun Sriluansoi, of Bangkok, is showing his menswear collection for spring/summer 2005.

'It represents the urban look, and comes under my brand name of Realistic Situation,' he said.

Patsarun described his style as a mix of 'street wear, constructed and deconstructed looks, and a sense of vintage'.

His spring/summer 2005 collection, on display this week, was inspired by geometric architecture and vintage houses. It incorporates plenty of linen and printed cotton featuring botanical and graphic patterns. The colours are monotone and pastel.

The fashion design graduate of Lasalle College  in Montreal, Canada,  has won several awards in the region, including the International Student Fashion Competition  in Japan in 2002 and the First PID International Fashion Design Contest,  organised by Preview in Daegu  International Textile Fair  in South Korea in the same year.

'I set up my business in Bangkok right after I graduated in fashion design from Montreal,' Patsarun said. 'Before that, I worked as a freelance designer. I launched my own brand a couple [of] months ago. My store is located in the most trendy area of Bangkok and the second branch opens next January.'

Indonesia's Didi Budiardjo  also went abroad to learn about fashion, although he spent a year studying with one of the country's best-known designers, Susan Budihardjo, before leaving for two years of study at the Atelier Fleuri Delaporte  in Paris.

'When I returned to Jakarta 15 years ago, I opened a small workshop in my garage, with one employee to help me. Now I have 40 employees,' he said.

His first label was dubbed Anonymous, but he changed the name to Didi Budiardjo once people became more familiar with the designer's name than his label.

'I design cocktail, evening and bridal wear,' he said. 'I love the romantic, elegant mood, with inspiration from my country. My style is elegant. A bon chic, bon genre look, with a touch of Indonesia.'

He said he strived to present the local influence in a modern way, rather than relying too heavily on  ethnic style.

'My spring/summer 2005 collection is called Kelimutu. I was inspired by a beautiful crater lake on the island of Flores. The colour of the water can change any time, so I use silk chiffon with a gradation of colours.'

He also pays homage to Madame Gres,  the French designer of the 1930s to 1970s, who was famed for her style of wearing draped and pleated dresses.

'I use a lot of tiny pleats, to remind us of a Grecian goddess,' he said. 'I also use Swarovski crystal as I'm celebrating my 15th year of co-operating with the brand.

'In addition, I have the honour of being able to label these dresses with Swarovski's Crystallized  label.'



Southeast Asian designers show flair for couture