Breaking into the world of fashion design is, of course, difficult, says Baldwin Pui Bing-wang, who needed more than just his personal savings to get started. Using his free time to submit entries to design competitions eventually served to send him on his way. Leaving a company job to create his own fashion brand brought a 33-year-old designer a sense of freedom that reminded him of his childhood. And Baldwin Pui Bing-wang used the inspiration to create his first designer bag collection entitled Recess. His design philosophy, which focuses on the exploration and expression of local culture, including the use of paper cuts in his fashion, has served him well in starting his own strikingly original fashion brand, Hoiming, together with his partner. Citing his carefree childhood in Yuen Long as one of his main inspirations, Pui speaks fondly of days when a dearth of toys inspired a boundless imagination. Such nostalgia invigorated Pui's creativity in fashion design. The Kowloon Tong studio he shares with his partner testifies to his sources of inspiration - a brightly painted traditional Chinese kite in the shape of a goldfish hangs off the door while a kick-ball sits on the floor. Originally hoping to work in graphic design, Pui found fashion garnered the best grades and appreciation. When he graduated from Polytechnic University, he worked for a knitwear company. He juggled his daytime job by continually entering design competitions, despite the demanding hours. 'It was harsh, but it motivated my creativity and it was an opportunity for people to be acquainted with my work,' he says. In Singapore, Pui won the 2002 Asian Young Fashion Designer Contest. With the theme Asian Tropics, he experimented by incorporating local culture into his City of Life designs, which included Chinese-style prints on dresses. He was pleasantly surprised and gratified because the win was an affirmation of his design philosophy. He placed the collection in a boutique in Soho, London, where it sold well and consequently won the 2005 Hong Kong Young Design Talent Awards. The prize was not only an opportunity to study at the esteemed Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London, but the six-month scholarship also gave him a work placement at Preen, allowing him to pick up the knowledge needed to start new enterprises. He also drew inspiration from flea markets such as Angel and Portobello, and art galleries including the Tate Modern. He was intrigued by the slightly offbeat trends he saw in London streets - from fashion to music as people mixed vintage with catwalk, to clash rock with mainstream fashions. 'The award came at the right time. It pushed me to start up my brand,' he said, admitting that without the experience the scholarship brought, he might not have quit the job he had worked at for six years. Starting up was harsh because it was financed entirely on personal savings. 'Aspiring designers must have passion. Starting up your own brand is hard work and brings in little income, and designing without passion won't create good products, as corny as that sounds,' he says. Success also depends on coincidence, besides talent and diligence. A brush with the past led to the launch of his Recess collection at Harvey Nichols in the Landmark. A designer who had seen his City of Life collection in London asked Pui to join him as a consultant on his brand, but it did not work out. About five years later that same designer had become a consultant for the luxury lifestyle chain store and recommended Pui to Harvey Nichols in Hong Kong. When the store contacted Pui he had moved away from fashion, but the management liked his bags. September will see the launch of his new collection, Rose. 'The rose is a study of beauty and a representation of true love, and this collection aspires to capture such a beauty,' he said. All the handbags are exquisitely hand-stitched, a stern reprimand of the 'throw-away culture' of fashion today. True to their muse, the detailing on the bags echoes the intricate swirls seen in the petals of the flower of romance.