Hong Kong fashion designer opens her first genderless boutique at creative hub PMQ

When Aries Sin, designer of Hong Kong-based label Modement, launched her ready-to-wear collection in 2013, she knew she was in for a challenge.

“Genderless dressing was a completely new concept at the time. After the first season, buyers were unsupportive and told me that a market for my creations didn’t exist. I didn’t agree and just stuck to it,” she says.

As a student at the Hong Kong Design Institute, Sin was always attracted to the idea of a gender-neutral brand. Despite this, she followed in the footsteps of her peers and created a tailored evening wear line when she graduated in 2008.

For the next few years she developed a small but successful business outfitting celebrities and tai-tais, while experimenting with smaller capsule collections. Three years later she entered the Hong Kong Young Designer Contest and decided to go back to her original vision.

Millennial Hong Kong fashion designers battle to break into home market even as they prosper in China

“I was always very curious why people choose to identify with womenswear or menswear. I also noticed that the wealthier people became, the more they wanted the freedom to create their own identity rather than being dictated to by society. A big part of this is the freedom to choose their own clothing. It didn’t matter what sex the item was designed for, as long as they liked it,” she says.

After her spring-summer 2014 catwalk debut, Sin began forming a solid identity for Modement. She kept the silhouettes simple and uncomplicated – she uses oval and H shapes for their ability to flatter both men and women – and instead turned her eye to fabrics, many of which she designs and develops exclusively in Hong Kong.