Hong Kong fashion designer Johanna Ho turns old Puma jackets into athleisure wear
Designer uses sustainable, upcycled materials for a personal, eco-friendly take on the ubiquitous athleisure trend
Hong Kong designer Johanna Ho Chi-yan is known for her celebrity clientele and playful knitwear, but her latest project sees her venture into new territory. Launched at the T Galleria by DFS store in Macau, the “Johanna Ho Empowered by Puma” is a limited collection of upcycled vintage Puma tracksuits that are sporty, fashionable and eco-friendly.
“It all began with a pair of shoes,” jokes Ho at its recent launch.
For Ho, the idea of a sustainable collection was a long time coming. While her eponymous label has featured designs made from eco-friendly yarns, she really started to explore the concept of upcycling this year while designing outfits for Hong Kong Canto-pop star Eason Chan Yik-shun [Tsui’s husband]. Instead of creating pieces for him to wear at his concerts, she began upcycling clothes from his existing wardrobe. By the time the Puma collaboration was confirmed she had decided that upcycling – converting old or discarded materials into something of higher quality – was ideal, especially as Asian customers have an aversion to second-hand clothing.
The next step was selecting the raw materials.
Designing the collection was challenging and fun for Ho. Unlike her eponymous collections, which usually start from a blank slate, this collection had restrictions due to the raw materials. This allowed Ho to be creative with new silhouettes, materials and embellishments.
The final result is a collection of couture-meets-streetwear pieces. Because all the jackets were originally made for men, Ho feminised them with pleats at the back to create an hourglass silhouette and voluminous sleeves. Others come decorated with hand crochet details, cable knit panels, knitted rosettes or embroideries. In addition to several jackets, she has also designed architectural skirts and T-shirts with cut-outs and netting draped across the front. Each piece is unique and prices range from 3,000 to 7,000 patacas.
It’s impossible to ask a woman to buy less clothing ... Instead you have to ... create something that feels not only sustainable but is about a craft
“As a fashion designer today you need to think about how to be more mindful. It’s impossible to ask a woman to buy less clothing – besides, that doesn’t make any business sense. Instead you have to think beyond the eco fabrics and yarns and create something that feels not only sustainable but is about a craft,” she says.
Pointing at her collection, she says many pieces are handmade and “pay tribute to a culture or art that is being endangered right now”.
She says as technology advances, fashion has lost its personal touch. “I hope I can help bring some of that back to fashion,” she says.
