Tangram: opposites interact with their fusion designs

of cash and a PR engine, most fashion sketches end up staying on paper. Hong Kong label Tangram, however, has gone from selling at pop-up stores to having a permanent presence in Hong Kong, Singapore and the mainland, including its soon-to-open first boutique in Hong Kong - all without any traditional marketing.

Ignacio Garcia and Paola Sinisterra, the Colombian husband and wife duo behind the three-year-old fashion brand, promote Tangram with their bubbly personalities, social network and multidimensional approach. Recent collaborations include a headscarves project with Jaycow, milliner to Canto-pop stars, a capsule lingerie collection with fellow Colombian designer Sarah Cohen, and a Chinese womenswear line with Goods of Desire.

"Paola met Douglas [Young] randomly through acquaintances," says Ignacio of the founder and CEO of G.O.D. "We realised we were compatible in many ways, so they proposed a womenswear collaboration. We want to make a connection between a Chinese-inspired wardrobe and Tangram's no-nonsense approach to fashion."

Tangram's resort womenswear and outsized necklaces court an Asian market that is tired of identikit chain fashion.

In the Tangram for Goods of Desire collection, the couple fuses the retailer's signature graphics and humour with cheongsams and other Chinese classics, drawing inspiration from warriors, Zhejiang silk brocades, Feiyue plimsoles, and Qing dynasty embroidery.

"We like to look at fashion as a reflection of history, not just as a consumer product. So the research has been a total joy for us," says Paola, who previously worked in textiles for Zara. "Did you know that the cheongsam come from archery uniforms?"