There can be
no doubt about the serious fashion talent emerging from Asia – after all I
manage to run a blog focusing only on labels from this side of the world.
But rarely
have I seen a designer who has perfected everything about their craft and can
be compared to some of the polished gems you see in places like London or
Paris.
Although the
talent is there, a lot of these young designers seemed to lack the one thing
which I consider very important in garments: quality.
However, one
designer whom I had the pleasure to meet recently has climbed right onto the
top of my must buy list of Asian designers. Ladies and gentlemen, meet China's
very own Helen Lee.
From her
choice of top-notch fabrics to the original prints, immaculate cutting and
finishing and superb details – Helen had me at hello.
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| My two absolute favourite looks from Helen Lee: A lace rain coat from the SS13 collection... |
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| And a stunning combination of knitted sweater, moon-printed skirt and gorgeous accessories from the AW13 collection. |
The
Shanghai-based designer, who has been at the forefront of the Chinese emerging
designers scene since establishing her label in 2008, clearly knows what it
takes to make it big. And although yet to be a household name in the rest of
the world, Helen is arguably one of the most successful emerging designer in
the world's most populous nation.
With Chinese
prestigious fashion publications featuring her label day in, day out, her two
retail spaces in Shanghai and a network of distributors in China and around the
world – she is definitely one to watch!
Now let’s talk about the clothes.
The first to
catch my attention were the gorgeous silk printed dresses and the lace
raincoats from her SS13 collection. Yes raincoats with lace insets which make
me wish it would rain everyday! Fun, flirty and simply original, Helen’s
designs use colours and prints without losing that chic and elegant vibe. The
trick being well-thought-out silhouettes which would look great and appropriate
on a 20-year old as well as a 40-year old woman depending on styling.
Add to that some more daring crop tops with
matching pencil skirts and you get a winner collection!
At first
glance, her latest FW13 collection appears to be more toned-down that the
colourful summer pieces – but hides within some amazing details. The theme
being the ‘Moon’, Helen manages to re-interpret polkadots with a moon print on
silk separates and scarves and teams the once whimsical cutesy print with
grown-up chunky knitted sweaters in delicious shades of orange, yellow, green
and blue… simply stunning! Detail is definitely her thing. Check out the coats
and skirts which are subtly embossed with the shape of the moon as well.
The coats (lined with printed silk and
beautifully-finished), silk printed bomber jackets (which according to the
designer were her best-selling pieces this summer), shoes, knits, dresses and
even scarves (worn on the head in a very glamorous manner in the lookbook
photos) – honestly I could wear every single piece in the collection!
Having
finally met Helen in Singapore recently after seeing her work a few months
earlier – I do hope that some boutiques in Singapore would be carrying her line
soon. Otherwise, I will certainly make a stop in Shanghai in the coming few
months – just so I can pick up a piece or two from my favourite designer from
China so far.
