Issac Tong

Redress Design Award

 Finalist

Meet The Designer

“I stand for honouring existing materials as precious resources, not waste. I reject perfect uniformity and embrace authentic imperfections—like raw edges, trimmed leather edges—as an aesthetic choice. “
Issac Tong
“I stand for honouring existing materials as precious resources, not waste. I reject perfect uniformity and embrace authentic imperfections—like raw edges, trimmed leather edges—as an aesthetic choice. “
Issac Tong

Bio

Issac Tong is a Finalist of the Redress Design Award 2026. He holds a BA (Hons) in Fashion Design from Nottingham Trent University and a Higher Diploma in Fashion Design from the Hong Kong Design Institute.

Region

Collection

Design Techniques

Redress Design Award Collection

Issac’s Redress Design Award collection, ‘Diva, the Chameleon’, draws inspiration from the late Hong Kong pop star Anita Mui Yim-fong, who was known as ‘the ever-changing diva’. The collection transforms bags to garments and vice versa, and incorporates Chinese qipao design elements. Issac sourced materials such as discarded textiles and bags from a recycling facility, plus factory surplus materials and an unwanted curtain from his late grandmother’s flat. His designs embrace imperfections in the materials, such as dirt or uneven edges, to avoid generating waste by cutting away ‘flaws’.

Q&A with the designer

My inspiration to pursue sustainable fashion—and the creative core of this collection—is from the urban designs of the people. Although the city is famous for skyscrapers with modern designs, there are some really interesting urban designs in some older neighbourhoods. You can find people giving half-broken chairs and other furniture a second life, for example: broken chairs propped up with scrap wood to create a new street-side seat. I always find this type of unintentional design interesting and aesthetically pleasing.

This collection mainly uses unwanted goods from recycling factories and Redress. While designing this collection, my goal is to reduce as much waste as possible, which is why it takes so much time to find materials from recycling factories that are usable with colours that match well.

My goal is definitely building my own designer label in the future. I think developing sustainable products does require more time and cost, and I hope to make greater innovative designs in the future with more resources.

My EarPods. I can’t live without music.

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