Meet Lowe Tong, Redress Design Award 2020 Womenswear Finalist

LOWE TONG

MAINLAND CHINA

Designer Lowe Tong applied a wide variety of reconstruction and zero-waste techniques to create his Redress Design Award collection, Commemorable. “I up-cycled samples and secondhand clothing, often made from renewable cellulose fibre or 100% natural fibre, using patchwork and zero-waste cutting,” says the Fashion Art & Design graduate of the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology.

Key to the collection is versatility, with garments easily adapted and transformed according to the needs of the wearer, providing them with multiple ways of styling. “With the hustle and bustle of modern life, people’s needs change,” says Lowe. “My garments can be worn in different ways. They are detachable, multi-functional and can be easily altered into different silhouettes, adding light and fun to a sustainable garment while extending its life-cycle.” The result is fluid and dynamic, with deconstructed shapes and unexpected touches, inspired by Japanese streetwear culture.

It was cult Japanese label Sacai that first sparked in Lowe an interest in fashion design. "Sustainability is a lifestyle that we, human beings, are exploring at the moment, it is about a sustainable living mindset to all things around,” he reflects. “As we all know, the fashion and textile industry are among the most polluting industries in the world. Excessive consumption of the natural resources and over-consumption in purchasing behaviours are damaging the planet’s ecological system. As a designer, I want to do what I can to contribute to a better future for the world, to protect the planet that we all live on.”