26 November 2021
25-year-old Lasalle School of Fashion graduate, Justin Chua, emerged victorious at the ninth edition of Harper’s BAZAAR Asia NewGen Fashion Award 2021 (Singapore). With BAZAAR always at the forefront of supporting and nurturing local fashion talents, the prestigious and one of its kind award gives the winner a head start in their fashion career. The winner was announced during the final showcase held on 25 November at Design Orchard.
The prizes include a $10,000 cash prize, full sponsorship for a master’s degree course at the London campus of Istituto Marangoni worth £30,000, and a fashion spread in BAZAAR worth over $50,000. As part of his prize, Chua will now proceed to design a full collection as an extension to the look he created for the competition. Through BAZAAR, the collection will be sold in Design Orchard & Oneorchard.store by early next year.
Chua bested four other finalists, who went through a rigorous application process to compete in the Singapore edition. After being selected to present their Final Year Projects virtually to the BAZAAR team, they were chosen to submit their garments, which were assessed by the judges in order to select the final five.
The finalists went through a 2-month BAZAAR x CHANEL advisory programme that focused on educating, inspiring and equipping the finalists on the different facets of the fashion industry, including branding, marketing, analytics, styling and visual merchandising. The collaboration between BAZAAR and fashion house CHANEL marks the first time an advisorship programme of this nature has been curated for the competition.
At the end of the five-month process, the finalists presented their brand business plan and their one full look creation to commemorate BAZAAR's 20th Anniversary.
The finalists were judged on their creativity, originality, commercial viability and technical ability of the final year project to produce work that is on par with BAZAAR's standards. The judging criteria also included the vision of their fashion business and the collection’s potential for expansion. The panel of judges includes BAZAAR editor-in-chief, Mr Kenneth Goh, BAZAAR creative director Windy Aulia, established fashion designer Lai Chan and creative director & co-founder of Beyond The Vines, Rebecca Ting.
On his win, Chua said: “This journey with Harper’s Bazaar has been meaningful in terms of discovering more about myself as a fashion designer. It has also allowed me to view the different possibilities of expanding my concepts and ideals through the brand that I want to create for others. I am thankful for the mentorship and advice that has been given to me throughout this whole process. It has definitely helped me to reconsider certain aspects of the way I approach creative thinking and design which will be invaluable in the long run. I am excited for what's to come and the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Mr Kenneth Goh, Editor-In-Chief, Harper’s BAZAAR Singapore said: “Justin truly embraces what consumers are looking for in design and fashion: Thoughtful pieces designed with ergonomic functionality in mind that are gender-neutral. His ingenious transformable designs cater to different needs and allow the wearer to inject their own personality and style into the clothes. Justin showed great winning potential right from the start. The judges picked him to win in the end because he showed enthusiasm, integrity, passion and a solid business plan. He definitely has a promising future in fashion."