Taipei Fashion Week and beyond: 5 Emerging Taiwanese talents to know

In recent years, few Taiwanese designers have managed to capture the market on a global scale, yet the local industry is budding with emerging talent that is beginning to draw in much deserved attention. Alongside this, the country is also beginning to increasingly experiment and invest in its biannual Taipei Fashion Week, which came to a close on its AW24 season at the weekend, where many of these designers have found their initial footing before migrating to international markets.

Following the rounding out of this edition of Taipei Fashion Week, FashionUnited spoke to five designers swiftly arising both in Taiwan and beyond, either via fashion week participation or through wider industry collaboration.

Damur

Berlin-based, Taiwan-born Damur Huang formed his namesake brand under the premise of merging the design identities of the two respective countries he calls home. It is also these locations that, alongside Mainland China, have become the epicentre of the brand’s business, with consumers from each region resonating with Huang’s high-end yet accessible take on streetwear.

This extended into the designer’s latest AW24 collection, ‘#IamVersatile’, which was exhibited on the schedule of Taipei Fashion Week. Speaking to FashionUnited on the collection’s concept, which had largely been based on reimagining 1960s fashion through provocative cutouts, Haung said: “We created many accessible, trending items from the streetwear category, but the point of the collection was really about styling looks that were very high-end and elegant and at the same time still progressive. It’s about breaking traditional design and providing a different dimension to it.”

Damur has already participated in past editions of Berlin Fashion Week, and has been on the previous round ups of Taipei Fashion Week, a city where his heart still belongs. “We might do something new for SS25, we don’t know yet,” Huang said, when asked about future plans. “Maybe in Berlin, maybe somewhere else. But Taipei will always be an important city for me because I grew up here and lived here for 20 years.”

Claudia Wang

In recent seasons, Claudia Wang has set about blending the virtual and real worlds, presenting some of her physical collections and products alongside digital counterparts donned by alien-like avatars that join the runway show in the backdrop. The video game-inspired concept had previously been seen at the designer’s London Fashion Week debut in September 2023, and continued into the presentation of her AW24 collection during Taipei Fashion Week.

The use of digitalisation is nothing new to the digital-native, however. Wang first incorporated such technology into her overall design process to make the creation of patterns more efficient. Now, the purpose has extended into the goal of eventually replacing physical samples, furthering this efficiency throughout her company while pushing to reduce waste.

Wang’s efforts to drive forward sustainable practices was also present in her recent collaboration with independent Taiwanese textile manufacturer Lin Hsing Ye Co., which aided the young creator in the development of 3D-effect fabrics for the latest collection, as was seen in fabrics with a water-like sheen and lightweight volume. The result was a line rife in saturated colours and voluminous silhouettes, some plastered in geometric patterns that clashed with more intricate florals, once again illustrating the merging of the digital and real-life elements into one aesthetic.

Seivson

After showing at both Tokyo and Taipei fashion weeks in past seasons, this year Seivson and its designer Tzu Chin Shen opted to step back from the limelight and instead participate in the latter’s business-to-business matchmaking event, Taipei In Style. Here, she hosted a small stand at which she welcomed both buyers and fans hoping to secure a piece in her limited collection. Her decision to step away from shows, however, was due to the recent establishment of a Japanese headquarters for the brand, as she looks to build towards the goal of better catering to this core market.

While this may be the case, Shen noted that some of her looks had also resonated with European buyers that attended the trade show. This was evidenced in the strong response from such individuals towards pieces that featured the brand’s signature print, which at first glance appeared to resemble a delicate, floral wallpaper, yet on closer inspection actually depicted lounging naked women. Despite there being a clear interest from Western markets, Asia is still a priority. Speaking to FashionUnited, Shen said: “If we want to enter the European and American markets, it would be a challenge because when we enter a place, we first want to observe and get deeper into the market before expanding – not just for one show and then leaving again.”

This is the approach that Seivson took in Japan, a highly saturated market where it can be difficult to get a foothold. Yet, overtime and after accumulating and connecting with the right consumer, Tokyo Fashion Week began to see Shen as more of an ‘insider’, later including her in the schedule and awarding her with a prestigious prize that bolstered her presence. As such, she is conscious of the Japanese consumers’ tendency to stick to a casual wardrobe formulated through practical and necessity-based shopping behaviours. Yet, to Shen, the individual she envisions while designing is still a one with confidence in their self-expression, and therefore a one that can be resonated with more globally.

Irensense

Irensense is another to have already secured a place on Tokyo’s schedule, showing for the previous SS24 season and now, like Seivson, also opting to exhibit the latest collection at Taipei In Style. Here, the selection on display was derived from a concept inspired by the classic film 'Lost in Translation', reflecting what designer Tseng Yan-Wei said was a direct reference to his experience as a foreigner in Tokyo. This led to the merging of Western design styles, such as lace appliques, with Eastern cultural elements in his creations, mirroring the clashing of cultures seen in the production.

While Irensense plans to continue its emphasis on the Japanese market, Yan-Wei does have ambitions to take his brand to Paris in the near future. This, however, will only come once the designer feels the brand has garnered sufficient stability, a characteristic that is already predominant among Irensense’s 30 to 40 year old target consumer, who typically has the financial resources to purchase the brand’s products.

In order to fuel these ambitions, Yan-Wei revealed that he is planning to take Irensense on a process of transformation, either through a shift in identity or with the introduction of a new, more advanced brand that would instead be steered towards higher-end fashion. “I feel like Irensense has already reached quite high goals so I want to challenge myself to do something more luxurious,” Yan-Wei said, adding that details like technique and textile are among the features that could possibly take on elevated forms.

Spfloe

Away from the bright lights of fashion week is another brand beginning to blossom in the backdrop of Taipei’s textile manufacturing industry. It was a big player in this arena, Grandetex, that was behind the launch of Spfloe, a multifunctional clothing brand that prioritises practical materials. In fact, while Spfloe and Grandetex are not directly related in terms of operations, much of the brand’s textiles derive from the supplier, including the group’s patented Secao, a material developed using the waste product of cacao plants.

The design team, consisting of two designers and a director, ensures that each product in the collection comes with a range of benefits for the wearer, whether that be UV protection, quick cooling technology or water repellency, but with new stylish dimensions. “Building the brand, we wanted to redefine functional clothing because it's typically too sporty and not that urban,” said Corinna, one of the designers behind the brand, who referenced Spfloe's elevated take on cargo pants, parkas and dresses - just some of the items on offer. Through the use of technical materials, these wardrobe staples get a functional upgrade that hopes to both appeal to consumers looking for fashionable practicality as well as possible brand partners that also have an interest in Grandetex’s wider capabilities.

As such, much of Spfloe’s marketing and research strategy has been centred around working with streetwear influencers to gauge feedback on the collections, with collaborators selected for their association with the “urban style” that Spfloe wants to keep leaning in on. This process is currently ongoing with influencers based in London, where Spfloe also operates its own showroom, allowing a closer proximity to the European market. Here, the brand is also preparing to take part in a multi-brand pop-up store in Paris in July, where it will showcase another collection described as “designer exclusive” that again expands on its capabilities.

FashionUnited was invited to attend Taipei Fashion Week by the organisation.