Is a zero-waste approach a fashion pipe dream? Not for this winner of Harper's Bazaar's NewGen Award 2023

23-year-old Lim Su Hui's zero-waste philosophy bagged her the top prize at Harper's Bazaar's annual NewGen Award 2023. The Lasalle College of the Arts student showcased her winning designs at a star-studded fashion show at Noontalk Media last Thursday, which saw the likes of Filipino style star Heart Evangelista, Malaysian celebrity cosplayer Hakken, and internationally-renowned Singaporean fashion designer Andrew Gn in the front row.

Using soft drapes and muted colour palette of blues, greens and neutrals, Su Hui opted to minimise the wastage of materials in the pattern-cutting process, using shapes that reduces the number of leftovers or off-cuts during production. Her collection, "Homeland" – inspired by the architecture and history of Fort Canning – landed her a cash prize of $10,000 and a sponsorship for a 15-month master degree course at the London campus of Istituto Marangoni, as well as a fashion spread in an upcoming issue of Harper's Bazaar Singapore. Her designs will also be retailed at Design Orchard next year.

“It’s such an honour, and I’m really thankful that I won. It’s a dream come true and such a huge milestone for me. I believe this opportunity will help me navigate the fashion industry. I look forward to embarking on my journey with Istituto Marangoni to gain further insights into the industry and become a better fashion designer," says Su Hui.

Kenneth Goh, editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar, adds: "Why we decided to choose [Su Hui] as the winning collection was the beautiful medley of storytelling, coupled with a deep respect for iconic spaces in Singapore and a steadfast belief that beauty doesn’t have to come at the price of gratuitous wastage.”

The five other NewGen finalists include: Alison Oh (Lasalle College of the Arts), who was inspired by her love of dim sum; Feliony Faustine (Raffles College of Higher Education), with a streetwear take on reversible clothing; Leong Jia Yin (Lasalle College of the Arts), who incorporated floral embellishments on satin and organza dresses; Verina Lie (Raffles College of Higher Education), who experimented with textures and silhouettes based on a typical work wardrobe; and Guan Yu (Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts), who was inspired by designer Ding Yun Zhang and collaboration with Moncler.