There are no short cuts to becoming a fashion guru; you need to be a great influence, have a good sense of cultural conversation, have a lot of experience, and most importantly, have trend-worthy appeal. One lady in Malaysia who meets all the criteria is Gillian Hung.
Mama G’s mission to help aspiring designers
It is not about your title, your beauty, or your ability to be a style maverick. Many people are stylish, but it takes a lot more to be a fashion Icon!
Audrey Hepburn, Cher, and David Bowie were probably fashion icons of the older generation.
The new or current fashion icons are likely Rihanna, Victoria Beckham, BTS, or the irrepressible Jung Ho-yeon of Squid Game.
To be one, you must have great influences, a good sense of cultural conversation, a lot of experience (there are no shortcuts), and, most importantly, trend worthy appeal.
In Malaysia, we have Gillian Hung — the fashion icon and guru to our country’s fashion industry.
There are two things to emphasise here. First, who is she, and what are the HUNG INNOVATION AWARDS?
I’ve had the pleasure of knowing this spunky lady and recently attended her highly successful event, which drew the support of many in the industry.
Affectionately known as “Mama G”, she is famous for her multi-tasking abilities in the highly challenging and competitive world of fashion.
Hung graduated from The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) State University of New York in the early 1980s and went on to win the first ASEAN Young Designers’ Competition in Singapore in 1989, as well as numerous other awards in Malaysia.
She was given the heavy responsibility of being the Fashion and Design Director of lsetan of Japan at the age of 24.
For over a decade in the 1990s, she was a key figure behind their fashion runway shows in Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, and New York, as well as attending all major fashion fairs and exhibitions around the world.
Hung’s passion for helping others in achieving their dreams in the fashion industry grew along the way.
She even founded an academy that teaches fashion sense and finesse, modelling, social and business etiquette — the ultimate grooming guides.
Hung has been working in this field for more than 30 years, and during that time, she has been regarded as a mentor to up-and-coming designers and an External Assessor for the majority of fashion institutions.
She served as President of Malaysia’s Official Designers Association (MODA) from 2005 to 2018, and she still runs her Creative, Branding, and Merchandising Consulting business.
Aside from working as a consultant in New York and Hong Kong, one of the highlights of her incredible journey was reaching out to the Chinese market.
She has acted as a Creative and Merchandising Consultant for a number of well-known Chinese brands, including Jecci Five New York and SouYute to lnicio, which have between over 400 and 3,000 stores across the country.
The HUNG INNOVATION AWARDS 2022 was launched in September in front of a large crowd at M Resort & Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
Collaborations included SAMSUNG, MAS, KEVIN MURPHY, and THE GLAM ACADEMY.
Guests were treated to a fantastic fashion show that featured some really cool unisex street wear and even styles that evoked memories of the David Bowie era, as well as HUNG’s very own label called Master Mind Gen (MMG).
From the invention of the sewing machine to the rise of e-commerce, fashion has always been at the forefront of innovation. Fashion, like technology, is forward-thinking and cyclical.
And fashion technology is evolving at a faster rate than ever before. Designers must therefore innovate!
In the face of an energy-exhausting market, technology is allowing the industry to become more sustainable.
The carbon footprint created by massive raw material use, textile manufacturing, clothing construction, shipping, and retailing is massive.
The HUNG INNOVATION AWARDS seeks to provide opportunities for the younger generation to collaborate in order to showcase their passion and creativity.
This brand-new fashion competition features a group of young Malaysian designers displaying their best work in the pursuit of a more sustainable industry.
It aims to use Malaysia’s fashion and beauty industries as a vehicle on the global stage to propel both segments forward.
Ultimately, it is a one-of-a-kind collaboration of fashion, hair, beauty, and catwalk muses.
“With this competition, I hope to be able to collaborate with young designers and expose them to the realities of the fashion industry,” said the brainchild, Hung.
The HUNG INNOVATION AWARDS, which made its debut this year, was created as a tribute to late fashion icon Sonny San.
The Eclipse founder, who passed away in 2016, was a mentor to Hung and many other designers.
Finalists have been selected, and the results will be announced later this year.
Young and aspiring Sarawak fashion designers should check it out and get ready for the next HUNG INNOVATION AWARDS!
For more information, follow Hung on Facebook and Instagram (@Hungclick & Momentssswithmamag) or email gh@gillianhung.com.
Visit her new e-commerce platform at http://hung.click/.
