After long hours of work... why did designer Robert Won put the final touches to his collection with a lighter?

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - When fashion designer Robert Won was nominated for the Andam Fashion Awards, the most prestigious French award for emerging talent, he flew to Paris to attend the ceremony convinced that he would not win. He stood at the end of the hall, holding a cup to drink, and did not turn around when his name was announced as runner-up for the award, which included a financial reward of approximately 120 thousand dollars.

It took his team just two minutes to find him and take him to the stage. Despite his major accomplishments, such as becoming the first Hong Kong-born designer to join the schedule of Paris Couture Week, designing costumes for The Royal Ballet, and providing designs for stars such as Lady Gaga, Adele, and Beyoncé, for years Won felt unsupported in his line of work, and gaining official recognition seemed a distant dream.

Won has never shown his collections on the official London Fashion Week schedule, even though he has lived, studied and worked in the British capital for 15 years. “I never had any official support,” he said. After graduating from the London College of Fashion in 2012, his designs were noticed by Hong Kong stores, and he launched his own label in 2014.

Won participated in British Fashion Council (BFC) grant applications, programs and emerging designer shows between 2014 and 2018, until he was deemed ineligible after his company was in its third year. Later, Won received his first sense of recognition after many years, when the ANDAM Awards judges told him that it was difficult to choose between first and second place.

“It was the first time I felt like I was good enough,” Won said. Today, Won is a fashion designer working at the highest levels of craftsmanship, and will soon be exhibiting his work in London.

Won has a private studio in East London where he has been working for eight years, and today he is busy with the heat of the ironing machine to prepare fabrics and patterns for unique pieces, and the “mannequins” are prepared to be sent to the Barbican, the famous cultural and artistic center in London, to be displayed in the “Dirty Lux” exhibition, which highlights contemporary designers interested in decay, deterioration and imperfect perfection, which opened on September 25. It's hard to believe that a simple studio from abroad produces dresses worth up to 150,000 pounds sterling (nearly 200,000 dollars).

Not even Won himself envisioned his career like this. Chanel's head of fashion, Bruno Pavlosky, suggested that his bespoke designs be shown at Paris Haute Couture Week instead of ready-to-wear. “My goal was never to go into high fashion, and it never crossed my mind,” Won said.

A house can only be called "haute couture" with the approval of the French Ministry of Industry and the French Federation of Haute Couture (FHCM), and the application must be supported by a member of the Federation's board of directors. Pavlosky's support of Won's work led to his first appearance at the couture shows in 2023, after a quick preparation of no more than two months, and his collection was appropriately titled: Fear.

“I didn’t know how it would all come together, from the PR, the location, the production, the casting, everything.” Instead of being an obstacle to creativity, his fears became an inspiration for his designs.

In his famous "Burning Bride" look, Won created a white silk dress with a long train, long gloves and a hat that covered the face, with stains of red wine on the dress and hat, using the wine glass itself as a catwalk element. He transformed the dreamy white wedding dress into a piece perforated with burns, using incense sticks, lighters, cigarettes, and 3D printing techniques to add burn marks, without damaging the stitching.

This dress was included in the list of shocking and frightening dresses during Haute Couture Week in Paris. Although these pieces are expensive, their message is universal: everyone who wears the clothes, whether expensive or simple, can feel the fear of destruction and appreciate the rebellious beauty that Won created.

Showing his work this month alongside icons like Alexander McQueen was a “roundabout” moment for him, he said. In 2008, while still a student, Won attended a fashion show for the first time at the Barbican.

The exhibition showcased the work of the Dutch duo Viktor & Rudolf, high-end designers who, like Won, are also graduates of the ANDAM Prize. “It still comes to my mind how that exhibition was created, and how cinematic it was,” Won added, adding, “It feels very special to me to be included among these.”

In 17 years, a young fashion student might stand in front of Won's designs at the Barbican and imagine his own future in the world of fashion. For newcomers, Won's journey of self-doubt and assertiveness can be summed up in one invaluable piece of advice: “Never let yourself feel like you have to be someone with certain qualities in order to fit in.

Bring something uniquely your own, be passionate about it, and never let that passion go away.”