Hong Kong brothers Philip and Eri Chu will storm the catwalk Monday with their explosive Ground-Zero Spring/Summer 2015 collection at the Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza 2015, part of the 46th Hong Kong Fashion Week.
Known for its bold and edgy style, which blends pop culture with haute couture, the brand rose to international fashion fame after humble beginnings in 2008, earning a reputation for being the first local brand to own a robust fashion design identity. As the fashionable duo gear up to showcase their groundbreaking collection alongside other world-renowned fashion designers at Asia’s largest fashion fair, we asked them how the brand went from zero to hero and what it’s like to work with your brother.
It all started with a big bang, or rather an epiphany when Philip, who had been studying fashion design in London, saw the potential of teaming up with his brother who was studying graphic design in Hong Kong. “One day Eri showed me his graphic design and I thought it would so cool to put it into fashion and that is how we initially came up with the idea for our brand,” Philip tells Localiiz. “We find it very interesting when we put two elements that conflict with each other and put it together in order to create something new.”
The brothers’ combined backgrounds in fashion and graphic design led to the creation of the brand’s signature style of bold and unique graphic prints intersected with irregular-cut silhouettes. Their latest Spring/Summer 2015 collection is street culture meets ready to wear, exemplified in their drape dress (pictured) and their denim jacket silhouettes (pictured) contrasting barb wire prints and chiffon.
But how did they come up with the name Ground-Zero? “Ground-Zero is a literal translation of our thoughts, everything has to start from zero, where possibilities of paths are unlimited and anything is possible, all one needs to do is to take a leap. Zero could be everything,” Philip explained.
And their inspiration certainly comes from everywhere; from cartoons and comics, to movies and even robots, which are some of the brothers’ shared interests from growing up in Hong Kong, fused in striking designs. “We want to keep directing and pushing boundaries to take Ground-Zero to where it should truly lie, by merging humour, recognition and creativity, to bring fashion design into a new horizon,” Eri told us. “Fashion is something that we always talk about, something that we dreamed of.”
The brand is certainly accomplishing this mission. The collection is now stocked in 40 shops across the globe placing Hong Kong firmly on the world fashion map and this show will be a homecoming for the brothers as they officially show their work to their hometown audience for the first time.
“I think Hong Kong has a very special characteristic where east meets west and that fusion is already in our blood,” Philip told us.”We have never held any shows in Hong Kong and we are very excited to have the local support and see the reaction to the collection from the Hong Kong media and our friends.”
Register here to attend the show and check out the edgy collection from Hong Kong’s most fashionable duo.
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