A major highlight of CENTRESTAGE*, the annual premier event of Asia’s fashion industry, is CENTRESTAGE ELITES, the opening gala show. CENTRESTAGE ELITES will take place on the evening of 2 September, the opening day of the fair, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

This year, CENTRESTAGE ELITES shines a spotlight on KIT WAN STUDIOS, a multidisciplinary design and visual art studio led by Kit Wan, a Hong Kong-born creative director and visual artist. The studio is acclaimed for merging sci-fi, manga and mechanical aesthetics with bespoke, highly detailed metalwork, multimedia installations and cinematic garment design. The studio’s unique ‘Abstract Reality’ approach spans everything from one-of-a-kind costume design to permanent museum exhibits. Last year, the studio was selected by Fashion Asia Hong Kong as the sole Hong Kong representative among its ‘2025 10 Asian Designers to Watch’.

The artist first majored in knitwear design at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University before extending his footprint to Amsterdam in the Netherlands, after a short stint in London where he was a ‘stage’ for several British luminaries. The artist then relocated to Oslo, Norway, where he completed his MA in Fashion Design and started exploring the space between art and fashion. Shedding any conventional shell of traditional fashion to cultivate a uniquely avant-garde perspective, the artist has transcended the physical boundaries of garments. He is the first fashion designer to be honoured with the ‘Young Artist Award’ by the Norwegian government. His creations have been enshrined in the permanent collection of the National Museum of Norway, elevating them to timeless art.

As a performative costume designer and scenographer navigating the global entertainment industry, the artist treats sets and lighting as a collaborative canvas, seamlessly interweaving music, mood and entertainment elements. Designing ‘stage armour’ for artists in Los Angeles at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles and Eurovision in the United Kingdom allow Hong Kong design to shine on top-tier global stages. Simultaneously, the studio remains deeply rooted in Cantopop, injecting a vibrant vitality into Hong Kong’s entertainment and performing arts industry. By infusing pop culture with avant-garde, bold and experimental aesthetics, he has pioneered a new visual dimension. The studio's collaborative roster of local superstars is formidable, encompassing Aaron Kwok, Hins Cheung, MC Cheung, Miriam Yeung, Nicholas Tse and Panther Chan whilst his overseas portfolio includes Alan Cumming, Warhol icon Cherry Vanilla and Teddy Swims and countless Scandinavian pop stars. From avant-garde garments that express a performer's identity to highly dramatic stage installations, the studio consistently employs a precise visual language to erase the boundaries between clothing, performance and art, creating unparalleled visual impact and cultural value.

Headlining this year’s CENTRESTAGE ELITES not only marks the studio’s inaugural solo fashion show in Hong Kong but also serves as a radical statement that brings stage costumes back to the forefront of fashion. KIT WAN STUDIOS will shatter expectations and perceptions with a spectacle intertwined with futuristic subcultures and diverse aesthetics, thereby leaving a boldly distinctive mark in the evolution of global fashion and performing arts.