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Fashion show 2022

And the winner is...

Congratulations to Heang Porchhoung!

Heang Porchhoung's collection is called "The Masked" and was able to convince the jury of seven! The bags were made from naturally dyed hand-woven fabrics, car tires, vegan leather and wood carvings by local artisans.

The joy was great when Heang Porchhoung's bag collection was chosen as the winning creation. Heang Porchhoung is expected to travel to our Bazaar Berlin in November 2022 to present "The Masked".The other winners of the fashion show are: Mao Phyra, Roth Sreypa, Chea Simkeang, Heng Chakriya, Cheat Monysopor and Phirum Channica Samphos.

The virtual Bazaar Berlin fashion week is back!

Since 2017, we have been supporting the training of Cambodian designers as part of a develoPPP program of the DEG (German Investment and Development Company) together with suPPPort ltd. and the FDI (Fashion Design Institute) Düsseldorf.

During the last weeks and months, 21 participants have worked on their creations with great enthusiasm and commitment. You can admire the special collections - consisting of bags, accessories and clothes - here with us.

Be our 7th jury member and help decide which collection will be awarded this year.

Together with a jury of six experts from the Fashion Design Institut Düsseldorf, suPPPort Ltd and Bazaar Berlin you will decide which of the Cambodian designers will travel to the next BazaarBerlin to present their collection in person.

You will then have the unique opportunity to purchase the exclusive collections at Bazaar Berlin in November and to meet the designers.

The voting starts on July 11 and ends on July 24, 2022.

WINNER 2022 - PORCHHOUNG HEANG

Porchhoung Heang is a non-binary designer trying to find their way in the fashion industry after battling a gender identity crisis. Growing up they had to deal with a lot of bullying because of the way they move, speak and act. They are just too flamboyant and queer for other people to like, so they learn to fit in and put on a mask to hide who they really are.

This personal experience inspired them to create a collection called “The Masked“. Other than their childhood story, they also inject culture into this collection which is the Hanuman mask and Tengu mask. Hanuman is a strong powerful monkey deity from Khmer Folktale called “Reamker“. Whereas, Tengu is a demi god of protection from Japanese culture. These two deity masks were chosen due to the fact that they are something that Porchhoung had to pretend to be in order to feel strong enough to protect themselves from harm.

In this bag collection, multiple materials were used such as naturally dyed hand-woven fabrics, car tires, vegan leather, and wood carvings from local artisans.

Just like everything in life, there are always ugly and beautiful sides. It is up to us to decide whether we allow the ugly part of life to consume us or use it to our advantage instead and turn it into something wonderful. This collection is an example of just that. In addition, let these products be a reminder to always stay true to who you are inside and out.

MONYSOPOR CHEAT

Monysopor Cheat is a Designer who is living his life vividly.

In English bright colors are often referred to as "vivid", translated in Khmer vivid means "sopor" like in his name. This name was given to him by his grandfather as he wanted his life to become vivid. This inspired him to become an artist.

"Made me this way" it's not just a collection, for him, it's an opportunity to combine art with fashion. All artworks in his garments are inspired by harmony art. And each artwork he put on the garment is about a moment of reflection. He focused on paintings that utilize a relatively limited range of hues and chose to use brown tones as the color brown affects the mind and body, making us feel wholesome, stable, and at peace, helping us to decelerate and take a moment to reflect. He combined brown with green to show his love for the beauty of nature. For his fabrics, he used naturally dyed hand-woven cotton made by local Cambodian productions that support women and people with disabilities.

The goal of his collection is to make everyone pause and enjoy the art & nature around us. Also to thank and support all the hardworking people in Cambodian communities that continue to make naturally dyed, hand-woven fabrics to lower the impact on the environment.

Lastly, he wants you to believe in yourself as everything you do is of importance!

CHENDA SOK

Chenda Sok, 38, is the middle child of a poor family with 5 children. When she was 15 she moved out to find a job and provide for her family, but she always dreamed of becoming a fashion designer and tailor.

Her collection „My Dream“ is inspired by the stories her father told her about what he experienced during the Khmer Rouge era. Full of fear, courage, and wit, the stories teach her a lot, but most people do not want to talk about this horrible time despite the lessons one could learn from it. She chose natural hand-woven fabrics made by Cambodian women and people with disabilities. The colors she chose are inspired by her father's stories and what he used to wear.

With her collection, she wants to express her admiration for her father but also encourage people to chase their dreams no matter what background they come from.

PICH PRUM

Growing up Pich Prum always loved working with his hands. He always felt he was very different from other kids. He loved anything that had to do with art. It didn’t matter if it was cooking, sewing, or hairdressing. Needless to say, he faced a lot of challenges but he never gave in to what other people said. At the age of 18 a couple of months before he graduated from high school he got accepted to a fashion school. Unfortunately at the time, his family could not afford it. Finally, at the age of 41, he got another chance to fulfill his dream of becoming a fashion designer.

Pich’s collection is called „Magnolia“.

Magnolia is believed to have existed from the beginning of time. It symbolizes endurance, longevity, and perseverance, but also represents dignity and nobility. It is often tied to feminine sweetness, innocence, purity, and beauty, but at the same time power and pride. His collection is dedicated to all the strong women in his life. Not just his family but all the strong women in his life including teachers, bosses, friends, and clients that he has worked with and grown up with.

In this collection, he played with simple shapes, but one-of-a-kind details. The color he used is light yellow, purple, and pink mixed with dark gray representing the colors of the magnolia flower. The materials he used are hand-woven cotton and silk made by poor and unemployed Cambodian women and people with disabilities, to encourage their work and to provide them a job, to support their families.

All in all, Pich wants to empower all the beautiful women in the world with his collection.

SOKTHAIR HENG

Sokthair Heng, a dedicated businesswoman who always has her hands full with various work at her shop, decided to follow her passion as a fashion designer by enrolling in the training center of MEDC. Her toughest challenge was to find the time for both school and her shop. But she tried her best and achieved her dream of becoming a fashion designer.

The "SERENFULL" collection is inspired by the Amethyst stone. The meaning of amethyst is attached to serenity, understanding, trust, and grace. The Amethyst is crystalline quartz in color ranging from pale lilac to deep purple.

In order to represent the abstract shapes of an Amethyst, she used ruffles, pleats, and the zigzags patches in her collection. The style of the collection is casual, elegant, and loose-fit, which represents the feeling of calmness, and serenity. The fabrics she used are naturally dyed, hand-woven fabrics from local communities, where mostly women and people with disabilities get the chance to provide for their families. This helps improve the community's living standards and supports sustainable fashion.

She hopes that her collection will make people who wear it feel calm, and graceful and bring positive energy to them. She believes that positive energy will bring out inner peace.

TONGHEANG LIM

Tongheang Lim is an interior design student at the ROYAL UNIVERSITY OF FINE ARTS. Since his younger age, he has liked to bring his imagination to life by drawing and painting with fresh and bold colors. He loves all animals, the environment, vintage items, traveling, and adventure.

His collection „The suffering life of the Gaur“ is inspired by the amazing shape and movement of the Gaur. The Gaur is endangered by habitat loss and poaching. This species is listed on the IUCN Red List (VU) as globally endangered.

The Gaur is a species that resembles cows and buffalos. We can identify the Gaur by their short and strong necks, sharp horns, and all four legs from the knees down are gray. Another unique feature is the long gray or light golden yellow hair on their foreheads. Their babies are brown until they are 4-5 months old and then turn black. Much like us humans, it lives in a herd. Other species like Gaur Vor or Gaur Sanke have sharp horns that bend upwards, however, they became extinct shortly after the war had ended.

For his materials, Tongheang used naturally dyed and hand-woven cotton, made by women in local communities that practice traditional weaving, and preserve the natural and traditional way of producing textiles.

The message he wants to spread is to protect this magnificent species and to empower sustainable initiatives. Please join and help Tongheang in protecting, and conserving the Gaur. Thank you!

DARALUCKY PEN & VADDHANAK SAMBATH CHAN

Daralucky Pen, 22, an aspiring Artist and Designer, who recently embarked on his artistic journey as a fashion designer, co-working together with Vaddhanak Sambath Chan, 25, an Elementary school teacher, who recently found his way back to his long-lost passion for designing.

They, together, produced a collection called “Society & Teenagers“. “Society and Teenager“ is a story of healing from anxiety and mental illness. The talents and creativity of young people are evaporating because of elders' taunting. The modern way of social media and communication made it easier for these abusive activities to happen anonymously. The clothes were inspired by the pain caused by these comments. But all wounds heal and grow together stronger, leaving behind scars as a sight for the battles we have overcome. They create a beauty of the painful past that led us to become who we are today. For their collection, the designers chose rich and dark Blue, Red, and Brown tones to resemble their strength and pureness.

The fabrics for this collection are all natural hand-woven cotton fabrics crafted by women and people with disabilities in Cambodia's provinces.

With this collection, the two young designers want to show the world that pushing them down did not stop them and will not stop them. And they want anyone out there facing similar adversity to do the same and keep fighting and be their true self no matter what.

CHAKRIYA HENG

Chakriya Heng has been passionate about Fashion design since she was in high school. She wanted to become a Fashion designer so she followed her dream by studying Fashion design at the Ma Pa Fashion Academy.

Her “BACK IN TIME“ collection was inspired by BUN PKA PRAK which is a religious ceremony. It was set up to collect donations for the pagodas. There were attractions set up like an amusement park and a traditional theater called “Lakhon Basak“ for visitors to enjoy. For her shapes and colors, she took inspiration from Lakhon Basak, the colors are inspired by the beautiful lights, and the shapes of the attractions in the amusement park and BUN PKA PRAK to create unique-looking garments for her collection.

At the same time, Chakriya wants to recreate her childhood memories for everyone to enjoy. BUN PKA PRAK in her childhood was always a fun place and very memorable for her. Even though she struggled, got disappointed, and at times felt depressed in her lifetime, she could remember a happy childhood to encourage herself to keep going and be happy.

In this collection, she used naturally dyed, hand-woven cotton fabrics made by local Cambodian women and people with disabilities. The goal of Chakriya’s collection is to remind you of a happy time in your life and use it as your source of energy and power for any situation you struggle with.

Don’t give up, keep going and you will reach your goals!

KONGNOV THORNG

Since Kongnov Thorng was a teenager she always loved to customize and recycle her clothes to make something new from them. After working in a handicraft shop for about 2 years, she discovered her love for handicrafts produced here in Cambodia. Unfortunately due to the Pandemic she, like so many others, lost her job but this gave her the chance to try and create art herself. She started with shoe customization, painting on various utility objects, and many more from there she went on to re-/upcycle second-hand clothing.

Her collection "Seasons In Cambodia" is inspired by the two seasons: the rainy season and the dry season with their duration being six-month each. In Cambodia, the rainy season is very important because of the country's large agriculture industry and its fruits that feed not only Cambodian mouths. As a result, Cambodian farmers are very happy about the rainy season, because it brings a lot of rainfall that can make their farming in the rice fields possible.

The collection is made from hand-woven cotton fabrics from different productions in Cambodia's provinces, which support disabled people and women. This collection supports these people working hard to support their families.

She used gray, brown, and turquoise colors for her collection as they resemble the rain, earth, and clouds. These colors together also provide a sense of calmness and relaxation.

LYLY KAING

Lyly Kaing is a fashion design student who just graduated from Mapa Fashion Design Academy, eager to learn and gain more experience. Currently, she is doing an internship and studying at MEDC to further her horizon.

Her collection “Bee Linking“ was inspired by bees. It makes the rescue and protection of Bees in Cambodia the subject of discussion. We rely on bees to naturally pollinate our plants thus we need to care for and protect them. But Bees also are the artists creating delicious honey which is used in many ways such as skin care, medicine, drinks, and food. She used fabric manipulations in the shape of honeycombs as functional design features in her garments. The whole collection was made with natural hand-woven fabrics made by local Cambodian women and people with disabilities. And the colors are inspired by the beautiful yellow of the bees themself combined with naturally dyed brown tones appealing toward a hopeful future for all bees.

With her collection, Lyly wants to bring more awareness to our need for bees and just how much we need them. But not only do the bees need to be protected, but nature and our environment itself are also in danger from our pollution. So she wants to encourage everyone to produce and buy sustainable products for a safe future together.

MEIMEI HENG

Meimei Heng is an aspiring artist and designer who is still learning and exploring her artistic abilities. Growing up she was never surrounded by artists so she had to find her own way which meant achieving her dream of becoming a designer was more difficult, but she was and still is, determined to pursue it.

Her collection "Submarine" was inspired by the tone and connotation of the word "submarine". On the surface, the submarine is an invisible watercraft, yet she is thoroughly prepared for any challenges that she might face beneath the ocean. Much like the submarine, she prefers to conceal herself with many complicated thoughts and feelings. The submarine reflects solitude, depth, and mystery, along with the obvious of remaining hidden out of plain sight.

An important feature of her collection „Submarine“ is the use of car-tire waste to make her water pattern and incorporate it in particular parts of the bags to bring awareness about the waste that could be repurposed and up-cycled. Other than this Meimei used naturally dyed, hand-woven fabrics for her collection.

She hopes that her collection can bring more awareness to our waste management, and its impact on the environment.

PHYRA MAO

Phyra Mao is a fashion design student, who has been in love with sewing and designing since she was a child. After high school, she decided to study Fashion Design at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University in Bangkok, Thailand, but besides her sister and her uncle, no one supported her in this decision. Despite facing so much adversity she decided to follow her heart.

Her collection “Nature makes you happy“ represents her feelings for nature and what we can all gain from our beautiful environment. She loves to hike in the forests and mountains, it makes her feel relaxed. She decided to incorporate recycled cement bags into her collection. This is her way of trying to reduce the impact of our consumer-based society through recycling, as it will help preserve nature also.

For her other material, she used hand-woven cotton fabrics with traditional Khmer patterns, made by local Cambodian women and people with disabilities. Her bag collection is designed to be highly functional so you can take it out into nature and pack anything you need.

SIMKEANG CHEA (CINDY)

Simkeang Chea (Cindy) is a proud Khmer. She is an inspiration, the heart, and soul of a growing brand, which she has named "Cheu Cheak“ or „CC." "Cheu Cheak" means "believe" and she believes!

At the start of the COVID pandemic Cindy, like so many others, was out of work for one month. In that month she designed and made masks using traditional handmade Cambodian textiles with an emphasis on the sugar palm colors. Later she expanded her collection to include bags.

By turning a crisis into an opportunity, she realized that with study, more knowledge, and hard work she could help herself, her family, and other people in her community! Her inspiration for this collection comes from her love of family and strong memories of her father. Cindy grew up watching her father support and educate his children through traditional Cambodian applications of the sugar palm tree.

Her father used the sugar palm tree to produce sugar, thatching for roofs, lining for walls, making baskets and utensils, sunscreens, sleeping mats, woven furniture, and many more things.

Cindy's life has been shaped by the natural vibrancy of life in Cambodia. Therefore she chose for her collection natural brown and green colors, inspired by the sugar palm tree and hand-woven cotton.

Cindy has grown and learned a lot in the past two years, her collection reflects Cindy’s belief in herself, her family, and Cambodia.

Cheu Cheak
Thank you!

RANY PHON

Rany Phon, 22 years young, is an energetic woman that is still finding herself. In order to find her calling, she has looked into many different fields which also include the fashion industry which she has found herself loving. To her, fashion is more than just clothes, bags, footwear, accessories, or hairstyles. It is about self-expression and the representation of one's beliefs and passion.

In her collection, “The Beauty we tend to oversee“ she wants to represent the beauties that are not valued as much as they should be. One of her inspirations is from Lakhon Khol (Khmer Masked Theater) which is a famous Khmer dance drama, inscribed on the list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. This is a result of the traditions slowly being forgotten. There are many reasons for this but the main reason is that there is not enough interest by the public for Lakhon Khol, leaving the artists with fewer funds to keep their art alive.

For her collection, she used natural hand-woven fabrics made by women from Takeo province and sustainable vegan leather produced in Siem Reap. One of the leathers used in her collection which is made from banana fiber is a great representation of a crushed beauty that we could find on a daily basis. In her collection, it is given a second chance to be something of value, something that can not be overlooked.

With her designs, she wishes to spread her awareness and love for the beauty around us and our heritages that have been passed on for centuries from our ancestors.

SREYPA ROTH

Sreypa Roth is a young woman striving toward her dream to become a Fashion designer and successful Business woman.

Sreypa’s collection “The Moon'' is inspired by the feeling she gets when looking at the moon at night. She feels calm, relaxed, peaceful, and confident. Sreypa’s designs take the different stages of the moon as inspiration for its shapes. The sphere shapes represent focus and a clear mindset, and the black fabrics represent calmness and peace. The Moon inspires her to keep going no matter what challenges she faces. She chose natural hand-woven cotton fabrics, made by local Cambodian women in rural areas and people with disabilities paired with vegan leather handmade in Siem reap.

Sreypa hopes that her bag collection will inspire people to keep going and pursue their dreams. She hopes to help make the next generation understand environmental degradation and consider the use of natural materials and support overall sustainability.

CHANNICA SAMPHOS PHIRUM

As the firstborn in the family, Channica Samphos Phirum majored in teaching, to fulfill her parent's expectations. As time went by, she decided to finally chase her childhood dream of becoming a fashion designer. At MEDC, she was introduced to a deeper understanding of fashion as she did not only learn about design but also about the value of the environment and the fashion industry.

Her collection „Dancing Locks“ is inspired by the unique shape of the Apsara dancers’ hairstyles on the wall of Angkor Wat. She wants people to see and feel the mesmerizing structure of hair that was carved on the walls of the giant monument. Shaped like a dancing snake, not many people notice the unique hairstyles. Channica decided to choose black as the color of this collection, which represents the glowing black locks of the Apsara.

The materials she used are natural hand-woven fabrics crafted by local Cambodian women and people with disabilities, paired with vegan leather made by Cambodian artisans, leftover car seat leather, and car tires. All of which are cut into the shapes of the Apsara hair.

Channica hopes that through her collection she can show the uniqueness of the Apsara’s hairstyles and allow people to find out more about the different types of Apsara dancers during the Angkor era.

KAKNEKA NAM

Kakneka Nam is a fashion design student and her collection “Kralan“ is inspired by Cambodian rice cakes cooked in bamboo. She chose “Kralan“ as her inspiration as it reminds her of her childhood and her hometown and it is one of her favorite Khmer delicatessens.

The colors she used in her collection are inspired by bamboo and the ingredients used to make Kralan. For her bags, she only used naturally dyed, hand-woven fabric, crafted by women and people with disabilities who get the chance to provide for their families and have a normal life. She paired these beautiful fabrics with bamboo sticks, which represent the Kralan.

With her collection, Kakneka wants to share her love for this special Khmer delicacy and promote a sustainable and natural way of cooking and life.

SREY NICH BUNTHOEUN

Srey Nich Bunthoeun is a designer, she is currently studying Fashion Design in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Before the MEDC program she had only designed clothes, that's why now she challenged herself to think outside of the box and do something different. Therefore she decided to design a bag collection that she later named “Rumdoul“ “Rumdoul“ is Cambodia’s national flower. The relationship between this flower and Cambodia’s history was the reason she chose the Rumduol flower as her main inspiration for her collection. There are many different ways to enjoy the flower. It is used for beauty products, making essential oils, traditional medicine, decoration items, and many more. Each bag represents details of the “Rumdoul“ plant, from the shape of the leaves, the flower itself, and the stem. Srey nich’s collection is made from natural hand-woven fabrics and hand-carved wood details made by local shops that support poor and unemployed women and people with disabilities.

The goal of her collection is to promote Cambodia's beautiful national flower as much as possible and to help everyone understand the importance of caring for our environment as it is the fruit of all existence.

She also wants those who buy her collection to feel happy because they are also helping local businesses and to build a more sustainable future together.

SOVANVATEY SEANG

Sovanvatey Seang is a year 3 student pursuing her fashion design major.

Her collection ''Singularity“, represents the uniqueness of being one of its kind. Since she was inspired by the shape and lines of a fingerprint. She wants people who wear her bags to live out their true selves and carry out their own identities like the fingerprint in the public. Her collection was created with close attention to detail. This whole collection is made of naturally dyed, hand-woven cotton fabric with some recycled cement bags and wooden elements crafted by local Cambodian shops that support women and people with disabilities and give them a chance to provide for their families.

She hopes the person who receives her bag can be a part of her collection's journey and get to know the meaning and the power of singularity. In addition to this, she wants to encourage people to show themselves, and their true identities.

BUN PHEAP KRUY

Bun Pheap Kruy’s collection “Mask on“ is meant to illustrate how modern-day society often has a mask on to look good in the public eye. But it is not always their true self. This also happens in real life when they are meeting different people they only change the masks that they are wearing.

Her collection is made from natural hand-woven fabrics crafted and dyed by local Cambodian artisans that employ women and people with disabilities. In addition to that, she used recycled car tires to give the things that are meant to be thrown away a second life. Another unique element in her collection is the embroidery pictures, which she drew and designed by herself.

Bun Pheap’s goal for her collection is to promote sustainability but also to normalize using recycled and natural resources such as car tires and fabrics made out of plant fibers.