Kong’s research brought him to Brutalism, an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s and 60s after World War II ended. “Characterised by functionalism, minimal geometric lines, and raw materiality without the use of any superfluous ornamentation, the pure expression of the strength and resilience of the lines and the simple geometric composition creates a strong sense of architectural grandeur,” he explains.
Brutalism and its main elements had a clear influence on how Kong constructed the shapes of his garments for the MA collection, creating what he calls ‘the bullet’, ‘the oval’, and the ‘La Tulipe’ silhouettes. The extreme use of concrete and the presence of raw textures, also linked to Brutalist architecture, helped the designer to explore and create different textiles.
Compromised with responsible design, Kong chose to use natural and recycled fabrics as the main materials for his graduate collection. He also crafted some of the pieces by working with wet felting, a ancient zero-waste method where wool fibres are combined until they form a specific shape.