Winners
CreateSmart Young Design Talent Award 2026
Cheng Chung Hei, Derek
Fashion & Accessory Design | Fashion Designer
Co-founder, PONDER.ER
Derek Cheng graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2016, with a graduate collection paying tribute to his hometown and celebrating local cultures and the relationship between fashion and identity. He was selected as one of the CFDA+ graduates that same year. Derek’s latest venture is co-founding gender-fluid designer label PONDER.ER, which seeks to subvert and reimagine stereotypes around gender conventions and social norms. The brand has made waves internationally for its unique approach, with designs that invite wearers to experiment and express their own identities.
The brand was named the Yu Prize 2022 Grand Prize winner and one of 10 Asian Designers to Watch from Fashion Asia Hong Kong. PONDER.ER was shortlisted as a semi-finalist for the 2024 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers and a finalist at Vogue China Fashion Fund.
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