Maggie Chan

Maggie Chan

Collection

Bio

HOI KEI MAGGIE CHAN is a designer grounded in attention to detail and material-led thinking. At the core of her practice is curiosity and focus on intention and process. She approaches each piece by letting materials inform structure instead of forcing fixed forms.

Working mainly in knitwear, she develops unconventional constructions that prioritize drape and silhouette over precision and fit. Her work explores the relationship between garment and body. Each piece shifts through use, shaped by wear and time.

MAKESHIFT

MAKESHIFT is a knit-based collection that examines everyday, instinctive decisions shaped by necessity. Rooted in observations of Hong Kong’s urban environment, the work draws from wet markets, alleyway structures, and domestic improvisations. Spaces where function is continuously negotiated through available materials. Plastic bags, ties, aprons, and carrying systems become points of reference, not as aesthetic motifs, but as lived solutions.


The collection pays particular attention to how domestic objects spill into public space, blurring the boundaries between private and public spaces. Items typically associated with the home, like hangers, towels, baskets, shower curtains, are recontextualized on the street, adapted for use. In these moments, objects become personalized and redefined through necessity and individual habits.
Garments are informed by everyday objects and figures observed in these environments, particularly the routines and dress of older generations. Towels draped around butchers’ necks, the repetition of polo shirts and slacks as informal uniforms, and construction harnesses shape both silhouette and function. Materials and forms reference items found in wet markets, construction sites, alleyways and sidewalks.

Objects defined by improvisation. The use of leftover fabrics and knit scraps reinforces a language of adaptation.

Knitwear is approached as both material and method. Combining dubied machine knitting with upcycled textiles and non-fashion objects, the work challenges knitwear’s association with precision and refinement. Instead, it embraces irregularity and tension allowing form to emerge
through material behavior and interaction with the body. Negotiating mistakes as a part of the making process.Silhouettes expand, collapse, and carry. Pockets become containers, panels become add-ons, and garments extend beyond the body into space. Each piece reflects a system of use.

CONTACT

Email:

IG: @mags.chan