Ponder.er wins Yu Prize top honor at Digital Shanghai Fashion Week

Derek Cheng and Alex Po, founders of Ponder.er with Wendy Yu

Ponder.er, a Hong Kong-based gender-inclusive label founded by Derek Cheng and Alex Po, has been named the winner of this year’s Yu Prize top honor, the Li-Ning Grand Award during Digital Shanghai Fashion Week, which comes with a cash prize of 1 million RMB, mentoring from top industry professionals, the opportunity to sell their wares at Harrod’s, and promotional support on China’s social commerce platform Xiaohongshu.

The two designers behind the gender-neutral label first met when they were both students at Central St. Martins, and they founded their label in 2019. The brand aims to challenge gender stereotypes and raise questions about social norms, while seeking sustainable collaborations in using deadstock fabrics from factories or brands to do hand-crochet pieces.

PONDER.ER /Photography by Xin Li

The YU PRIZE, founded by entrepreneur and philanthropist Wendy Yu, is a fashion-focused annual award and program, dedicated to celebrating and supporting the journeys of the most promising and pioneering Chinese fashion talents, in association with Shanghai Fashion Week and the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM).