Walking into a church in Notting Hill on a Saturday evening, the lights, glamour, and organised chaos of any fashion show contrasted with the dull and dark sky outside, which had seen rainfall throughout the day. Models were practicing their walks, and people were checking in guests. The Creatives had picked the perfect background for an evening of fashion.
As Shery sat down for our interview, she had been busy all day, but still had a sparkle in her eye: her story started back when she was little in Hong Kong. While she always had a love for fashion, if she could pick one main influence for becoming a designer, Shery took me on a trip down memory lane and revealed that it was all because of her mum. Shops are still a central place to buy clothes, but for Shery’s mum, this was a process she took into her own hands.
“Instead of shopping around for clothes, my mum used to go to the fabric shop. She would choose the fabric and then take it to the tailor to make her own trousers, blouses, and jackets. As I grew older, she gave me the opportunity to buy my own fabric and took me to her tailor so I could make my own dresses as well.”
It was this time with her mum that resurfaced when, later on, she thought about what kind of things she would make for herself. While at school, she did a lot of DIY on her own clothes, and a desire to be in fashion was born.
Each country has its trends and styles synonymous with their cultures, but for Shery, Hong Kong is and has always been considered “international,” with links to information from across the gold that allowed her to learn about the world’s trends. Yet, in Shery’s words, “Hong Kong has its own character.”
Her eyes lit up as she spoke about it being “a place that is dynamic, vibrant, with everybody busy.” In particular, she emphasised the bright colours and how even with knowledge about such current and international trends, being a designer means inputting your own direction, image, and thinking into each piece. For Shery, she declared, “My collection inevitably must have more colours and energy; a more dynamic feeling.”
The show itself, organised and put together by The Creatives, perfectly exhibited the diversity and depth of fashion in 2025 in a cohesive and impactful way, from the venue’s layout, lighting, and atmosphere. Shery’s collection was up last, which was the perfect way to end a night of beauty, elegance, and a pure showcase of talent. The collection’s name was Whisper of Winter Floral Tales. While Shery explained that she has a different concept for each season, the description she relayed, which was also mentioned before her collection took to the runway, adds meaning to already beautiful words.
“In the face of uncertainty, fear, worries, failure, and challenges, the heart feels heavy. Yet, like the Whisper of Winter Floral Tales collection, you are braver than you believe, stronger than you appear, and more loved than you realise. As you navigate through winter, buckle up yourself, let your passion and dreams guide you. Even in the coldest season, flowers can bloom, illuminating darkness with the delicate beauty, whispering tales of resilience and hope.”
As the show approached its end and it was finally time for Syra J, the description of the collection gave the audience a taste of what to expect. However, the clothes still stood out on their own.
There was a beautiful variety of pieces, and the dresses all gave off the theme of florals in different ways. Initially, the audience was treated to a beautiful green and white floral dress, seemingly taking inspiration from historical fashion, but this was just the start. Similarly, a dress with a similar vibe used a different material, seeing ruffles contrast against the white and purple material. A bold red dress followed, which took the floral inspiration more literally with huge decals and a variety of textured materials to add depth. Classic black dresses made their way down the catwalk, but each were unique and made use of embellishments and accessories.
In particular, the penultimate dress might have been all black, but the sparkly material and pops of skin from the model gave it a Hollywood glamour vibe and wouldn’t look out of place on a red carpet or premiere.
On the other hand, the collection also had pieces that could be worn for more professional or regular events. There was a beautiful black skirt and top combination with white flower embellishments, a three-piece suit with abstract white patterns, a beautifully summery green floral material incorporated into a blouse and black pants, and some gold sparkle.
Each look was perfectly complemented by an embellished flower on the model’s cheek, further pushing the message of “floral tales” and flower inspiration.
All of the clothes were beautiful, but it wasn’t surprising that when asked about her favourite piece that best describes the collection, Shery chose the finale piece.
The bodice was bright red and textured with flowers, which matched the gloves and exquisite face embellishment. Yet, while red is a colour associated with flowers, it was the deep navy blue at the centre of the outfit with a ruffled neckpiece and a dramatic skirt that looked like a waterfall made of petals. The two colours both contrasted and complemented each other and as it made its way down the catwalk, a pin could be heard dropping as the audience watched in awe.
It fitted with the theme of “flowers” and was made with the heart, but the small details that Shery pointed out added an extra layer of beauty. Thinking of the piece, she described the wings sticking out of the bralette and the flowing skirt, revealing, “It is telling people ‘I am starting to fly. I can fly again. I can free myself again to go forward.’ The skirt is flowing; while you are walking, you float; it’s pushing you to go forward and don’t stop.”
While speaking about her collection and the beauty of each design, it was impossible not to notice how impeccably Shery was dressed. With a bright blue top that had a cut-off shoulder and embellishments, attention was drawn to the perfectly tailored pants. The shape might have been standard for a pair of professional pants, but the half, half design stood out. One leg was a plain block colour, while the other was embellished with a bold print.
Considering how beautiful the design of her pants was, it wasn’t surprising that Shery believes that pants are a staple piece for every woman’s wardrobe, especially considering how busy women are. She explained, “They go out to carry out tasks, so pants are more practical. But as you look around, there are black pants and white pants, try some cool pants with chic designs and different that will make you look different and shining. Practical and at the same time look gorgeous.”
Shery undoubtedly looks gorgeous, but while it’s easy to assume it was for a special occasion, her Instagram is full of stunning outfits. Along with being a designer, Shery exuded the passion of someone who just loved fashion, and she shared how she loves “trying out all kinds of fashion.”
“A lot of the outfits I show on my Instagram feed are from my own designs. At the same time, when I make collections, I post something I like for myself and think about what would look good on other people. Everybody has different body shapes and backgrounds; I can’t focus on one thing; I need to focus on what will look good on everyone.”
Whether it is pieces for Syra J or the outfits Shery wears, these beautiful clothes don’t just appear out of nowhere. Hearing Shery’s creative process is unique and linked to her love of all kinds of art. Along with fashion, her inspirations come from interior design and art, as she spoke about her trips to museums and art shows. Yet, when it came to the first step in creating a piece or having a concept, Shery spoke about the importance of fabric when it came to thinking of a collection.
“First of all, one thing we always do is look at the fabric first and what is the new fabric for the season. From there, we can touch the fabric and from the feeling, decide what kind of clothes will look good with that fabric. This is how we start.”
Speaking about her runway looks and how her collections are made, it inevitably led to discussions about what the future could be for Syra J.
Designers always have their eyes on the next season or what the next inspiration for a collection could be, but while Shery pointed out that there won’t ever be one trend in the future, she had ambitions for a collection that she hasn’t done before based on a personal love of hers: dance. With so much passion, Shery described her love for dance and how she practices it a lot, adding, “I would be interested in designing some dancers’ costumes.”
Although fashion-wise, Shery wanted to combine her love of dance with her career, there were also more practical and ambitious goals she had. The life of a fashion designer isn’t easy, and while explaining that it wasn’t due to greed or a desire for more business, she explained that she wanted to open a physical store for Syra J. She said, “If I can afford it or someone can support me, I want to open a store, I would be very happy about that. I just think it’s an effective way to promote my brand to a wider scope of customers.”
Everything Shery said was oozing with passion and love. She spoke about her customers and what she wanted women to feel, using the words “modern,” “elegant,” and “different.” Her eyes were warm as she gushed about wanting the women who wear her clothes to be shining and tofeel good, giving them confidence and strength.
This fitted perfectly with the words she used to describe Syra J: empowerment and character.
“I want my customers, when they wear the clothes, to not only look beautiful but [to] look modern and be different, to encourage them to enhance their confidence in their minds. When you have confidence and receive compliments, you feel good, and that’s very important. When you feel good, you automatically feel powerful for yourself to reach your goals.”
As we finished the interview, with the promise of dumplings for our next meeting, Shery looked like a true celebrity but acted with the kindness and humility of someone who has worked their hardest to achieve their goals. Despite a long day, she still had a smile on her face at the end of the night, reflecting the same emotions of hope and positivity that her clothes exude.
Syra J can be found on Instagram here.
Creative team: Aimée Kwan & Maddie Armstrong
Photographer: Maddie Armstrong
Many thanks to: The Creatives, Pat Lyttle