Photographed by Kim Santos
The designer behind Manila-based label Le Ngok, has been named one of the First Prize winners of the 2025 Redress Design Award.
Carla Zhang, the creative mind behind Manila-based label Le Ngok, has been named one of the joint First Prize winners at the 2025 Redress Design Award, the world’s leading circular fashion competition. Sharing the honor with French designer Hugo Dumas, Zhang was recognized for her handwoven zero-waste collection made from complex factory surplus cords and yarns, a testament to her ability to transform overlooked materials into responsible fashion solutions.
Born in China and raised in the Philippines, Zhang studied Fashion Design and Marketing at SoFA Design Institute in Manila before launching Le Ngok, a label defined by what she calls “mixed media wear.” Her designs often incorporate unexpected materials such as CDs, mirrors, plastic folders, and textile scraps, fusing avant-garde storytelling with eco-conscious creativity. She has described her work as a way to find value in waste, both as a creative challenge and as a response to the environmental crisis facing the fashion industry.
Since its founding, Le Ngok has been steadily building an international presence. In 2024, Zhang presented collections at Paris’ Tranoï show, Bench Fashion Week in Manila, and the Modern and Contemporary Art Festival. Her work often examines personal and social narratives, combining experimental silhouettes with themes of mental well-being and cultural identity. A capsule collection, “Wasteland of Tomorrow,” created during the pandemic, epitomized her ethos by transforming discarded fruit nets, deadstock fabrics, and other remnants into bold, wearable art.
As part of her Redress Award prize, Zhang will present at the GREENEXT Expo 2025 in Shanghai and collaborate with renowned creative Flora Cheong-Leen on a limited-edition retail project in China. For Zhang, the award is both recognition and responsibility. “Winning this competition will allow us to promote resourceful solutions to more of the industry and consumers, as a way to find value in overlooked materials. It’s challenging, and I’m ready to rise to the challenge,” she said
