There's more to fashion than just couture -- venturing outside the avant-garde and beyond the designer price tags, the Hot Young Designers (HYD) group challenges five designers to succeed in their first venture into the ready-to-wear (RTW) fashion industry.

HYD Fashion Face Off 2011

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The first collection for HYD's Fashion Face Off Challenge 2011 was revealed last October, with the works of its five finalists finally being made available for the purchase by the public. I was able to chat with four out of these five aspiring designers during the Global Pinoy Bazaar. Jackie Abueg, Marc Blanco, Klart Lim and Renan Pecson clued me in on their fashion journey so far.

"This is only our first collection... [and so far] it's been really challenging," says Jackie. When asked what was the most difficult part of the process, there was no shortage of answers: "The production," quipped Marc, which Renan adds, "[This] includes time management, beating deadlines. Costing, doing the paper work, which I'm not used to."

Klart explains, "That's what they're trying to teach us, the ready-to-wear side of fashion. It's training for us [because] aside from design, we have to be also in charge of the business side of things." Jackie adds, "You [also] have to be careful of the design because it's RTW. That means you have to be creative -- but not too outrageous."

But this fashion faceoff promises to give a huge boost to whoever will emerge as the top designer by the end of the 9-month-challenge. A 100,000-peso boost, to be exact! After producing three collections throughout the entire year, the designer who achieves the greatest profits will be given Php 100,000 worth of prizes to help them start their own line.

Check out the photos and interviews of the 5 finalists below.

Support local fashion and cast your vote for your favorite HYD designer!

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This is just the first collection -- so it may be to early to make a call -- but who do you think has what it takes to make it in the RTW business? Which collection has the most potential to make it to the racks?

A purchase from your favorite HYD designer serves as your vote, so make sure to head on over to the Hot Young Designers' online store to check out the entire collections. They will also have a booth at the St. James the Great Bazaar on November 26-30, 2011. 

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