Time Traveling at Panache 2026

Panache, KGV’s annual charity fashion show, never fails to transform our familiar school hall into another world. This year, clock motifs decorated the stage, a call to the theme ‘Timeless’. Before the show, a palpable excitement filled the air, with all eyes cast on the lit up catwalk. Who knows what delights might grace the stage when the designers have all of fashion history to take inspiration from?

The show kickstarted with Alex Hon’s baroque themed line, The Four Seasons, which featured frills and soft pastel colors that might have come straight out of Bridgerton. Every model might have been right at home at a 16th century ballroom, even as the audience eagerly snapped photos on iPhones.

Just before the audience was ready to trade their phones for powdered wigs and extravagant gowns, we were greeted with fashion lines that incited nostalgia in the parent and teacher attendees: 190X’s by Zachary Jang and Krishna Bhojwani, Retro Revival by Charlotte Kim and Bollywood Archives by Purvi Jain, among other designs.

My personal favorite was Charmaine Mak’s ‘SCARLETTE’, a collection of designs inspired by the punk rock movement of the mid-1970s. Whether it’s the ripped up lace or the collage of tartan and newspaper printed fabrics, every outfit screamed rebel louder than a 70s underground punk gig. 

Of course, this fabulous event could have never happened without the dedicated team of almost 90 students behind the scene, coming from a wide range of year groups and backgrounds.

Led by a team of 15 heads, they’ve been working over nine months to achieve Panache’s dual goal of providing opportunities to students while supporting charity. All proceeds this year go to KGV’s four school charities: Sai Kung Stray Friends, Plastic Free Seas, Hong Kong Cancer Fund and Impact HK. Sai Kung Stray Friends also had a booth stationed at the show, selling adorable plushies which have no doubt found homes with the showgoers. Although the proceeds are still being processed, Panache expects to donate around 60,000 HKD in total, distributed evenly across the four charities.

In future years, Anuj Bhatt, a co-head organizer, hopes that Panache will bring back teachers on the runway. Before COVID-19, teachers would sometimes model and perform, and although it hasn’t happened in the past four years, I’ve got my fingers crossed for the next one!

A special shout out to Anuj Bhatt and Smira Verma for leading this brilliant show, Ms Lau, Ms Fawdry and Mr Huda for their endless support, and the dedication from all department heads.

Behind The Scenes Crew

Production: Harman Panjeta & Mohini Damodaran

Finance: Aryav Ghosh, Khrish Butani, and Kashish Jain

Public Relations: Sia Jain, Yashita Mishra

Student Talent: Sian Lee, Naira Mathrawala

Model management: Divina Bahrunani, Ika Tang

Graphics: Yerim Kim and Gabriella Tjabringa

Check out @thelionscrestgallery for more photos of the show! We can’t wait to see what Panache brings to the stage next year.