HONG KONG — It’s certainly intimidating for a young fashion designer to speak in front of a roomful of editors, buyers and industry heavyweights, and doubly so if they cannot speak English. That was predicament facing two of the four winners named at the Woolmark Prize Hong Kong 2018/19 semifinals on Thursday. But both of the non-English speakers managed to find the words at a dinner at Aberdeen Street Social, where designers Zhi Chen of I-Am-Chen, Mooyeol Lee of Youser, and Yohei Ohno and Angel Chen, each of whom have eponymous labels, were chosen to move on to the next round of the global competition. “I never expected this, so I’m just surprised now. Thank you so much,” Japanese designer Yohei Ohno told the crowd with a stunned laugh. Earlier in the day, Ohno had conducted interviews accompanied by an interpreter. Mooyeol Lee, who heads up South Korean label Youser, managed to say: “I never expected this honor, so thank you so much.” Lee had no interpreter, so to speak to the press about his brand he’d come equipped with a written statement in English. Lee said winning felt like a dream, and his head is already swimming with ideas for the finals, which will

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