Fashion Archives

Hong Kong Patterns, Part III: Africa, Europe and the Cosmopolitan City

Billy PottsMarch 2, 2023

An exhibition at CHAT explores Hong Kong’s links to Africa, reflecting the city’s emergence as a global hub...

DesignExhibitionFashionHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 05 min read

Hong Kong Patterns, Part II: Silk City

Billy PottsJanuary 31, 2023

The arrival of Japanese department stores led to a boom in silk manufacturing – and some strange cultural blends...

DesignFashionHistoryProduct DesignSmall Stories & Secret StoriesWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 07 min read

Why Costume Design is a Snapshot of Hong Kong Life

Elizabeth KerrApril 27, 2022

As Hong Kong films evolve, so too does costume design and what it has to say about the city...

CinemaCultureDesignFashion0 Comments 015 min read

The Story Behind Ascot Chang, Hong Kong’s Superstar Tailor

Billy PottsMarch 31, 2022

The Shanghainese roots of Hong Kong tailoring are embodied by the Chang family, whose business has earned worldwide acclaim...

DesignFashionPeoplePortraits0 Comments 010 min read

Scottish Hong Kong: A Visit to Yuen’s, the Expert Kiltmakers

Billy PottsMarch 16, 2022

Hong Kong’s original kiltmaker is still going strong more than two decades after the last Scottish regiments departed...

DesignFashionHeritageHistorySmall Stories & Secret Stories0 Comments 010 min read

The Forgotten Masterpieces of Lacloche

Edith TerryMarch 11, 2022

How the exquisite works of a Parisian jewellery house were celebrated, forgotten, and finally recovered for a fascinating exhibition...

DesignEventExhibitionFashionProduct DesignWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 012 min read

Scottish Hong Kong: A Red-White-Blue Tartan Especially for Hong Kong

Billy PottsFebruary 22, 2022

Tartan has a long history and each example of the chequered patterns is loaded with meaning, including a new tartan designed just for Hong Kong...

CultureDesignFashionHistorySmall Stories & Secret StoriesTradition0 Comments 011 min read

Video: Lacloche in Hong Kong, A Rare Look at Art Deco Marvels

Zolima CityMagDecember 18, 2021

Discover the mesmerising work of renowned Parisian jewellers Lacloche at L'ÉCOLE Asia Pacific's newest Hong Kong exhibition...

ArtDesignEventExhibitionFashionInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 01 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: The Star Street Precinct, a Quietly Fashionable Enclave

Brian MokDecember 17, 2020

The stars, sun and moon align in a stylish, laid back corner just beyond the bustle of Wan Chai....

ArtBooksCultureDesignFashionFoodHistoryInspring ItinerariesSmall Stories & Secret StoriesTraditionVisual ArtWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 022 min read

Lucky Embroidery: The Story Behind Hong Kong’s Intricate Kua Wedding Dresses

Billy PottsJune 11, 2020

Traditional brides in Hong Kong don't wear white – they wear a kua. We visit one of the last local workshops that makes these intricate gowns. ...

CultureDesignFashionTradition0 Comments 09 min read

Video: Watch How Sudo Reiko Makes NUNO Textiles

Zolima CityMagDecember 10, 2019

Inside a fascinating new exhibition at CHAT....

ArtDesignFashionInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 01 min read

Reiko Sudo at CHAT: Japanese Textile Ingenuity

Zolima CityMagNovember 27, 2019

A new exhibition explores how a textile artist has revived and reinvented Japan’s textile traditions...

ArtDesignFashionPeoplePortraitsProduct Design0 Comments 08 min read

It Takes A Team: Collective Studio Rethinks Kapok’s Space

SponsoredSeptember 24, 2019

A collaborative approach and plenty of debate inform the design practice behind kapok’s new flagship store....

DesignFashionInterior Design0 Comments 18 min read

Forgotten Hong Kong Icon: Crafting Cantonese Opera Headdresses by Hand

Billy PottsSeptember 4, 2019

A veteran costume maker for Cantonese opera explains the intricacies of an under-appreciated craft...

CultureDesignFashionPeoplePortraitsTradition0 Comments 09 min read

Neighbourhood Guide: Tai Ping Shan, An Old Soul With a Trendy Heart

Zabrina LoJuly 9, 2019

A traditional neighbourhood is thriving thanks to an infusion of fresh energy....

ArtBig StoriesBooksCultureDesignFashionFoodHeritageHistoryInspring ItinerariesProduct DesignSmall Stories & Secret StoriesStreet ArtUrbanismUsual Suspects & LandmarksVisual ArtWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 032 min read

Hong Kong’s Industrial History, Part VI: Indigo

Christopher DewolfJune 27, 2019

Indigo dyeing is making a comeback decades after the artisanal industry died out....

CultureDesignFashionHeritageHistoryTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 06 min read

Why Are School Uniforms So Common in Hong Kong?

Zabrina Lo and Christopher DeWolfApril 18, 2019

The histories and identities behind Hong Kong's many different school uniforms....

CultureDesignFashion0 Comments 013 min read

Forgotten Hong Kong Icon: Making Shoes by Hand, Shanghai-Style

Cardin ChanJanuary 14, 2019

The Shanghai Gentleman Shoes Company is one of the last of its kind. Master Lee Tak-kam shares what makes it special. ...

CultureDesignFashionTradition0 Comments 17 min read

Reading the Qipao: The Story Behind the Most Iconic Chinese Dress

Karen TsuiAugust 22, 2018

A dress that once defined fashion in China and Hong Kong, the qipao is making a comeback....

DesignFashion0 Comments 113 min read

A Hong Kong Wet Market is Reinventing the Apron

Christopher DewolfMarch 15, 2018

In Tsuen Wan, an overlooked piece of wet market apparel is being rethought by a team of designers and hawkers....

CultureDesignFashionFood0 Comments 06 min read

A Centuries-Old Craft From Guizhou Finds a Fresh Silhouette in Hong Kong

Loes van IperenNovember 8, 2017

Textile designer Elaine Yan-ling Ng teams up with Kapok's Arnault Castel and a group of village weavers in rural China to create a new fashion collection....

DesignFashionInterviewsPeople0 Comments 08 min read

Alan Chan and Stanley Wong Explore Hong Kong’s Design DNA

Sarah KaracsAugust 9, 2017

Very Hong Kong Very Hong Kong digs into the roots of Hong Kong culture and design, laying the groundwork for a future biennale. ...

CinemaCultureDesignFashionProduct Design0 Comments 110 min read

Lifestyle Store Okura Rekindles Hong Kong’s Love Affair With Japanese Design

Sarah KaracsFebruary 21, 2017

Frankie Cheung and Cyrus Lam's Sheung Wan design shop believes that every good design has a story....

DesignFashionPeoplePortraitsProduct Design0 Comments 06 min read

The Intricate Minimalism of Square Street Designer Alexis Holm

Zolima CityMag & Lucienne LeungAugust 17, 2016

How Hong Kong-based Swedish designer Alexis Holm built an international lifestyle brand on sleepy Square Street. ...

DesignFashionInterviewsPeopleProduct Design0 Comments 05 min read

Playing It Cool: Arnault Castel, Kapok and the Future of Hong Kong Retail

Lucienne LeungJune 29, 2016

The man behind trendsetting lifestyle brand Kapok. ...

DesignFashionInterviewsPeopleProduct Design0 Comments 08 min read

Code Red for Sacred Thread: Inside the Hong Kong Ballet’s Costume Department

Elle KwanJune 9, 2016

How the Hong Kong Ballet's costume designer Bridget Steis finds her inspiration....

ArtDesignFashionInterviewsPeoplePerforming Art0 Comments 08 min read

Hong Kong in Miniature: Douglas Young, G.O.D. and the Street Culture Gallery

Christopher DewolfMay 24, 2016

The Goods of Desire Street Culture Gallery is a window into the mind of provocative designer Douglas Young....

A Little BreakCultureDesignFashionFoodInterviewsPeopleProduct DesignTraditionWhere To Go, To Play, To Rest0 Comments 07 min read

Hong Kong Fashion Makes Sustainability Chic

Vickie ChanJanuary 14, 2016

The fashion industry is one of the world's dirtiest – but Hong Kong emerging designers are making an effort to create stylish garments that reduce waste....

DesignFashion0 Comments 09 min read