Celebrity Life

There's no better way to mark the occasion than with good food — and lots of it. Here's our pick of the best Chinese New Year luxury puddings and treats.

With the start of the new lunar year just around the corner, stock up on the best desserts on offer. Turnip puddings (also called radish cakes) are traditional Chinese dim sum snacks, commonly served in Cantonese yum cha. Don't underestimate the small dish — in Cantonese, its name “leen goh” or “loh bak goh” is a homophone for “year higher”, ushering in new heights of prosperity for the coming year.

And we adore the Chinese New Year chuen hup, or traditional candy box, portion of the holiday. A bright red circular box set enticingly open upon coffee tables, filled with all kinds of sweet and savoury treats — it's a time-honoured custom, along with the coconut and turnip puddings. Each neat little segment houses a treat with an auspicious meaning of its own: lotus seeds are symbolic signs of improved fertility; lotus root, of love; tangerines and kumquats sound phonetically similar to "gold"; melon seeds to money and wealth. Chocolate coins, well, are coins.

To celebrate new beginnings and the new year, we've compiled the best Chinese New Year luxury puddings and treats for you and your loved ones to welcome the Year of the Tiger with.

The Best Chinese New Year Luxury Puddings and Treats

China Tang

China Tang's artisan Chinese New Year puddings are a modern take on the classic recipe, serving up two whole new flavours to welcome the Year of the Tiger: a turnip pudding with dried tiger prawn and local preserved meat and a handmade rice pudding with Taiwanese brown sugar and purple rice. Both are crafted by executive chef Menex Cheung and dim sum chef Mok Wing Kwai, and come in these stunning gift boxes decorated with China Tang’s signature Narcissus pattern — symbolizing grace and fortune. You can order the puddings and pick them up from the restaurant.

China Tang Landmark, Shop 411-413, 4/F, LANDMARK ATRIUM, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central; +852 2522 2148

Duddell’s

Michelin-starred Duddell's selection of Chinese New Year puddings is a trio of classic favourite flavours: turnip (HK$348), taro (HK$348) and a "New Year" Pudding (HK$298). Pick up one, all three, or a gift set including the restaurant's signature X.O. Sauce. It's all packaged in a specially designed gift box created in collaboration with G.O.D. (Goods of Desire), with an ornate hand-drawn pattern typical of the embellishments found on Chinese teacups and soup bowls, a nod to its Hong Kong heritage. You can purchase at the restaurant or order online for delivery — find out more here.

We also love the look of the "Prosperous New Year Hamper", stocked with six traditional delicacies: a new year pudding; braised South African 5 head abalone with Duddell’s Abalone Sauce; a signature X.O. Sauce; homemade walnut cookies; Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Yellow Label Brut, Champagne; and Fook Ming Tong Fuding Jasmine Mao Feng Tea.

Duddell’s, 1 Duddell Street, Central; +852 2525 9191

Godiva

To no one's surprise, it's all about the chocolates at Godiva. The Belgian chocolatier has drawn up a new motif for the Year of the Tiger, auspicious red and gold packaging printed with swimming koi and a tiger portrait set amongst crackling fireworks as a symbolic image of wealth. For the chocolates, the bijou creations feature the same lucky tiger motif over the surface and are packed in three distinct flavours: Raspberry Orange White chocolate, Pecan Praliné Milk chocolate and 85% Dark Ganache chocolate. Order before 31 January to enjoy special offers including free gifts, including a complimentary box of chocolates, or 10% off any purchase of HK$688. Find out more and order here.

Godiva, various locations across Hong Kong

Little Bao

Little Bao is paying tribute to lucky colour red with a beetroot turnip cake, replacing turnip with fresh beetroot for a natural bold red cake. Ingredients include Sam Hing Lung rose wine sausages, Thai dried shrimp and natural seasoning for extra-healthy eating. You can also opt for the taro cake, made with Okinawan sweet potato and fresh taro for an extra soft and pillowy texture, and also to help boost the immune system. You can order them and more here.

Little Bao, 1-3 Shin Hing Street, Central; +852 6794 8414

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel is celebrating the new lunar year with traditional Chinese recipes, serving up three classic puddings — a savoury Chinese Turnip Cake with Conpoy made from Chinese sausage and Jinhua ham; a sweet Coconut Pudding with Gold Leaf decorated with golden leaf glutinous rice and coconut milk; and a Water Chestnut Cake filled with crunchy water chestnut pieces. Bottles of homemade XO Chilli Sauce are also available to order. You can find out more here.

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, No. 3 Canton Road, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2118 7283

Ming Court

Located inside Cordis, Michelin-starred Ming Court is offering an array of festive treats to ring in the Lunar New Year. Executive Chef Li Yuet Faat has prepared three auspicious puddings: a coconut Chinese New Year Pudding; an abalone, conpoy, and air-dried preserved meat and turnip pudding; and a red date and coconut pudding. Go for the deluxe Chinese New Year hamper, with a coconut pudding, homemade XO sauce, South African premium 12 head abalone and more. You can order it here.

Ming Court, Level 6, 555 Shanghai Street, Cordis, Mong Kok, Kowloon; +852 3552 3301 

Rosewood Hong Kong

Rosewood Hong Kong is offering an array of Chinese New Year sets for gifting, featuring everything from traditional puddings to homemade XO sauce, festive candies, afternoon tea sets and more. Don't miss the well-wishes themed hampers: Harvest (HK$9,988), Fortune (HK$3,388), and Joy (HK$2,288) — for every CNY hamper purchased, Rosewood will donate 5% of the proceeds to support ImpactHK and their work to support those experiencing homelessness in Hong Kong. Find out more here.

We also love the clever Chinese New Year advent calendar from Rosewood — rather than counting down, you count on from the first day of the lunar calendar into the new Year of the Tiger. The whole set holds 15 special treats from the hotel, one for each day of the Chinese traditional holiday that lasts for two weeks. Tug open the jewel-toned drawers to discover a selection of delicious snacks from fortune cookies and egg rolls to XO sauce, palmiers, nougats, ginger candies and crunchy peanut bites. Much better than your usual melon seeds. You can order it here.

Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 3891 8732

Paul Lafayet

No crème brulée from Paul Lafayet this Chinese New Year. What you can get, though, is the patisserie's Lucky Tiger Gift Box with French illustrator Emilie Sarnel's hand drawing of two dancing tigers. The gift box set pulls open to reveal three different tiers featuring a whole afternoon experience: “Cookirons" — a cookie-based iteration of the brand's famous macaron; jasmine and hojicha tea tins with pots of honey in the second and a special fine bone china porcelain dish at the base to hold it all. The plate is specially tailored to the Year of the Tiger, featuring a sketch of two smiling tigers amongst a flowery meadow filled with macarons. You can order it online here.

Paul Lafayet, various locations across Hong Kong

Saicho

So this might not fit into traditional Chinese candy boxes, but it will still sit very prettily amongst red-adorned decor around the home. For the Year of the Tiger, Saicho has launched a very special creation of only 900 bottles — Eight Immortals — featuring the special Dan Cong Oolong tea grown atop Phoenix Mountain's Tian Liao village in Guangdong. From harvest to roast and rolling, the Dan Cong Oolong leaves are looked after by a qualified tea master. The result is a fragrant blend that adheres to the leaves' distinct complexity: bright notes of ginger mango and tangerine that rounds into a bitterness, then herbal, the likes of anise, fennel and tarragon. With Eight Immortals' earthy savouriness, Saicho recommends pairing with traditional Chinese New Year dishes including Chinese steamed fish and tang yang (glutinous rice dumplings). You can shop Saicho's Chinese New Year selection here.

Smith & Sinclair

Candy box fillings will be extra exciting with the addition of Smith & Sinclair treats, they're made after your favourite tipples! The UK-based brand crafts vegan-friendly gummies — or "Edible Cocktails" — from anything, including classic Gin & Tonic to special concoctions like Passionfruit Mojito. For the Year of the Tiger, the brand has designed a special red, tiger-printed sleeve as a symbol of good luck and fortune. These can be fitted over any of Smith & Sinclair's nine signature sets, from spirit-based "Gin Obsessed" or "Tequila Time" to themed "Love Box" or "Night In". You can order and find out more here.

Sugarfina

Sugarfina's candy cubes are a delight, both to give and receive. For this Chinese New Year, the confectioner has crafted a series of Candy Bento Boxes for easy gifting (and enjoying!) — with anything from a single cube to a lucky set of eight, featuring the brand's sweet creations in fun, auspicious names. There's the Lotus Flowers flavoured with lychee, Tangerine Bears, berried-flavoured Royal Roses and Golden Pearls. If not for the sweets within, get this set for the beautifully artistic packaging: a hand-crafted shadow box of red and gold decor motifs of lanterns, flowers and a temple to mark new beginnings.

Sugarfina, various locations across Hong Kong

The Peninsula Boutique & Café

One of the traditional elements of the Year of the Tiger is the big cat's head, symbolising strength and good health. Inspired by traditional Chinese "tiger head shoes" worn by children, the Peninsula Boutique & Café is celebrating the new year with plenty of tiger head-decorated gift sets — you can hang the box up as a Chinese New Year decoration! Pick up the festive "Robust Tiger Gift Set" (with cookies, candies, chocolate, tea and more), and any of the Chinese New Year puddings. You can find out more here.

The Peninsula Boutique & Café, The Peninsula Arcade, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2696 6969

Venchi

You may be spoilt for choice with Venchi's range of Chinese New Year gift boxes, but one thing's for sure: the range of lucky red and gold packaging all feature the Italian brand's signature 140-years, Piedmont Master Chocolatiers-approved sweets. Pick up The Chinese New Year Double Layer Hexagon Gift Box, an extensive collection of the brand's favourite chocolates: Cremini, Chocoviar, Truffles, and Dubledoni. Or consider the Chinese New Year Round Hamper, which features Venchi's latest creation Gianduja N.3 with Hazelnut, and is a close replica of the traditional chuen hup with the rounded exterior and organised sections within.

Venchi, various locations across Hong Kong

Yat Tung Heen

Led by celebrated chef Tam Tung, Michelin-starred Yat Tung Heen is celebrating the new year by bringing back its highly sought-after turnip pudding, classic Chinese New Year pudding and the restaurant's signature gift box (which includes housemade premium XO sauce, candied walnuts and hand-selected Ginseng Oolong tea leaves). And to minimise the environmental impact of the gifting season, each pudding is thoughtfully packaged in a 100% recyclable eco-friendly paper box. You can find out more here.

Yat Tung Heen, Level B2, Eaton HK, 380 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, +852 2710 1093

Ying Jee Club

Two Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Ying Jee Club is serving the finest delectable pastry duo, a savoury turnip pudding with conpoy and air-dried meat and a sweet coconut milk pudding with red bean and Ceylon tea. Both are handcrafted daily by executive chef Siu Hin-Chi, who has amassed 20 Michelin stars over the past decade alone — rest assured, the preservative-free puddings epitomise the highest standard of Cantonese cuisine in both texture and flavour. You can order in-person at the restaurant, or by calling 2801 6882 or emailing reservation@yingjeeclub.hk — find out more here.

Ying Jee Club, Shop G05, 107 & 108, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central; +852 2801 6882

(Hero image courtesy of Yat Tung Heen, featured image courtesy of Duddell's, image 1 courtesy of China Tang)

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Marisa Yiu, cofounder and executive director of Design Trust Futures Studio, tells us how clever collaborative design with public participation is transforming local neighbourhoods.

Marisa Yiu of Design Trust on Transforming Local Neighbourhoods

Nestled between sub-divided residential Tsuen Wan high rises, the transformation of Yi Pei Square Playground from downtrodden to the now-colourful strip of land filled with graphic shapes and play areas for all has been breathtaking to see. Then there’s the bright pink, ultra-modern Portland Street Rest Garden, emboldened with hexagonal tables and seating, becoming a “Hong Kong destination” and an unlikely Instagram sensation.

Both are among four sites selected for radical redesign and regeneration under the Design Trust Futures Studio’s microparks initiative, which is aimed at transforming formerly dilapidated public areas with high foot traffic and urban density into fresh, positive spaces for an interactive local community.

“We’re building these microparks collaboratively, and it’s just accelerated positively for the community at large. It’s a really layered and multi-disciplinary programme,” says architect, Design Trust co-founder and executive director Marisa Yiu.

“You have different skillsets and designers getting involved and, now it’s open for the public to enjoy, you have the elderly sitting there, you have children playing, fashionistas coming to support us and government officials knocking at our door asking how they can further support us.”

The project, curated by Yiu, debuted in the spring with Yi Pei Square Playground, following the concept of The Communal Living Room, in which a team of young designers collaborated and were mentored by architect Mimi Hoang.

“This was the outcome of site research and analysis, various public-engagement sessions and collective efforts from public and private agencies, aiming at introducing this unique ‘communal living room’ in Yi Pei Square for local residents and encouraging the concepts of inclusive and intergenerational play,” explains Yiu.

During the pandemic and with limited travel in Hong Kong, there’s been a renewed focus on how local spaces serve the people who live nearby – especially potent in our dense, skyscraper-filled city filled with cramped apartments. The appearance of these playful, vibrant microparks in populated areas of Hong Kong are little, bright beacons of positivity in uncertain times.

The dilapidated Portland Street Rest Garden in Yau Tsim Mong got a similar treatment with a half park design, inspired by the ethos of the New York Highline. The result: a bright pink space with terrazzo features and moveable modular fuchsia-hued furniture, so people tailor the space to their own needs, while lush plants, many of them seasonal pink, spark joy and positivity.

Uplifting colours, shapes and a healthy dose of playfulness was a result of local designers challenging each other, with several involved in each design.

With eyes on Hong Kong and China’s Greater Bay Area, Yiu is instrumental in steering the Design Trust NGO, which she co-founded in 2014, a few years after joining the Ambassadors of Design board in 2008. Aside from her NGO work, the Columbia and Princeton graduate is also a founding partner of ESKYIU, the award-winning multi-disciplinary architecture and research design studio based in Hong Kong, which has taken on high-profile clients such as K11. However, it was her work as chief curator of the 2009 Hong Kong and Shenzhen Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture on the West Kowloon waterfront that first put her name on the Hong Kong design map.

“I co-founded Design Trust with a collective vision from a lot of leaders and friends. Grant-giving wasn’t enough – we wanted to get the international community involved,” says Yiu. “I’ve always been involved with schools and non-profit organisations, so wanted to bring that energy into Hong Kong.”

Her biggest push was establishing the flagship Design Trust Futures Studio programme in 2017, based on mentor-mentee workshop relationships, looking at various urban developments and thinking about values in society, while empowering the positive value of the design of heritage and public spaces in the region.

“It’s multidimensional, like going back to school for everyone, not just young designers, but also working alongside various stakeholders – from the grassroots and government officials to policymakers and superstar mentors – with very specific goals in mind,” Yiu explains.

“I always believe that Hong Kong is a model city, just because of the bifurcation of nature and the city with pockets of extraordinary culture, but the government obviously needs to do better at creating friendlier, inspirational, practical and comfortable playgrounds and parks – it’s about human dignity.”

It seems the microparks spirit has caught on though, with the government announcing around 170 public spaces to be regenerated in coming years, though the Design Trust won’t be involved in most of them. Those in the city can look out for how the two remaining pilot spots – Hamilton Street Rest Garden and the Sitting-Out area under Hill Street Flyover – will evolve.

Yiu’s ambition at the organisation is to go beyond just seeding grants and research fellowships for young designers – she aims to place Hong Kong at the heart of the global design dialogue while engaging the public. Fostering a sense of wellbeing on home turf isn’t just about belonging but often how much say we get to influence its evolution.

“I’ve had this passion about how to involve the community beyond different disciplines,” she says. “The concept is to bring people together, to have an active voice and participate and transform our city.” The journey has been a rewarding one but also “quite a challenge”, Yiu admits.

As a young architect, she spent significant time working in New York with inspirational mentors and starting her own practice with her husband. They then moved to London, where they taught at the Architectural Association, before eventually landing back in her hometown. Yiu’s attitude of wanting to work towards a 360 multidimensional approach was no doubt influenced by early mentors such as Elizabeth Diller, who was one of the lead architects on the New York Highline project, the famous regeneration of an old New York elevated railway into a long greenway public park.

“That was a case study of preserving this incredible infrastructure of New York,” she adds. “Each city has its own differences and challenges, but there’s also a lot of shared experience to impart.”

Yiu has taught at the University of Hong Kong Department of Architecture and the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s School of Architecture, and that engagement with education, experimental architecture and a history of how the culture of the city is a type of fabrication, all inspired the approach she’s advocating at the Design Trust.

It’s exactly what the city needs – and especially now. These vibrant little urban oases offer much hope, both real and symbolic, their whimsical character proving powerful anecdotes in a city living under pandemic restrictions.

“As a non-profit organisation, we like to experiment and pilot,” says Yiu, “Future wise, we’ll hopefully be developing a more expansive programme, but we still need to have a sense of precision … It’s great to have this momentum of generosity and collaboration.”

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Sir David Adjaye’s star is ascendant and bright. The award-winning Ghanaian-British architect talks to us about climate, context, culture and community.

Unveiling his plans for the Africa Institute in Sharjah, UAE, last month, the lauded Ghanaian-British architect Sir David Adjaye has clearly been on a roll. Making his mark on places big and small around the globe, Adjaye could be a starchitect in the making.

There have been prolific collaborations with contemporary artists; he also designed the 56th Venice Biennale, last year he completed the luminous Webster flagship in Los Angeles; and in 2016, Washington DC’s Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Projects such as Oslo’s Nobel Peace Centre, Ruby City in Texas (with its striking angular crimson facade) or the bunker-like Mole House in Hackney (an artist studio and home) show the fearless intellect and elegance that are signatures of Adjaye’s style.

"Wherever the project may be, my design process is always rooted in geography, culture and climate … I address the overarching agenda that's applicable no matter where it's sited," Adjaye explains, "whether it's the desert climate of Sharjah, the urban grit of downtown Manhattan or even the prairie fields of Iowa. In each of these unique scenarios, what I'm most driven by is establishing sustainable systems and ecologies that are structured by unique bodies of knowledge that help us understand and, in turn, take care of our collective planet – Earth."

This approach breeds designs that have won him a whole host of awards, as well as a knighthood in 2017. This year, Adjaye was awarded the 2021 RIBA Royal Gold Medal. At the virtual ceremony, President Barack Obama (along with three African presidents) and Bono made speeches celebrating his work. Not to read too much into celebrity cachet, but when these two are fans you can safely say you've made it.

Born in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Ghanian parents. Adjaye grew up moving around Africa and the Middle East before the family settled in London, where he ended up studying architecture. His father was a diplomat; that accrued early-life worldliness shows well in his work at Adjaye Associates, which he established in 2000. Here, design is anchored in context and local community with a penchant for sustainable systems.

With the world more connected, yet divided, than ever, perhaps it takes the mental machinations of a truly global citizen like Adjaye to be so deft at weaving between cultures, heritages and locales. His architectural firm has bases in Accra, London and New York, and his aesthetic spans the continents. Unveiled visions for projects such as the Edo Museum of West African Art in Benin City and the Princeton University Art Museum prove that Adjaye’s bold monuments will be defining more of our vital spaces soon.

The Africa Institute design shows an imposing pale pink structure, rectangular tower blocks rising high towards the sky and interconnected at the base. The 32,000-square-metre campus will be a key centre for African and African diaspora studies in the Arab world, hosting classrooms, an auditorium, bookstore, performance spaces, gallery and restaurant. Each block is made from low-carbon concrete and creates shade for the courtyards below.

“The campus is woven together through a shared internal courtyard,” Adjaye explains. “By extending the courtyard typology and infusing the public realm, the design allows climate and construct to cohabitate … so the campus lends itself to an experience of living and learning, not only from the curriculum but from the region itself.”

Adjaye has struck gold with several institutions of learning and collecting, whether it’s the disc-like Moscow’s Skolkovo School of Management, the domes of his Thabo Mbeki Presidential Library in Johannesburg or the Studio Museum in Harlem. However, the Africa Institute is especially close to his heart, functioning “as a means of introducing a new type of pedagogy and centre for knowledge into the global academic sphere”. The impact on African culture and academia could be colossal if the site does what’s envisaged, acting “as a springboard that emerges lesser-known diasporas than that of the Atlantic slave trade and forges new connections between Africa, the African diaspora and the Arab world”.

Although Adjaye might be known for imposing large-scale buildings, his firm works on small-scale projects that have included audio speaker systems, fabrics and, now, incredibly rare whisky bottles. The exclusive Artistry in Oak for Gordan & McPhail, revealed last month, saw Adjaye creating “an experience-driven vessel whereby the act of opening Gordon & MacPhail whisky would become both ceremonial and sensorial”. This precious-jewel-like piece includes a hefty crystal decanter, glasses and a slatted oak casing holding the oldest single-malt whisky ever bottled, the Generations 80 Years Old from Glenlivet Distillery. The first bottle and casing will be auctioned by Sotheby’s Hong Kong in early October.

Inspired by the “history of craft, precision and innovation” that’s defined Gordon & MacPhail’s process for over a century, the design is a celebration of rare craftsmanship in a world dominated by mass production. The oak case nods to the casks used in whisky ageing, designed to blur the line “between the liquid and its container, evoking a more magical experience for the consumer”.

Contemporary design and architecture have become more humanistic and experiential of late. Whereas previously we paid more attention to the macro visual impact, today the lived micro nuances provide much food for thought. 

Architecture at the top remains lacking in diversity. However, Adjaye reasons that change is afoot. “I was deeply honoured to receive the RIBA Gold Medal 2021 and, in many ways, saw this as a sign that things are shifting.

“Diversity within design and architecture means the act of decentralisation. Decentralising Western knowledge as the pivotal default and instead, looking to other pillars of knowledge from other cultures, such as African and indigenous stories,” he says. 

This is a necessary step in the movement towards equality. There’s been much soul searching in architecture and design. We’re focusing more on the sustainability, social equality and health of places and spaces – and all with a new sense of aching awareness. A pandemic has only exacerbated and accelerated this. And it’s pushed professionals like Adjaye to explore and innovate. He’s even been experimenting with materials such as compressed mud that has carbon dioxide-soaking and air-purifying properties. 

As a leading Black architect, Adjaye’s work also holds extra significance today, particularly with projects such as the bronze, latticed Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC, exemplifying the power of buildings as cultural monuments. More than just a museum, this is an interactive site for even the very uncomfortable parts of American history.

“The opportunity to contribute to something with so much resonance was something I once only dreamed of. It was challenging, invigorating and 10 years in the making,” Adjaye says. “It really speaks to so many people on so many levels as well as to history, and the possibility of multiplicity within history. How there are various stories that exist within a narrative that not only inform it but can transform it, in the way that the 200-year-old story of America can be informed by a 400-year-old story of slavery.”

If the built environment is the material expression of “contextual knowledge systems”, Adjaye believes that a truly sensitive architect must understand that “architecture is a planetary art”. What then, from his personal point of view, does good design have to “do”?

“I’ve been asked this question many times, and what it really comes down to is that design must have integrity within the context of its own time,” he says. “Good design has to understand the primary geographies of the place and the ways in which human habitation has traditionally formed and how it could evolve. This is the type of thinking that leads to radically sustainable design, it brings about design that’s informed by a type of listening that’s specific to its people, its geography and its climate.” 

With the social and public projects that Adjaye takes on (a Brooklyn East Flatbush regeneration proposal with 900 affordable housing units, for example) there’s the added pressure of creating spaces that are “socially edifying, unifying and liberating”, as well as beautiful. The role of design as a force for social good (and evil) is a well-pressed point, but after a year and a half of lockdowns, this spearheads the public consciousness. How do spaces serve the people? How can they facilitate and manipulate human interaction? What should a public space achieve? 

It needs to be “a site of conversation and negotiation, where various energies and people from different walks of life meet”, Adjaye argues. Since it’s where we all “learn how to be with others as well as how to be in the world”, it has bold implications for shaping future society, envisaged by Adjaye as a “planetary community” – a concept at the heart of his work.

The featured and hero image is of the Africa Institute in Sharjah, UAE

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Luxury window system distributor JS Aluminium Window invites five experienced designers to tell us about the importance of a high-quality, premium window system - from their point of view.

When designing your ideal place - be it a polished one to focus and work in, a relaxing one to unwind and retreat in, or even a welcoming one for a guest to stay in - creating space and setting the right mood is key. In this densely populated city with limited ground (over three-quarters of Hong Kong is green, conservation area!), it's important to utilise what you can to make your spaces open, bright and comforting.

But it's not just aesthetics - given the unpredictable weather we see year and year on, it's more important than ever to choose a high-quality, typhoon-proof window system that is guaranteed to withstand whatever is thrown at it and protect your home. Windows are an essential tool in space-making and mood-setting - let these five interior designers tell you exactly why:

Bean Buro

Led by Royal Institute of British Architects architects Lorène Faure and Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, architecture and interior studio Bean Buro provides award-winning architectural interior design services.

“With our background as architects, we approach our interiors, emphasising utilising natural daylight and shadows to create spaces. Windows are fundamental to the architectural setting since they are situated at the threshold between inside and outside, constantly informing our perception of the external sceneries and our tactile experiences of internal material finishes when they are brought to life by natural daylight.”

— Lorène Faure & Kenny Kinugasa-Tsui, founders of Bean Buro

Bean Buro, www.beanburo.com, instagram.com/bean_buro, facebook.com/beanburo

BEAUTY BLOODY BONZA

Integrated architecture and interior design firm BEAUTY BLOODY BONZA specialises in multi-residential, private residential and commercial design in cities across Asia, with an Australian design philosophy.

“Not purely a visual medium, windows alter the way we feel space and experience our home. Simultaneously protecting from and connecting to the elements, fenestration presents the ability to transform the spaces we inhabit. Through operability and manoeuvrability, they become key touchpoints, where the quality of the system is felt through the weighted effortlessness of their movement”

— Peter Scott, co-founder of BEAUTY BLOODY BONZA

BEAUTY BLOODY BONZA, www.beautybloodybonza.com, instagram.com/beautybloodybonza

Monotype Studio

Design firm Monotype Studio is the brainchild of Bartlett School of Architecture graduate Jackey Ip. The founder and design director draws inspiration from Hong Kong's rich cultural history - some of his projects include co-designing the MoMa store in K11 Musea as well as the recent opening of the Golden Scene cinema in Kennedy Town by his own studio.

“Picture window invites us to take in a view that is thoughtfully framed, from a scenic moment to a time-lapse of urban dynamics. The awareness of time gives us hints to adapt our day with timely events or functions. Our interior layouts could be composed from inside out, and harmoniously with windows outside in, dramatizing a façade with a montage of indoor life and lights at night…”

— Jackey Ip, founder and design director Monotype Studio

Monotype Studio, instagram.com/mntyp.hk, facebook.com/mntyp.hk

OFGA

Started in 2013, OFGA is a boutique design practice based in Hong Kong that specialises in architecture, branding and space-making.

“A window gives orientation. It's a point of connection to the elements. Is there a dramatic view? What is the quality of the light? Is it loud outside? Do we want to draw air in? Modern windows give us greater creative freedom in selecting which elements to draw in and which to keep out. It affords us greater confidence to go bigger and to create more meaningful connections.”

— Winston Yeo, co-founder of OFGA

OFGA, www.ofga.co, www.instagram.com/ofga_hk, www.facebook.com/ofgahk

Eureka

Design firm Eureka's projects include bringing new life into existing libraries and tenements, as well as constructing everything from piers to children's playrooms.

“We see window as a spatial device that defines the atmosphere of a space. Be it a narrow slit opening that brings in a glance of the landscape at a meditation space, or a mirage-like impressionist painting through textured glass, the window is performing actively in the creation of the emotion of a space."

— Eureka Hong Kong

Eureka Hong Kong, www.eurekadesign.hk, www.facebook.com/eureka.architects

JS Aluminium Window Group Limited, info@js-window.com; +852 3621-0138

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In its soft opening – as of 23 August 2021 – the revitalised Central Market is offering a first glimpse of this iconic historic building transformed into a “playground for all.”

Finally open to the public after four years of construction and restoration efforts, Central Market is now in its soft opening phase and ready to showcase exactly how the grade three historic building has been transformed into a vibrant community hotspot. Here's what we can expect from Hong Kong's revitalised Central Market...

What we can expect from the revitalised Central Market:

With a total floor area of about 122,000 square feet, we can expect Central Market to reflect traditional architecture elements showcasing the building’s long-standing history, but with some fun, interactive and modern twists. Situated along Des Voeux Road, between Queen Victoria Street and Jubilee Street, the venue has plenty of space for businesses to lease. Visitors can expect to see and explore an array of dining, shopping, leisure, entertainment, cultural and educational elements throughout the market – including the support of homegrown and smaller businesses. A first look at the shop directory hints at an exciting balance between new dining and street food outlets, beverage stalls, accessories and beauty. We're looking forward to trying Singaporean fare at Pulau, grabbing a cold one from Mak's Beer and filling our basket full of natural and organic skincare goodies from Bath & Basics.

Striving to become "an ideal destination for people to hang out and celebrate festivities," the revitalised Central Market also boasts an atrium equipped with projection and sound systems, perfect for seating up to 100 people, hosting street performances and larger-scale events – and yes, there will even be free WiFi. During the soft launch phase, the first event will be a STEAM workshop; a joint collaboration between Hong Kong Science and Technology Park and Cyberport. This kid-friendly event will host a series of interactive games, robotic coding and STEAM workshops for those aged between six and 12-years-old. Not quite your speed? Central Marker's event calendar is packed full of exhibitions, tours and workshops to help welcome you to this vibrant heritage spot.

The revitalised Central Market is currently fourth gerneration, originally built in 1939, and highly regarded then for its simplistic, avant-garde and functional style. The new opening will complete Central's "Heritage Triangle" together with the historical Tai Kwun Centre and PMQ, connecting communities across the multiple projects and "creating community spaces that can be shared and enjoyed" by all.

www.centralmarket.hk

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Since setting up his architecture practice in 2015 in Hong Kong and Manila, JJ Acuna has designed some of our city’s most popular hospitality outlets, including Elephant Grounds’ Caine Road flagship and chef Vicky Lau’s Tate Dining Room.

I recently met him at Coffeelin, the new coffee-to-cocktails shop in Happy Valley that he designed, to discuss the inspiration behind it and the importance of concept- driven design in a world of Instagrammable space

What’s the inspiration behind your latest project, Coffeelin?

Our company is called Bespoke Studio because it comes from the concept of tailoring in menswear. We take everything into consideration for you, from your personality to other details. Some designers in Hong Kong believe that everything has to look like them. For this project specifically, what makes it great is that the client has a really great relationship with a coffee-bean roaster in Milan, called Griso, which he wanted to import to Hong Kong. They opened a really small location in Sai Ying Pun, which was a hit and people in the neighbourhood responded well to the coffee. I really wanted to honour his vision for this new space.

This was the first time he hired a designer to do it professionally, and he wanted to honour Milanese culture in Happy Valley, which is very lifestyle-oriented and up-and-coming. Milan is a stylish design and culture capital, a mix of old and new, and a coffee capital, and I’m all for that. I loved the fact that the space is a corner site, especially because of its intersecting windows. We’ve got these tall ceilings, which was very unexpected. There’s something unique about this space and we could create a concept that was delicately inserted into the neighbourhood.

Can you talk us through the choices behind the floors and walls?

The idea was to bring the palazzo aesthetic to Hong Kong in a very non-pushy way, to almost make it look as if it had always been here, even before we moved in. For the floor, we designed this unique pattern with travertine and red marble, two kinds of stone that you’d see in Italy, both not polished to make it a bit more down-to- earth and approachable. The curtains at the windows are very European, and because it’s a coffee-to-cocktails place there’s more privacy after 6pm. In the daytime, it’s all about opening it up, because usually all these windows are open to connect outdoors and indoors.

On the wall there’s a Memphis-style graphic, like graffiti, which we combined with their logo, the coffee bean. It’s something that you can appreciate again and again without having to put a poster on the wall that says “Milan”.

This space is very Instagrammable. As a designer, how do you achieve the balance between creating Insta-worthy places without compromising the identity?

A lot of people are investing in coffee shops nowadays, because of the hype around them – I feel there’s one opening every week. The goal is to create something that’s different from the rest. I mean, I’d like to take credit, but it’s really in the brain of the owner and how much the owner really cares about it and believes in the product and the operation. The idea of a Milan-inspired concept came from him, to conceive something different. So many coffee shops are black and white, or completely white because of the popularity of the Scandi, Japanese or Ozzy aesthetics. I don’t want to shade anyone, but it’s easier to do an all-white space and charge $40 or $50 dollars for a cup of coffee. You gotta make it look like you care, so that’s probably why I appreciate when the client cares and convinces me to care.

I use Instagram a lot myself. I love social media and even before I had my own design studio, I was already sharing food photos and everything. Fortunately, for businesses that succeed, sharing and trending on Instagram is a really great way to spread the message without spending too much on marketing. But, I really hate Instagrammable spaces, because it means that people won’t come back! It’s one thing to design Instagrammable spaces – and, to be honest, that’s in a lot of clients’ briefs these days, especially if they want to attract Gen Z and Millennials – but I always try to tell them that people often tend to be here for one shot. You need substance. You need to step it up with products and service operations that match the interior. I want to create welcoming spaces that are night sensitive to people’s eyes, feel and touch. It has to be comfortable, it has to be humanistic and we have to consider every little thing, so that people want to come back again and again.

We try to make spaces like that, and that’s why we have a really good hit rate with our restaurants and cafes in Hong Kong: they stay open, because we try to create a sense of spirit and a sense of place. It’s not just about putting crap on the walls, it’s about why. That’s why – when we can and if the client has a budget – we bring in artisans to give the space a point of difference, something unique. So, yes, like handcrafted. I don’t want to use the word artist, because it’s overused and people have lost the meaning to that, but I like to bring other people in to collaborate, to also give a sense of community.

“Design isn’t just plastering materials on surfaces, it’s sharing my love for what I do with other people”

JJ Acuna

Do you prefer designing homes or public spaces?

That’s a really great question. I prefer designing public spaces. But we have started to design more homes. I love public spaces, because it makes me so happy to see the project evolving and growing after the day of opening. So, with this project specifically, I’ve had friends and family members, whose perspective I really value, come here a lot and hang out without even telling me anymore, and also a local architect whom I really admire comes here every Sunday and makes sure to Instagram it. Design isn’t just plastering materials on surfaces, it’s sharing my love for what I do with other people and hopefully making their day a little bit better. I do have home projects now. And it’s basically for clients who’ve gone to restaurants I designed and want that perspective.

You also work in Manila. How is it to be an architect there compared to Hong Kong?

Manila is really underrated. The people are really awesome, and I think there’s so much to explore. Considering the difficulties and corruption that you have in the Philippines, there’s still so much optimism to do what they need to do and to be even more creative. In Hong Kong, you could get a better handle as to what you can do because you’ve got an infrastructure to support small businesses or any business; in Manila it’s the wild, wild west. It’s all for yourself. But that said, people who’ve survived and thrived in the city were able to really figure out a niche or a space in which they can operate. Within the urban landscape, but also within their business community. People with a vision can thrive there, and the fact that they can do so under those circumstances is really heart-warming to me.

I was born in Manila and I consider myself a Filipino, even though I was raised in Texas. And that’s exactly why I like to invest half of my team there and that’s why I like to support my clients, because I feel that they have amazing ideas in terms of food and culture.

Tell us about some other projects you’re working on.

On top of my projects in Manila, I’m designing a home in Bangkok. There are also other exciting things coming up in Hong Kong – the hospitality industry is thriving. We also did a project at the Four Seasons Hotel Macao during Covid, which saved our studio – not from a business perspective, but it really saved us creatively. We designed a new Tea House, Xiao Ting, which was completed this February. We just had really optimistic clients with a vision, who really saw a world after Covid, because we began designing it during very dark days.

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Perusing historic architectural renovations in London, we discover a new generation of luxury developments offering unique cultural capital

Brexit, Covid, fluctuations in sterling – the past few years have been interesting times for those looking to invest in London. But with the UK paving a way to residency and citizenship for Hong Kong’s BNO passport holders, serious interest has been ramped up in the city.

“The London property market has always been the gold bar of global capital. With its historical and financial links around the world, there’ll always be strong demand,” says Benjamin Locke, founder of the China- based overseas property-investment firm Atlas Blue, which specialises in the US and UK. “The current market represents a buying opportunity for Asia and elsewhere, as I believe the pound is historically undervalued and the market was stagnant for the last two years because of Brexit uncertainty, but I expect the next three to five years to be very strong for the London market.”

For high-net-worth investors, what the British capital offers in terms of interesting historic redevelopments is quite unique, and the recent slew of sleek residential projects in outstanding heritage buildings has added a compelling luxury layer to London property’s USP.

A sense of human activity, elite amenities and inbuilt social spaces are key selling points as new developments take on a lifestyle angle. We look at two of the most striking projects we’ve seen so far.

Historic Architectural Renovations: Battersea Power Station

Beside the Thames and bordering one of South London’s favourite parks, the Battersea Power Station (BPS) project is a visionary, 17-hectare former industrial brownfield site redesigned as a community of homes, shops, cafes, offices and wide public spaces. The multi-billion-pound project is divided into eight phases, each designed by a noted architect – the latter include De Rijke Marsh Morgan, WilkinsonEyre, Foster+Partners and Gehry Partners.

Just opened is WilkinsonEyre’s Switch House West, the first section of the huge restoration of the Grade II*-listed red-brick power station that once supplied energy to the city. Here the first homes to open in the building will occupy a site that will also house Apple’s massive new London campus and a huge commercial and events space.
Apartments play on loft-style living, with original steelwork and exposed brick interiors from the 1930s – a vision of cool, contemporary luxury, heavily influenced by the building’s industrial roots. Some units feature large private terraces with sweeping riverside views. There’s also direct access to two private landscaped courtyards, and
a communal garden atop Turbine Hall A, which will house part of the Power Station’s retail space.

“The loft-style apartments prioritise open-plan living in natural daylight,” says Alex Michaelis, partner and co-founder of Michaelis Boyd, which has designed this phase’s interiors. “Our design for the two distinct interior palettes was inspired by the style and textures of the original 20th-century building. The luxurious residences have a refined industrial quality to them – we wanted to create timeless interiors that would reference the Power Station’s rich history, but also stand the test of time.”

When completed, BPS will form one of London’s largest office, retail, leisure, residential and cultural quarters. With grand cultural ambitions, the project blends urban regeneration with historic and contemporary architecture and interior design, and includes a 450-metre-long riverfront and a park. An ambitious spend of almost £7 million will also bring culture to this new neighbourhood, partly through collaborations with the nearby Battersea Arts Centre.

Historic Architectural Renovations: No 1 Palace Street

The architectural meld of No 1 Palace Street combines palatial facades with stunningly luxurious contemporary interiors. The development’s regal location – it faces Buckingham Palace – should seal the deal for those wishing to buy into a slice of British history. It’s still mostly a construction site when I visit, but the show homes provide a good look into the range offered in the 72 highly desirable, one- to five-bedroom apartments that should be completed by spring next year.

According to Niccolò Barattieri di San Pietro, CEO of the site’s developer, Northacre, the Grade II-listed facade in Italian Renaissance style will front a mix of heritage and modern buildings. “The facade will feature five different architectural styles, with the interiors having four styles,” which might range from Queen Anne classical to modern.
“After all, the building was formerly the Palace Hotel,” says Barattieri di San Pietro, “which catered to an overspill of guests from Buckingham Palace. So if you were invited for a reception at the Palace but weren’t staying there overnight, you were probably staying here.”

The royal connections and impressive cultural heritage have attracted a mix of international buyers, with around 50 percent of the homes already sold. However, many larger units have been held back to hit the market closer to the completion date.

The most impressive homes are sprawling, grand, light-filled spaces with plenty of regal attitude – and views – as well as interiors that hit high notes for design and glamour. There’s a slick, attractive internal courtyard and a 6,500-square-foot wellness centre alongside a 3,500- square-foot entertainment space – together they feature a private lounge, state-of-the-art cinema, a gym and a naturally lit 20-metre- long swimming pool. “These leisure facilities are definitely not an afterthought!” says Barattieri Di San Pietro.

(Hero Image: The historic facade of No 1 Palace Street, one of London's most-talked-about historic architectural renovations)

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Global warming has brought along with it extreme subtropical storms and weather. Typhoons, infamous for sending Hong Kongers running to board and tape up their windows, have increased in both frequency and intensity and the need for a high-quality windows system has never been so high.

Window and façade solutions company JS Aluminium Window carries a range of bespoke window systems that are weather-proof, innovative and aesthetically sound: boasting a wide range of European proprietary systems from the continent's best brands.

The company is the official Hong Kong distributor and exclusive carrier of Belgian-based Aliplast Aluminium Systems (one of the market leaders in aluminium systems), Astec (an Italian prestige brand specialising in bronze material), Solarlux (a German specialist in bi-folding doors, whose latest streamline sliding system Cero brings to life an impressive sleek corner solution) and Italian Secco Sistemi (that produce sustainable integrated systems in eco-friendly materials like stainless steel, galvanised steel, and brass).

Proprietary windows promise to be the safest, most durable, and best-designed system with accurate structure calculation.

JS Aluminium Window's easily customised and pre-tested European proprietary system windows come thoughtfully designed with robust frames, gaskets, panes and hardware that deliver the best performance, functionality and security.

The use of gaskets in proprietary systems enables moisture to evaporate through well-designed airways - avoiding condensation and fogginess. The chamber structure with gaskets ensures water stays out of the home and its premium material is certain to withstand any weather Hong Kong has to offer.

Proprietary system windows also have thermal breaks and insulating double glazing - creating an eco-friendly way to moderate your indoor room temperature. In addition, the stable aluminium windows' inward-facing glazing bead design makes this system burglar-resistant.

To add to the charm, they're elegant and modern, with a minimalistic design aesthetic that'll keep your home beautiful-looking and thoroughly protected.

JS Aluminium Window commits to clear communication and transparency at every stage - promising tailor-made details for even the toughest of design challenges, transforming your vision into reality.

A construction technician will do a comprehensive, thorough inspection of your home and take into consideration every conceivable obstacle: water damage, any need for thermal insulation, noise pollution, theft, small tight spaces, and (of course!) increasingly harsh weather. Once a structural designer draws up a detailed draft up to your satisfaction, you'll be able to truly visualise your dream home. JS Window guarantees a masterful installation by professionals - and its reliable and attentive customer after-sales service allows you to get in touch ASAP, should there be any later concerns on your side.

JS Aluminium Window's proprietary system ensures a clean design made from luxury textures and finishing, leaving you with beautiful windows and little to worry about - there'll be no taping up windows in your future!

(Hero Image: Aluminium window and door system by Aliplast)

Find out more here

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Imbibed amidst an immersive patchwork of sounds, scents, and flavours, the latest edition of Krug's much-loved multi-vintage Champagne strikes a chord that is as joyful as it is delicious.

I'll be the first to concede that there's nothing quite like "the intangible quality...of taking in the terroir" but insofar as virtual tastings are concerned -- essentially the status quo for drinks industry pundits in 2021 -- the recent unveiling of Krug's latest Grande Cuvée proved to be oddly visceral and thrilling (in some ways, even touching). Every year since 1843, the eponymous makers of prestige Champagne have released a new assemblage of reserve wines, always consisting of the classic Champenois trio of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier; and always left to age sur lie for 7 years.

Dispensing first with the formalities, the 169th Edition is a "generous expression" of 146 wines made in 11 different years (Krug bottle single vintages relatively infrequently), the oldest of which harkens back to the turn of the millennium. It is, however, the 2013 vintage that -- to butcher a musical analogy -- really sets the bassline: with intensely "luminous and pure" Chardonnays; racy Meunier; and Pinot Noir that extrudes a long, treacle finish. It is in a word, unsurprisingly, 'scrumptious': at its best harmonising alongside sharp aged cheese; aromatic seafood dishes; maybe even a cheeky slice of tarte tatin.

Unsurprisingly, the hallmarks of this Grande Cuvée (namely quality, consistency, and complexity) remain present year in, year out; but it's Krug's highly intuitive method of presentation that helps to immerse drinkers in the art of crafting prestige Champagne. With the jubilant voice of Olivier Krug pouring into their ears -- livestreaming in from the Maison's ancestral holdfast in Reims -- participants in these 'Encounters' were able to hear the story of the 169th Edition in a style that takes you beyond the spoken word. An "audio pairing" composed by Belgian musician Ozark Henry (and fed through to listeners using 8D technology) chronicles, in sonic form, the entire journey of the latest Krug edition: from plot to tasting, and finally harmonious blending together at the hands of Cellar Master Julie Cavil.

As ever, these 'Encounters' ended with a culinary presentation (in Hong Kong, presided over by Island Shangri-La's Uwe Opocensky) inspired by the tasting notes for the current edition -- langoustine and freshly jetted oysters seem to be much-favoured accompaniments this time round -- followed by a round of questions for the Maison's patriarch, Mr. Olivier Krug. On whether he was excited for a resumption of global travel -- to better present this 169th annual bottling -- he expressed optimism. Until then, you could do a lot worse than sipping to a soundtrack.

The 169th Edition of Krug Grande Cuvée is now available at various retail partners throughout Hong Kong, including Watson's, The Fine Wine Experience, CitySuper and Avize Wine Cellar. To learn more, visit Krug online.

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Four of the Maison's most emblematic horological creations, now reimagined as kaleidoscopic limited editions fueled by the "authentic aesthetic culture" of electronic music.

Capsule collections are nothing new in the business of fashion, but if anyone is sufficiently equipped to translate the excitement and fleetingness of those limited releases to the world of horology, Chanel is surely top of the pops. This month, the house that Gabrielle built is unveiling its newest array of timepieces, inspired by the sights, sounds, and all-encompassing energy of electronic music in the 1990s.

"I conceived this capsule as if it were a performance program," says Arnaud Chastaingt, Director of Chanel's Watchmaking Creation Studio, "inviting our classics, the Première, J12, Boy•Friend, and Code Coco, to perform side by side". In practical terms, the 'Electro' timepieces thereby invoke the sensation of descending into warehouses, clubs, and dancehalls on the precipice of the new millenium; contrasting the nocturnal blackness symbolic of those locations against the illumination resulting from light and colour. We cycle through each of the new Chanel Electro releases below:

J12 Electro

A mainstay of Chanel's watchmaking stable (and winner of the coveted Ladies' Watch Prize at the GPHG in 2019) the new J12 'Electro' consists of two limited editions: one, larger and mechanical; the other, smaller and quartz-powered. In the style of their splashier, baguette-set cousins these new Electros are decorated with a 'rainbow' of neon-coloured indexes -- perfect for late nights spent in subterranean techno bunkers. Both editions available in a run of 1,255 pieces.

The Chanel J12 Electro is now available in two limited editions, with self-winding Calibre 12.1 movement in 38mm (HK$66,900) or quartz 33mm (HK$51,300). To learn more, visit Chanel online.

Première Electro

Popular among the glitterati set thanks to its sinuous chain bracelet, the Première is reimagined in this electronica-themed capsule with leather links aping the vibrant, fluorescent colours of a laser lightshow. The bracelet itself is fashioned from stainless steel (treated with a shimmering black ADLC finish) while the whole ensemble is more than capable of taking a poolside splash thanks to 30 metres of in-built water resistance.

The Chanel Première Electro is now available in a limited edition of 555 pieces, priced at HK$52,600. To learn more, visit Chanel online.

Boy•friend Electro

Easily the priciest model in the new collection, the Boy•friend does for 'Electro' what Daft Punk did for French house in the 90s -- bringing a touch of the robotic to the party. The collection's androgynous, geometric case shape makes a welcome return but is augmented in this case with a whimsical robot motif, assembled from 78 brilliant-cut diamonds. Consider this a mandatory part of your inventory whenever popping and locking.

The Chanel Boy•friend Electro is now available in a limited edition of 55 pieces, priced at HK$130,200. To learn more, visit Chanel online.

Code Coco Electro

One of Chastaingt's newer, more unconventional designs, the Code Coco exists in a phantom zone somewhere between fashion and haute horlogerie. Not quite a watch nor a straightforward piece of jewellery, the Code Coco Electro pairs a quilted leather cufflet -- immediately eye-catching, thanks to its neon-pink do -- with two lacquered black dials. Rather perfunctorily, one of these tells the time; while the other is set with a single princess-cut diamond -- the punctuation point to any rave-ready outfit.

The Code Coco Electro is now available in a limited edition of 255 pieces, priced at HK$55,300. To learn more, visit Chanel online.

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There’s no doubt Alex Lam inherited his musical talent from his parents, his father being Cantopop legend George Lam Chi-Cheung, and his mother, Sally Yeh. Still, the singer-songwriter and actor hasn’t let privilege get to his head — he’s not afraid to explore other paths, from a stint in Los Angeles to discover yoga and becoming a yoga teacher, to dipping his toes in fashion.

Lam met Hiro Yoshikawa, founder and designer of Washi Jeans, a Japanese denim brand, a couple years back and was intrigued by the designer’s backstory. Now based in Hong Kong, Yoshikawa is the 18^th generation of a revered sake maker in Okayama, Japan, and the first to leave the family business to pursue his own passion in denim-making. By chance, Yoshikawa had found an old document that charted out his family’s history, written on washi paper. Inspired by this, he developed and patented the Washi No. 6 paper yarn, which he utilizes in his first solo collection launching this month.

Lam, who has always had an eye for detail, quickly became an ambassador and muse for Yoshikawa, and took it upon himself to bring the recognition Yoshikawa deserves by helping him stage his upcoming solo debut.

We sit down with Alex Lam and Hiro Yoshikawa at Washi Jean's studio to talk about style and the upcoming debut of Yoshikawa's solo collection Life on Earth.

Can you describe your style? What are your wardrobe essentials?

AL: My style has always been inspired by musicians. I grew up watching some of my favourite bands like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and today, I'm inspired by singers like Drake. For me, my summer essentials include a sleeveless vest, a good multi-functional blazer and a pair of high-quality designer jeans.

Have you always been passionate about fashion and did you want to work in fashion?

AL: I have always cared about how I look and my outfits since I was a kid. I remember there was one time when the collar of my t-shirt wasn't right and I wouldn’t wear it out until my parents fixed it for me. Having friends who are in the fashion industry allows me to execute and experiment my ideas during workshops, like the ‘marshmallow’ colourway of the t-shirt I’m wearing right now. 

How did the both of you meet?

AL: I met Hiro-san thought some of our mutual friends.

HY: have been making jeans for other brands for the past 30 years and it has always been my dream to have my own denim brand. I have always hung out with people from the fashion industry, and meeting Alex from the music and acting world has made my life more fun and exciting.

Can you tell us a bit about your project with Hiro-san?

AL: I was hanging out with a group of producers and we often talk about fashion shows, designer brands’ videos, installation art and music. Once we found out Hiro-san wanted to launch his own denim brand this year, we decided to catch this opportunity and put our ideas together. We are organising a VIP launch event with a fashion show on June 11, 2021.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome with this project?

AL: I think the rules of the game changed after Covid started last year. We looked at online fashion shows last year, without the tradition styles, and we knew our team needed to do it in a cleverer way. The restriction for event gathering is 30 persons at the moment, so we were not able to invite too many friends and make the event as big as before. Plus the campaign and fashion show video shoot all in one day, that’s the biggest challenge in this project.

HY:  We have been staying in our studio almost every day is the past few months, meeting different parties like our PR team, models, videographers and producers.

What else are you up to this year that you can share with us?

AL: I have released a new song and I just finished a music video for another song. I have also been working on my YouTube channel and created a few series, but it’s been slightly slowed down because I was focusing in this project.

Has the pandemic affected the way you work or changed your priorities?

AL: Before Covid, I was busy working with clients, who often prepared everything. With changes and restrictions during this period, I am able to organise and create more content by myself.

What are you currently inspired by?

AL: There are many indie musicians and young kids out there who are doing their music in their unique styles. I admire them a lot as they can release songs as long as they think it sounds good. I used think good music requires the best studio and recording equipment, but turned out a lot of indie musicians are producing high quality songs just by working at home.

You have a YouTube channel, you're into fashion, music as well as classic cars. How did you get into each of those passions and how do you balance it all?

AL: Project by project. I’m now focusing more on quantity over quality and I'll keep learning from the progress and mistakes.

Do you have a motto you live by?

Stay healthy. As I was a yoga teacher, I still practice yoga for two to three hours each day. It’s a good way to reflect on myself and find peace.

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