Celebrity Life

Following serial cultural entrepreneur Kevin Poon around Hong Kong on a typical working day can be an exhausting and Exhilarating business, as we discover.

Why don’t we meet at Unscheduled? We can chat then,” says Kevin Poon, during an unexpected call in the middle of a day whose blistering heat presages the imminent arrival of a tropical cyclone.

The Unscheduled he’s referring to is a pop-up organised by The Hong Kong Art Gallery Association, which asked around 50 local galleries to exhibit and sell a selection of their works at a temporary location in Central, where Topshop used to be. Poon’s Woaw Gallery, which he set up in 2019, is represented on the mezzanine floor and I find him addressing potential buyers about the work of American artist Charlie Roberts.

“Roberts is currently in Norway and you can see his inspiration from traditional art, pop culture, hip-hop, comics and folk art,” he tells them, as heads nod politely. “I really like all the watches in the paintings,” a masked face in the crowd says out loud. The socially distant gathering makes strangers of us all.

We amble around the space, Poon recognises most of the exhibitors and with the ones he doesn’t know he makes a point of going to shake their hand, letting them know he appreciates their efforts and collection. As a new gallery owner, albeit a long-time collector, has he been keeping track of what the average buyer is looking at?

“I’ve been working my entire adult life, I’ve set myself goals and ambitions early on, but if people want to think I’ve got bank, let them - I know my truth.”

Kevin Poon

“It’s interesting, because before, my perspective initially was more from a collector’s point of view,” he says taking pictures of sculptures he likes. “So
I’d be visiting art fairs and galleries, looking at and buying things I personally like. But since I opened my gallery, I’m aware of what a lot of people are collecting and looking at. You know, many of the artists and buyers are my friends. There’s a lot of people who love art, collecting art, and I really feel it this year, especially in Hong Kong and China, people are respecting creativity, respecting the art, respecting intellectual property. It’s been amazing to observe what sells.”

It’s no secret that Poon hobnobs with artists and stars of all stripes. As we make our way through the space, it seems he’s on first-name terms with just about everyone, with fist-bumps for “homies” and bear-hugs for old friends – friends such as local artist Michael Lau, who’s poised to exhibit at his gallery in Central as we go to print.

“I buy things from artists I’ve been following. Usually, it’s like a friend, or a friend of a friend. Or something I saw online that captivated me. It’s very organic. I support everyone, but it comes from a very genuine space.”

Woaw Gallery has previously featured names such as Koichi Sato, Anna Weyant, Cristina Banban, Simphiwe Ndzube and Sam Friedman. Does Poon have to like the artists to like the art?

“That is an interesting question,” he says, pausing before quietly repeating my question to himself. “OK, so you know, sometimes what you like might not do well, and what you don’t like might actually sell well. So, I guess it’s a give and take. I’m learning more about it as I go along. But, generally speaking, everyone’s super nice. Obviously, if you like the art, then you’ll try to like the artist. But if you don’t like the artist as a person, that’s kind of … a bummer. Man, I really have to think about this.”

“I’m not really afraid of failure. Not everything has gone my way – I’ve been in business for
nearly two decades, and I’ve seen the tide go up and down. But I’m still around, right?”

Kevin Poon

The gallery in Central opened when the pandemic was raging. Did he commandeer the space as luxury brands were zooming out? “Yes, and no. Central has traditionally been for large multinational designer spaces, but my gallery – it’s such a small programme. When the opportunity came to open at that space, for a rate I could work with, why wouldn’t I take it up?

“With the gallery, making money isn’t really at the forefront, it’s not the number-one mission. With that being said, I still want to keep it relatively organic in the sense that I don’t have to do things because I’m chasing a sale. If that happens later down the road, when you have shareholders, then it’s a different question. I still can be very free to select things that I pick from my gut instinct. I go with what I feel is right and then just roll the dice.”

Poon strides out of the pop-up, and we head to the street where his car and driver are waiting. We jump in and race over to a space off Tung Street in Sheung Wan, where a pop-up of his streetwear brand Clot’s collaboration with Sacai is in the making. With construction full on to meet a looming deadline for a 500-guest event, the heady whiffs of wood chippings and fresh paint fill the air, but Poon barges through, nonchalantly surveying the work in progress. “Things fall into place at the right time,” he says.

As many in Hong Kong – including almost 130,000 social-media followers – know, Poon’s got multiple arrows in his quiver, His business ventures include Clot (established in 2003 with his pop. star buddy Edison Chen) and Juice stores studded around China, Hong Kong and LA. His dining ventures include the Elephant Grounds cafes, restaurants La Rambla, Mashi No Mashi, Sushi Mamoru and Wagyu Mafia, and bars such as The Diplomat and Kyle & Bain – the latter, a martini bar that’s part of Margo, was recently voted one of the 50 best restaurants in town. He’s a designer and a restaurateur, he’s been a DJ and he’s organised music festivals. It begs the question: does he have attention deficit disorder?

“I’m sure I do. My wife thinks I do, my teachers in school couldn’t handle my energy,” he says with a loud guffaw. Last October, Poon married model Fiona McLeish, and the couple are now parents to a baby boy. Poon’s a wanted man – his phone doesn’t stop pinging and many strings pull him in myriad directions. “I have the opportunity to take my interests and make them into a business that works for me. Every brand or restaurant or bar is a reflection of some part of me. To be honest, I’m not that much of a drinker or partier any more, but that may be the image some people have of me, because of what I do for a living, but that’s not the real me.”

I put it to Poon that there’s an urban legend surrounding him – that all his ventures are funded by a $100 million inheritance from his father when he was 21, and not the fruits of his own business acumen. “People think I have a hundred mil? That’s crazy!” he says, and he bursts out laughing. By this time, we’ve popped over to Margo where ace barkeep John Nugent whips up a cocktail for us. It’s three in the afternoon, and Poon swirls the ice in his cocktail, never really drinking.

“Please, let me make it very clear. My father worked in a tractor company. There were many difficulties in the early part of my life – my parents separated ages ago. I didn’t inherit a million or billion – I’ve been working my entire adult life, I’ve set myself goals and ambitions early on, but if people want to think I’ve got bank, let them,” he says with a shrug. “I know my truth.”

Poon’s rep is rock solid. The media has been charting the course of his career since 2003, when he first started making noise on the club scene as a DJ, and after that with streetwear brand Clot. Although scandal touched his partner, Poon was left unblemished – indeed, his reputation was hardly affected by the association, “Years ago, there were some issues with my business partner that made tabloid headlines and of course I was mad at first – but I stand by my friends. The turnover in my company isn’t a lot – the same people have worked with me for
years.”

We pop next door to his gallery, which is also two doors down from the latest Juice store, set to open later this year. If he makes all the right moves, will every door that opens on 9 Queen’s Road have his stamp on it? Doesn’t it ever get overwhelming – and could it all come crashing down?

“Well, I’m not really afraid of failure. Everything has its ups and downs – you know, I did the music festival BloHK party, which took so much effort, time and money. It was pre-Clockenflap and I didn’t make money on it. Years ago, I went into businesses with my buddy and a scandal hit and threw us off our path. I’m no longer in partnership with Fed [Federico Tan] at Social Capital, as he’s gone a separate way to create his own thing. That’s fine. Not everything has gone my way – I’ve been in business for nearly two decades, and I’ve seen the tide go up and down. But I’m still around, right?”

What’s his favourite part of the business? “My favourite part of my job is having things that I can add to. Yes, I know I have multiple responsibilities – you should see the size of my Excel sheets! But it allows me to switch gears: one track, it’s the fashion and then I switch to the art and then to the food and beverage, and then I go back to fashion. I think it actually helps me problem solve and think outside of the box. The most challenging part of my job is time management, my presence is required at some, my attention to others. Ever since my son was born, I’ve been trying to limit my screen time to be present with him and my wife. I think it’s the most common complaint in Hong Kong from every wife everywhere: ‘Put your phone down, we’re at dinner!’That work/life balance hasn’t been easy.”

Fatherhood seems to have done wonders for the forty-something, who has a new-found serenity about him. Poon has been in the eye of a media storm for years and used to handle things differently, so this zen avatar is a new one for us. “Well, that’s because I’m spending the day with Prestige and having a good time,” he says, before adding more sincerely, “OK, I do have days when I’m frustrated if things aren’t aligned. Things that are outside of my control, for example. When you’re doing cross cultural business between the United States, Hong Kong and Greater China there’s always uncertainty. The laws are different, the governments are different. That keeps me up.

“And sometimes, I’m just off because I’m talking to people in New York, and then I’m waking up early to talk to people in LA and then in Europe, but I think having a positive mentality and getting a night’s sleep really helps.”

The phone rings again for the nth time, beckoning Poon back to the gallery space for a photocall with media partners. Walking back, he tells me how Covid grounded him in Hong Kong, how weekly flights between capital cities are no longer a priority when a Zoom call will do, and how his son has helped shift priorities in a seismic, soul-searching way.

Walking into the pop-up we discover there’s been a change since we left. Every single painting on display by Woaw has been sold, including Night Kitchen, a large oil on canvas.

Poon tells his team to pull out pieces that are in storage in the back – maybe call the main gallery and get other works to hang on the walls. There is more, I ask him? “There’s always more,” he says.

Kevin Poon Cover Story

ART DIRECTION
RICKY LO & JACKY TAM
PHOTOGRAPHER RICKY LO
STYLIST JACKY TAM
PHOTO ASSISTANT
ALSTON CHAN, AZEAL HO, KELVIN SIM
MAKEUP ARTIST LITTLEWHITE
HAIR STYLIST SAM KO

The post Kevin Poon: A Day in the Life of Hong Kong’s Top Cultural Entrepreneur appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

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.

The post Kevin Poon: Contemporary Art Through the Eyes of an Insider appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.