Celebrity Life

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.

The post We Spoke to the Co-founder of Karana, Asia’s First Whole-plant Based Meat Brand appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Kartikeya Shukla is a creative individual who thrives to put his heart out to the world on the subjects that are considered more of a rebellion trait. He is a free-spirited person who is always ready to explore the horizons and create a world of its own. A writer, educator, counselor and motivational speaker, Kartikeya […]

The post Bisexuality: The Double-Edged Sword appeared first on TMM.

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.

The post Entrepreneur and Advocate for Hong Kong Allan Zeman on His Extraordinary Journey appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The interior designer behind Le Bilboquet shares his must-haves

The post Getting to Know David Lucido appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

Eco-warrior Emily Lam-Ho is encouraging Hong Kongers to go green this summer with the launch of 8Shades 8 Weeks Challenge, a citywide campaign that features eight weeks of picking up simple green habits and winning exciting eco-conscious prizes.

Change doesn't happen overnight — and Emily Lam-Ho recognises that completely. The eco-entrepreneur's own discovery and journey into sustainability was a slow evolution, which finally took firm hold when she became a new mother. Lam has since then become a leading voice in living green and championing sustainability with her business ventures like Empact28 and EcoDrive. Never forgetting how she first started however, Lam established 8Shades earlier this year, a sustainability platform that aims to make going green easy for the uninitiated, a light-hearted and non-judgemental community that will be there for you no matter if you're taking baby steps or giant leaps into sustainability.

Lam first broke the news of 8Shades here with Prestige back in December, but this month is really the launch of the platform's biggest campaign to date. 8Shades 8-Week Challenge is its first-ever citywide challenge, featuring eight weeks of exciting challenges and giveaways, all with the intention of encouraging all of us — from eco-veterans to green newbies — to take purposeful steps towards a greener future.

It's all very easy — all you need to do is sign up here.

The challenge will run for eight weeks, with thoughtful prizes curated by the team at 8Shades that include some of Hong Kong's best eco-conscious brands such as Lono Shoes, Keep Cup, Everybody & Everyone and more.

The campaign kickstarted on June 14th this week with the simple challenge — go for a walk. (And what better time to do this than this gorgeous weekend?) Each weekly challenge will be revealed on 8Shades' Instagram and website, along with an article that explains the benefits of taking that one green step.

Green is good and better for the planet, we all know this. So start now, spread the world, a tiny step can make a huge difference.

The post Emily Lam-Ho Challenges Hong Kongers to Go Green with New 8Shades Giveaway appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

After three decades in Manhattan, the jewelry designer will open a viewing salon and design studio on South County Road later this year

The post Mish Tworkowski Makes the Move to Palm Beach appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

Breaking norms is a part of his style and that’s the reason chef entrepreneur Tarun Sibal believes in ditching chef coat and kitchen uniform and prefers to be dressed in his casual best and club in his statement aprons made with leather or denim which are high in utility and style. In a quick conversation […]

The post Style Ingredients of : Chef Tarun Sibal appeared first on TMM.

As the world celebrates Pride Month this June, TMM asked Dr. Yuvrajsingh Jadeja, M.D Obstetrics and Gynaecology, DIAGE(CICE, France), FRM(ISAR-ASPIRE, Japan), DRM(SKUH, Germany), and infertility specialist, the most common and frequently asked questions that LGBTQIA+ community faces. Self-acceptance & focus in life I think self-acceptance is the key to most of the internal troubles that the queer […]

The post Pride Month Special Decoding LGBTQIA+ Facts appeared first on TMM.

A regular fixture on global runway front rows, Susanna Lau (aka Susie Bubble) made her name as one of fashion’s most significant bloggers, and one of the Asian originals. Years after starting her Style Bubble blog in 2006 (with a stint at Dazed & Confused magazine), Lau moved predominantly to Instagram and remains a hugely popular digital commentator, known for both her writing voice and influencer work featuring her inimitable style: the dark topknot and heavy fringe, the eclectic dress sense that’s part girlish high-fashion, part youthful street.

“I’ve had a really peculiar and strange and amazing time in the industry, and I’ve loved a lot of it,” says Lau, snug in a hoodie inside an oversized jacket as we pick over lunch at a North London pub that happens to serve as a local for both of us. “I have an amazing audience that constantly feeds me things and new information.

“But I think at this point in time, you’re questioning what really matters in the fashion brands and designers that you’re talking about, what they stand for. It’s an important time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Look at what and who are fundamentally going to make a lasting impact.”

Usually we’d be talking about an event or show we’d just been to. Her 524,000 Instagram followers would be eyeing highlights of big Cruise shows, Fashion Week coverage (“I miss the camaraderie of fashion weeks”) or independent designers she’s picked out. She recently started a new business – Dot Dot, a bubble-tea and Hong Kong-style bubble waffle joint in East London. There’s also a long list of projects with the likes of Gucci, Prada, Coach, Net-A-Porter, Selfridges and Joyce, digitally disseminated to her followers and fans.

But unsurprisingly, many people in fashion are going through a philosophical phase at the moment, after the maelstrom of Covid-19, climate change and social upheaval has bought on a major reckoning for the industry. This year has been different for us all. Lau has long championed “fashion that matters”, but now it seems to be at its most critical, with things becoming social, political and beyond just fashion.

She’s shifted to using her platform as a vocal force to elevate other Asian voices, speaking against racial injustice and a powerful call to #StopAsianHate. The tipping point for Lau was the Atlanta shootings in the US, when a lone gunman left eight dead, six of whom were Asian women – a tragedy that came after months of increased violence against Asians in America, Black Lives Matter protests and a world seized up by the new pandemic.
“The Stop Asian Hate thing has almost been a gradual build up that cumulated in the violence in the US,” says Lau about using her voice to speak up on these matters. “A lot of white people didn’t think of it as a problem and that’s the truth of the matter.”

She’s also called out names in the fashion industry for prejudiced behaviour, taking on the likes of fashion-fixture French DJ Michel Gubert, who posted a Wuhan Girls video featuring slanty-eyed paper masks on his dinner guests. Diet Prada, Bryan Boy and others joined in, and eventually Gubert apologised. Lau admits her “hands were shaking” as she publicly typed her response against a powerful industry figure – but the point is that she’s declining to be silent any longer.

The past year in London has worn the fashionista out with lockdowns and aggressions that perhaps “feels a lot more flagrant these days”. But once she started speaking out Lau says, “All this stuff within me just started pouring out, this cathartic exercise as in, ‘Oh, that happened to me and I just suppressed it.’” A lot of (Asian) people wanted to minimise themselves in a bid to assimilate to not complain and to get ahead.”

As a response, she co-founded a grassroots group called the ESEA (East and South East Asia) Sisters aimed at women supporting and empowering each other. What started off as a casual Whatsapp support group has moved over to a Discord forum – now with over 500 members. Soon the group will launch a website serving as both social support and a creative forum for sharing, collaborations and “things that uplift our voices”.

Through the group, similarity of experiences (both professional and personal) and stereotypes reverberated, “and it does have an overriding effect on your self-worth. I can also speak to that too,” Lau adds. The point is to underscore that Asians and the Asian diaspora are hardly a monolith. With more awareness, especially driven by the younger digital generations, it’s hard to fault Lau saying, “It’s incumbent on everyone just to be more aware.”

Ironically, or perhaps not, this rises to the surface at the very time that Asian power grows in Hollywood and economic power shifts steadily east. The most recent Oscar win by director Chloe Zhao (the first Asian female, non-white woman and second-ever woman to ever win the Best Picture and Best Director categories), the popularity of the film Crazy Rich Asians and Netflix’s Bling Empire are commonly thrown out as examples of change. But while they undoubtedly increase media visibility, don’t the latter two similarly play to a trope?

“There’s a momentum there, but it’s a two-pronged thing,” says Lau of Bling Empire and Crazy Rich Asians. “Of course there’s positivity to it … and yes, obviously China fuels luxury and fashion, that’s the fact of the matter,” but there’s “a slightly negative trickle-down effect to anyone in the West who looks remotely Chinese or East Asian. We’re not a monolith. Within Asia there’s obviously a myriad of different ethnicities and nationalities – and especially in the diaspora in Europe and the States, there are many stories where we aren’t like that.”

Lau’s own parents came to London in the 1970s from Hong Kong, and she grew up in a Chinese takeaway in Camden Town. They struggled. She played in a cardboard lettuce box while her parents cooked. It’s a common immigrant story. My own mother worked as a waitress in a Chinese restaurant, while my father washed dishes whilst completing his PhD.

“I am that kid at the back of a Chinese takeaway doing their homework, while their parents worked!” says Lau with a laugh. Sometimes this modern rich Asian stereotype can have detrimental effects “when you’re just seen as automatically privileged or rich; or that your value is just in your chequebook and spending power”, she explains. “Then it almost negates your other qualities. I’ve experienced that a lot, especially in fashion.”

"I am that kid at the back of a Chinese takeaway, doing their homework”

Susie Bubble

And while the Asian market is all important for global fashion and luxury brands, we both wonder why they’ve mostly been so quiet during this recent spate of aggression towards Asians. But the tide is shifting, often via grassroots movements. Awareness is being raised and, as a professional who cut her teeth in writing and content creation before becoming an influencer, Lau is well-placed to empower other Asian voices as well as her own – both in and out of fashion.

“Mainly, I think I just want to write about things that are truly interesting to me and I’ve always been interesting in writing about where fashion is really going,” says Lau. Her dogged coverage of smaller designers, not based in the big fashion capitals, was because “you could already see that fashion was becoming more globalised and that was 15 years ago”.

Today with the rise of Shanghai Fashion Week, conspicuously the only one able to host big events and shows in the last 12 months, the cultural shift east is glaringly obvious. As the power dynamic between West and East evolves, Asian voices are finally becoming more powerful and empowered. Meanwhile brands are further grappling with a younger generation of consumers who are “hyper aware of situations that are political”, social and environmental.
“You can see that this shift away from Western-centrism has almost rattled the houses deep down,” says Lau. “Everybody needs to contend with lots of things in the industry. There’s a reckoning, and it’s very do or die.”

(Hero Image: Lau Outside Dot Dot, her new business in London’s East End)

The post Influencer Susie Bubble on Elevating Asian Voices and Fashion’s Great Reckoning 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 Alex Lam: On Style and Being Hiro Yoshikawa’s Muse 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 André Fu Shares his Interior Design Tips and Ideas 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.

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