DIRECT CONNECTION: Hong Kong’s creative ecosystem is live, kicking and ready for a new global era.
Such was the message of a group showcase at the Létrange flagship on Rue de la Paix that included two designer collaborations with Paris-based Yaz Bukey, the ebullient designer best known for her now-shuttered pop-tastic brand as well as a slew of collaborations with the likes of Christian Louboutin, Lacoste, Linda Farrow, Shu Uemura and Trudon.
Paired off with the Parisian designer, who focuses on artistic and creative direction, were contemporary menswear label Marcch, founded by Louis Chow, and Matter Matters, a lifestyle and fashion brand launched by designer Flora Leung.
“Louis’ work with knots and a heart motif evoked ideas of connection and love, which are also central in my work,” she told WWD. “From our conversations, I feel that he has a rich vocabulary that speaks of his potential.”
On Leung, she highlighted the Hong Kong designer’s “pop DNA that is reminiscent of the universe [she] developed with Yazbukey, so it felt like a natural fit to play with features from Flora’s existing work like eyes,” to which Bukey added hands, glasses and other motifs as removable charms.
The bag developed by Marcch and charms by Matter Matters in collaboration with Yaz Bukey.
Courtesy
Such creative conversations were at the heart of the Fashion Hong Kong showcase, organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council with strategic partner Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Ltd. (Hactl), to speak of the Asian metropolis’ creative ecosystem and potential for international development.
“If you ask any designer, they will tell you that Paris is always the natural dream and the first choice, since it is the capital of fashion,” said Chris Lo, HKTDC’s regional director for Europe, Central Asia and Israel. “”It is a market that is sophisticated and quite receptive to different cultures, a different kind of creativity.”
“Of course, fashion is glamorous but behind the scenes, there are a lot of processes in the supply and value chain, from designers starting in their studio to how they sell and ship their products,” he continued. “We wanted to show how they achieve this, including the support of logistics partners such as Hactl.”
Also showcased in Paris were accessories brand PabePabe, whose work Bukey called “very witty, special and new”; jewelry brands Sweetlimejuice and Kinks Lab, and fashion labels Bettie Haute Couture, Harrison Wong and Plotz, by designer Singchin Lo.
Lo also worked with Hactl, the city’s airport cargo specialist, on a range of upcycled items spanning teddy bears to reusable cutlery cut from its discarded uniforms as part of the company’s sustainability efforts, which include energy efficiency but also circular practices across its operations.
