They were following me. Models from Moscow had descended to Hong Kong and were queuing conspicuously near me at customs. Then reality sunk in, it wasn’t me they were after but our T-shirts. Ok, not really. Fashion week was on in Hong Kong.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it to the fashion shows. But I’m sure it was all bling and glamour like the fashion scene in Central.

This fashion enthusiast hails Hong Kong as a “shopper’s paradise”. Indeed, all major luxury brands are well represented with stores tucked in a prominent high rise in Central. Giorgio Armani even made it home to its largest flagship store outside Milan.

But my feelings are still mixed. It’s just that spending an afternoon in Central, to me, is as enticing as shopping in Wall Street, Canary Wharf or the sexy La Défense in Paris.

From what I saw, the streetwear style in Hong Kong veers more towards the hip-hop look, baggy clothes paired with a Nike, Adidas, Onitsuka or Converse trainer. It’s no wonder that Japanese store Bape and Juice are a hit with locals.

Edison Chen, the man behind Juice, seems to be the next Hong Kong phenom. This entrepreneur, designer, rapper, actor started a lifestyle brand called Clot, an umbrella company that encompasses all his interests.

We’re also shooting for the same concept with Swiftlabel. But our similarities end there. We have a different taste, lifestyle, philosophy and lingo.

HK Notes
I saw someone in Hong Kong wearing the same Graniph T-shirt I had just bought in Tokyo. I guess from now on I’ll only wear my Graniph Tees outside of Asia… Borrowing the CaféPress / Spreadshirt model, Udesign is a local DIY T-shirt store that hosts weekly graphic workshops (plug from BC Magazine)… Fashion Access is holding a Bag Design competition. Deadline is 12 February.

Websites
Freshnessmag’s review of HK shops: website
Hong Kong Fashion Brands: website
Hypebeast (streetwear blog): www.hypebeast.com

Hong Kong is simply breathtaking. Whether it’s the towering skyline, the frenzied pace or the pervasive smog, it’ll leave you gasping for air.

On my trip last year, the city’s vibe gripped me. Everything in Hong Kong seemed to move faster. This time around, I still enjoyed the lively scene but I also noticed just how compact the island actually is and how repetitive it can be.

On Saturday, I spent the afternoon in Central around Soho (South of Hollywood Rd) and Lan Kwai Fong, the entertainment hub of Hong Kong, looking for a pay phone (couldn’t get reception with my Orange mobile) and keeping an eye out for cool places. I was able to do every street seemingly twice in only 45 minutes. With time to spare, I chilled at a café combing the net and Juice, Hong Kong’s new urban culture magazine, for things to do.

Bar hoppers will revel at Hong Kong’s nightlife. Pubs, bars and clubs are stacked one next to the other, from Lan Kwai Fong to Soho, paving way for a seamless chain of expat punters beefing their arms and gut with pint-size weights.

Since the prices in LKF are as expensive as in any other big cities, the locals who go there are mainly Westerners (80-20 split), work in the business district and are more mature, maybe not by their behaviour but certainly by their age.

My nightly excursions in HK were fairly relaxed. My friends treated me for drinks at Solas, a new laid-back bar, and Azuro (sp?) at the hip Hotel LKF. A wilder weekend in Hong Kong will have to wait until next time when, I hope, Flatmate or Business Partner will join me. At 3bph (bars per hour), I wonder if we can hit all the bars and clubs in Central.

Hong Kong Listings
BC Magazine (weekly): hk.bcmagazine.net
HK Clubbing Guide: www.hkclubbing.com
Juice Magazine (monthly): www.juiceonline.com.hk