HOMEFEATURES ▸ Music, films, fashion
2016.08.30

Music, films, fashion
These three seem to gang together, as four up-and-coming designers reveal.

Online streaming has made it extremely convenient to access music or videos but there is an irreplaceable joy about walking into a store, touching a box of beautifully packaged CD or DVD, and stumbling upon something that ends up stealing your heart. Serendipity is what we still hold dear even though powerful marketing and social media have made it a habit to spoon-feed things to us every day.

Everyone needs a spark of inspiration like this every now and then but for designers, it is their bread and butter. It is thus no wonder that the new HMV store in Causeway Bay is a place where creative types congregate. The 3-storey flagship now places a greater emphasis on lifestyle products from clothing to toys to travel accessories. To match its comprehensive collection of CDs and DVDs encompassing every genre, audio-visual equipment and gadgets also feature prominently. There is even a bar restaurant for refreshment and respite to recover from any sensory overload.

Designers are not one homogenous group. Some are quintessential visual people, while some are more cerebral, veering on the philosophical. It is always interesting to see how different individuals get their creative spark, and hopefully the city will see more outlets, be it design hubs or retail establishments like HMV, that sustain our appetite for entertainment as well as need for inspiration. As Aries Sin, Derek Chan, Kevin Ho and Kurt Ho prepare to launch their new collections at this year’s Hong Kong Young Fashion Designers’ Contest (YDC) in September, they take time out to hang out at the HMV flagship store to talk design, film, music and how they stay in a creative frame of mind.

“Everyone needs a spark of inspiration like this every now and then but for designers, it is their bread and butter. It is thus no wonder that the new HMV store in Causeway Bay is a place where creative types congregate.”


Aries Sin of MODEMENT, for provocative fashion

F: How do you find inspiration?
A: Listening to music, reading magazines, wandering on the street, and cooking! My mind relaxes when I cook, and ideas will flow.

F: What kind of music can help you with design?
A: Being a visual person, I like music that gives me vivid images, e.g. Radiohead songs can give you stories and images. I also select music to match the theme of the collection I’m working on.

F: How about films?
A: A wide variety from Monster Inc to The Walking Dead. Things that can stimulate my mind. I also pay attention to gruesome special effects because I want to know how they are done.

F: Is there a place that inspires you most?
A: Barcelona. The entire city is full of lines and colours of Gaudi architecture. I’m fascinated by his way of thinking because it is very different from mine.

F: What do you like to do in your spare time?
A: I like to cook.  I read mostly fashion publications but cook books are a close second. It makes me happy to think I can more or less replicate my mum’s superb home cooking.

F: Tell us about a design or collection that you hold dear.
A: My YDC contest collection because of how long and painful it took to make. I used leather to create a mosaic effect. Every tiny piece was cut and glued on by myself. It also featured a lining with a tree pattern made by felting. It was a total beast to make.

F: Is there a design style that you want to explore in the future?
A: I always try to explore new silhouettes every season but the bottom line is I have to balance commercial interests.
I would, however, very much like to do something very ornate and packed with handiwork. It will be the complete opposite to minimalism. I’m interested to see how that would turn out.

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Derek Chan of DEMO., a contemporary vision on tailored menswear

F: How do you find inspiration?
D: I pay attention to everyday life and my surroundings. Even shapes of trees and flowers can be turned into design. I also like to read books on art, science and philosophy. Analysis and problem solving can trigger ideas as well.

F: What kind of music can help you with design?
D: It depends on what I’m working on every season. My theme this time is “androgyny” so I’m listening to a lot of opera and classical music. The dramatic melodies can translate into colours and textures.

F: How about films? 
D: Literary works which have been adapted to the stage or screen like Brideshead Revisited and Death in Venice have given me some inspiration this season for androgyny.
In general, I’m keen on mysteries and thrillers because I like to watch things that allow me to think. Films about art and the process of art, as well as classic movies with distinct fashion and style are my favourites too.

F: Is there a place that inspires you most?
D: Japanese culture fascinates me. I always find a lot of inspiration from noh theatre and the geisha culture. Even to this day, you can still see people wearing kimonos on the street. I like how perfectly the new merges with the old there. It’s also important to keep an open mind to every culture.

F: What do you like to do in your spare time?
D: I like to read. My favourite topics are philosophy, science and art history.
Recently I’m reading up on the Ooku courtlife of Japan’s Edo period. In a way, reading is also a way to travel, only it’s through someone else’s eyes.

F: Tell us about a design or collection that you hold dear.
D: It’s always the current collection that I’m working on!

F: Is there a design style that you want to explore in the future? 
D: Haute couture for menswear.

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Kevin Ho, fashion thinker
F: How do you find inspiration?
K: I look at people and see how they like to dress and match colours.
And the usual channels — internet, library and museums.

F: What kind of music can help you with design?
K: At the beginning of each season, I would deliberately choose music that matches the theme of my collection. It helps to bring a vivid image to the concept.
Currently I’m listening to Hong Kong indie band Chochukmo 觸執毛. Their song “Love Ain’t Red” is being yourself in love.

F: How about films?
K: Mysteries and thrillers are so clever. There are always unexpected twists and turns. I like works that are conceptual and thought-provoking.

F: Is there a place that inspires you most?
K: London where I studied fashion. It’s a city surrounded by art.

F: What do you like to do in your spare time?
K: I have little time to spare as I’m always working. But watching films are a good way to relax.

F: Tell us about a design or collection that you hold dear.
K: My YDC contest collection. It was packed full of hand craftsmanship. I made evening wear using strips of cloth. Every strip was hand sewn and it took me two to three weeks to finish one gown.

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