Tatler Hong Kong

TATLER HONG KONG He raps, acts, makes YouTube videos and runs a T-shirt company: Zain Syed explores Hong Kong’s cultural tropes while himself moving the needle. In an illuminating interview, the trilingual rising star discusses his burgeoning hip-hop profile, the notion of belonging, and why he refuses to be pigeonholed. TATLER INDONESIA Having advised some of the largest international companies in the world, Sonita Lontoh is an accomplished leader in innovation, green technology, digital transformation and the fourth industrial revolution, creating programmes that have positively impacted businesses, consumers, and society. She discusses the future of green technology, and how she empowers Asian women in the US. TATLER MALAYSIA Sarawak-born pianist Hii Mei Lin has performed on stages all over the world. The Kuala Lumpur-based musician is transforming society’s general perception of classical music with Ivory,…

One of my deepest regrets from my mid-teens is not sitting next to a particular kid in school. He was a year or two below me, and I remember him being kind, smart and funny in an offbeat and slightly-too-loud kind of way. Looking back, it’s clear that he was on the autism spectrum; but back then, there wasn’t much conversation about developmental conditions, and other kids simply thought he was “a bit weird”. No one was outwardly cruel, but there was the occasional snicker and often, he was just ignored. One particular memory stands out of a lunch break in the cafeteria, where teenage social politics were at their most charged—where you sat and with whom were indicators of your place on the slippery social ladder. The cool kids…

LARA JADE Lara Jade is a fashion and beauty photographer who finds inspiration in feminine strength, unique beauty and timeless style. She first picked up a camera when she was 14, and began her career in London before moving to New York. Her work has appeared in luxury fashion publications worldwide and her client collaborations include Monique Lhuillier, Bobbi Brown, Estée Lauder, Nars and Graff. She photographed this month’s fashion shoot (p.82) KWANNAM CHU A fashion photographer who splits his time between Seoul and Hong Kong, Kwannam Chu’s whimsical work is influenced by both old and new, and east and west. His photographs have been published in Dazed, GQ and The Wall Street Journal, among others. This month, Chu photographed Henry Li, Manfi Choi and Heilok Wan for a feature exploring the issues…

ORBSTELLAR METASPACE Pacific Place plays host to an art installation with a difference this month. Orbstellar Metaspace is an immersive NFT experience, presenting a galactic voyage of participatory art, created by Hong Kong new media art group Xcept. Visitors can construct and design their own galaxy, with multiple colours and patterns to choose from. They then upload and project their galactic art piece onto the 360-degree screens to be viewed in real time. Until October. Shop 100A, L1, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty. klook.com COOKING CLASSES Known for high-quality cooking workshops for all ages, Foodcraft consistently has a finger on the pulse of modern families’ eating habits. This month, children can try making kombucha or get messy while learning about Japanese fermentation techniques to make soy-free miso and amazake, a drink made from fermented rice.…

The fashion industry has jumped on the metaverse train, and it’s moving full steam ahead. But what exactly is digital fashion, and why should we care about it? On June 21, Tatler’s editor-in-chief Jacqueline Tsang spoke to fashion experts for the summer edition of House Stories at The Upper House’s Sky Lounge. The panel included Richard Hobbs and Nick Lau, founders of NFT fashion companies Brand New Vision (BNV) and Wear; Angus Tsui, the fashion designer behind his eponymous label; and Queenie Mak who has spent the last 20 years at the forefront of luxury communications working with brands such as Givenchy, Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Lau, whose luxury Web3 platform Wear bridges physical and digital experiences, and collaborates with creators on metaverse-compatible digital assets, found his way into digital fashion out…

The last weekend of June was one to remember: bright sunshine, happy people and a Design Trust cocktail party that brought together the brightest minds in the city. Design Trust, an initiative of the Hong Kong Ambassadors of Design, hosted Research on the Move: Dialogues with M+ and Design Trust Research Fellows, which saw eight previous fellows from 2015 to 2019 present talks with Hong Kong-based design practitioners at a full-day symposium on the Grand Stair of M+ museum. The first-of-its-kind talk also engaged audiences from all over the world, who tuned in via Zoom to listen to experts discuss topics ranging from collective authorship, artificial intelligence and the comeback of brutalism to archival research, urban research, virtual geographies in Hong Kong and the future of tradition. The talks prompted a discussion…