TBT: Eye of the Tiger: Donnie Yen

My one rare moment of taking a great shot of Donnie Yen in the middle of throng of fans.

This was at the launch of his eye-wear brand, DonniEYe, at Victoria Dockside.

Yen collaborated with Parisian designers Livia Stoianova and Yassen Samouilov of On Aura Tout Vu.

Was at the afterparty making faces with my fav Jessica Jann at the event.

The DonniEYE collection is available at Lane Crawford. 

Behind the Scenes Runway Men’s Cover Shoot: Menswear 2018

Dino Busch shot Runway Menswear. 2018.

Last I heard, all the dogs featured were adopted. Yay.

Hong Kong's 40 under 40 by Prestige

 The Young and the Restless

 

 

Welcome to 40 under 40, our annual compendium of Hong Kong’s most audacious young talents from the worlds of art, commerce, sport, entertainment, fashion and philanthropy. For the fifth consecutive year, the editorial team convened in the summer to draw up a list of candidates – all under 40 years old, of course – and edit it down to the 40 individuals who passed muster. This entailed some hard and at times brutal decisions, whittling out some top-brass names, until we were happy with our inventory of the city’s more youthful achievers. Newspapers were perused, social media were put under the microscope, and sometimes we just relied on good old-fashioned word of mouth. Finally, the 40 personalities that made the cut were interviewed and photographed and their profiles arranged alphabetically within five categories: Change Makers, Creatives, Visionaries, Movers and Shakers, and Titans.

Over a seemingly endless period, we locked down every person you see in the ensuing pages, dragging them to the tangled and begrimed studios in Chai Wan Industry City for an exclusive portrait session. Some didn’t have the luxury of time to make their way there, so our motley behind-the-scenes-crew made their way to their various residences, restaurants, and galleries, or we found unpeopled streets and corners for a guerrilla-style shoot. This led to the odd scuttle when authorities came inquiring about permits as we beat a retreat, all quick footwork and sheepish grins.

If there’s one thing our fab 40 share, it’s that they are all led by a singular vision, savoir-faire and diligence. They sacrificed, they built, they gained and lost, they fell and they chose to rise again. Some built with wisdom and flair on inherited riches, others were gifted with extraordinary talents that they exploited with almost preternatural skill.

As you go through the publication, you’ll see that this year’s roster of young achievers has a generous addition of new faces that we are thrilled to shine a light on, be it outstanding sportsmen and women, aspiring philanthropists, restaurateurs or tech wizards. The usual suspects are ably represented: business people, property tycoons in-the-making, influencers and second-gen surnames who have added a new edge to family-owned corporations.

Lest I forget, we must credit the wonderful team that created this stunning portfolio of images. Everybody in this invaluable tome was photographed by Dino Busch, styled by Nina Ricardo and benefited from the hair and make-up skills of Gloomy Kwok (and his able crew; Bella, Iris and Sandy). Their patience and generosity of spirit did not go unnoticed.

So here it is, dear reader, a small window into the lives of the young ladies and gents who are helping Hong Kong remain a matchless agency of change and growth.





P.Ramakrishnan
Editor

2018 Edition


The entire list and gallery up at PrestigeOnline.com 

Published Nov 2018

My Fourth Feature with Fav Yen Kuok: Entrepreneur and Heiress in Hong Kong

Face The Magic with Yen Kuok 

The founder of Guiltless lets us in on the beauty regiment that works wonders for her.

Yen Kuok of Guiltless, the pre-loved online shopping site studded with designer goodies, had spent a few leisurely and blissful hours at The Spa by Valmont when we caught up with her. This pretty girl-about-town has enviable skin that she maintains with a beauty routine that works wonders for her. She tried the spa’s signature products and treatments with glowing results and before she jetted off — honestly, she lives on a plane! — we asked her to reveal her beauty secrets.

Check out the entire shoot and interview here at PrestigeOnline

Someone brought it up in the office that I've done all the features with Yen Kuok over the years in print. She's fun, good chat, smart as nails (deceptively smart, she sees all, knows all!).

November 2018 

Artem Ansheles

This Russian export shows us what hard work really is!

Check out my chat with the most famous Russian in Hong Kong here. 

Portraits by Yana Vilkina.

Get Fighting Fit

Douglas Pieterse, from R3 Person Training, reveals how he lost 15kg in two months and how to get back into shape after Christmas.

Check out my chat and shoot with Mr Works Out at PrestigeOnline. 

UPDATE: http://www.r3personaltraining.com/

First Person: Diana D'Arenberg.

From chat to portrait, everything came out as envisioned. Feb issue of Prestige Hong Kong.


FIRST PERSON
Words: P. Ramakrishnan
Portrait: Olivier Yoan


I once spotted Diana d’Arenberg walking – correction, strutting – down Pedder Street in a chic black pantsuit fitted to perfection, with a top hat and an elegant, swinging cane. Along with her signature bold lip and blonde tresses tucked under her jaunty topper, she made heads turn left, right and centre. Très chic.

“I’d describe my style as silver-screen glamour,” she says, “with a bit of rock ’n’ roll goth.”

A multi-hyphenate, d’Arenberg is married to Jay Parmanand, is a writer (mostly about the arts) who sings in a band, a fashionista, a former model and muse, a global gallivanter and a blogger. No, not of the “OMG, I love this sponsored bag” ilk. Her perspicacious site, Post-ism, features musings on art and artists, existential cultural angst, and food for thought on matters new and old.

Her proclivity for vintage pieces – be it fashion, photography or art – isn’t a fad, it’s an informed decision at every point. “A vintage piece has a story, and it feels more special than the mass-produced, latest ‘It’-whatever that everyone else is wearing. I scour flea markets and vintage shops for design pieces. I’ve found some incredible vintage kimonos in Tokyo and Berlin shops. I also shop online – 1stdibs, Vestiaire, What Goes Around Comes Around, Shrimpton Couture.”

When d’Arenberg dons a power suit there’s good reason (in this case, recreating that Helmut Newton shot for YSL). “What women choose to wear has always been politicised. And sexualised. We’re damned if we do (wear skirts, a short dress, pants, a bikini, headscarf, a suit) and damned if we don’t. Hillary was the first woman to wear a pantsuit in her official portrait and it was definitely a political statement. But what’s not sexy about a powerful and intelligent “nasty” woman?” she says, quoting Trump with an eye-roll. “Although I have to say, the orange and aubergine suits did her no favours.

“But to say that a pantsuit or ‘masculine’ attire is empowering for women would be to suggest that ‘female’ attire – like skirts and dresses – is disempowering. That women need to masquerade as men to feel strong and empowered. The woman maketh the clothes.”

• Behind the Scenes: Shooting Diana with Olivier Yoan and Nicoline here. 
• First Person: Loui Lim, shot with the same team here.  
• First Person: Portraits, the first year here.

Society

So this littl' column of mine - every month in Prestige Hong Kong, keeps me up at light. Quite literally. Event hopping around the 852...

First Person: My Column in Prestige Hong Kong:

My favourite column to write and shoot. Discovered new talent, gorgeous photographer Ruby Law who did the portraits of Jacqueline Au and Utah Lee (below!). 

This was a great way to get new faces and talent into the magazine, be it in front or behind the scenes. 

All portraits below by Olivier Yoan.