TBT: Throwback Thursday: Working with and at Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong

 

Over the past 20+ years, I've done so many random jobs, including this one for Lankwaifong.com

As expected, they were a fun team to work with.

Black, white and read all over.

Have had a few features in South China Morning Post recently. Where I started... all those years ago...

Archived here at SCMP. com

Body of Work: Model and Artist Afa Lee “Afa Annfa” on Her Art, Solitude and Yayoi Kusama

Gorgeous Afa Laa, artist based in Hong Kong. 

Have featured her a few times in print and online. Profile of her published in Prestige 40 under 40 here and her interview here. 

 

Tommy Hilfiger hits India

GQ India

Believe it or faint, Tommy Hilfiger has a deep connection to India. In fact, his first collection in 1985 was created with the financial backing of Indian-American entrepreneur Mohan Murjani. Today, the brand is hugely popular in India, operating over 100 standalone stores and hundreds of shop-in-shops across major cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Kolkata. It is positioned as an aspirational, premium lifestyle label catering to urban youth and professionals.

Born on March 24, 1951, designer Tommy Hilfiger is 75 years old. He began his career in fashion in 1969 by opening a local boutique called People’s Place, meaning he has been in business for over 55 years. The brand itself launched in 1985 and quickly became a multi-billion-dollar empire.

Hilfiger redefined pop culture in the 1990s by embracing street culture and hip-hop. He famously dressed hip-hop icons like Grand Puba, Snoop Dogg, Aaliyah, and Tupac, oversized silhouettes featuring his bold red, white, and blue flag logo into the ultimate status symbol. Across Asia, his "classic American cool" preppy aesthetic established a massive footprint, blending Western luxury with accessible sportswear.

The brand was prominently featured in late 1990s and early 2000s Bollywood cinema as directors adopted global streetwear to define "cool" youth culture. There are too many Indian celebrities and Bollywood stars (esp among the young) who embraced the signature colours of Hilfiger. Of the many, three films stand out that prominently featured the brand; 

• Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998): Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol wore bright Tommy Hilfiger hoodies and tees to portray trendy college students.

• Dil Chahta Hai (2001): Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan sported Tommy Hilfiger polo shirts to reflect urban, modern Indian youth fashion.

• Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001): Hrithik Roshan frequently wore the brand's athleisure to showcase his character's high-end, Westernized style.

Note, all A-listers, and none who were sponsored to wear the logo emblazed wardrobe! 

While others embrace minimalism and muted shades and quiet luxury, the brand's zestful, preppy, vividly colourful aesthetic fit into Bollywood like a hand in velvet glove. 

The brand needs to embrace Bollywood as hard as Bollywood's hugged Hilfiger! 

In Full Bloom: Asian Jewellery designers: 7 incredible Asian Artisans to follow

Feature from the archive; jewellery designer in full bloom, my interview with designer Diana Zhang for Prestige magazine. She showcased a museum piece  in Hong Kong - a travelling exhibit featuring this incredible brooch for collectors of high art and high jewellery. 

Designer Diana Zhang, joins my gilded roster of jewellery designers from Asia who are making a mark on the international stage. I dare not list any in order of preference or artistic merit - they're all fab. Some perhaps more fabulous than others!  ;0)

In alphabetical order, jewellery designers from Asia who do the most incredible artisanship; 

• Wallace Chan
• Cindy Chao
• Barney Cheng
• Anna Hu
• Wendy Yue
• Bao Bao Wan
• Diana Zhang

Expedition Whisky: A 33-Year-old Macallan

 

New independent bottler, Expedition Whisky, has launched its inaugural expression, a 33-year-old Macallan, marking the beginning of its journey and an invitation to discover spirits and single malts from across Scotland and beyond. The release marks the first chapter for co-founder Dave Dooley, whose story spans continents and cultures. From childhood memories in Nigeria, where a bottle of whisky marked family gatherings, to establishing Expedition Whisky alongside his father—Dave’s path to whisky is rooted in exploration. For more information, visit expeditionwhisky.com. 

Pitch Perfect: Priyanka Chopra

 

It was an ordinary editorial meeting at Prestige magazine’s desk when the PR email landed. A pitch for a cover story: Priyanka Chopra, the Bollywood star, freshly announced as the face of Guess’s Holiday 2013 campaign. Photographed by none other than Bryan Adams - you remember, the Canadian singer who sang mushy songs in the 90s, a soundtrack of several rom coms. A new side hustle in photography?! Ok then...  

Chopra, the first Indian, first South Asian, Guess Girl. The discussion that followed was long and, in hindsight, revealing. I put my two cents in. Indian actresses, much like many Chinese stars before them, had tried to break into Hollywood. Very few had ever reached anything close to Julia Roberts territory. 

The erudite thespian Shabana Azmi hadn’t. Even the staggeringly beautiful Aishwarya Rai - Miss World, no less - hadn’t quite cracked that particular code. So why would a dusky-skinned, husky-voiced, multi-syllabic name like Priyanka Chopra make any real ripples?

The room largely agreed. The campaign looked glamorous, of course. Shot in a Mediterranean-style villa in Pasadena around August or September 2013, the black-and-white images carried that classic Guess sensuality. The ads would land in the December issues of Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Marie Claire and the rest. Still, we wondered whether it would be more than a fleeting fashion moment.

Every succeeding year since 2013, Ms Chopra, now Mrs Chopra-Jonas, has systematically proved us wrong. 

There were the inevitable missteps: a few large-scale, heavily hyped films that underwhelmed (Baywatch among them). Yet she kept showing up - in primetime American television, in The Matrix sequels, on the major talk-show circuit. Where some of her contemporaries appeared slightly guarded or formal, Chopra was consistently elegant, spoke exceedingly well and was genuinely amusing. She possessed that elusive star je ne sais quoi: personable, charming, and completely at ease in rooms that had rarely made space for women who looked or sounded like her.

Looking back, the Guess campaign was never just a fashion job. It was an early, confident declaration that she intended to operate on a global stage - and that she would do so on her own terms. 

We dismissed the pitch back then. She made sure we never forgot it.

BTW, I spent the day with Priyanka Chopra in 2009 for Post magazine feature when she was a newcomer.