Remembering The Swank

Over the weekend, Brunello Cucinelli was in Hong Kong to promote a documentary and, ever the gent, he was brilliant with the local media. Affable and charming, you feel like you've met a long lost friend. Not his first, or even second trip to HK, Facebook reminded me that we had met back in 2012 - when his brand was under the aegis of The Swank. 

I went looking for The Swank and their team - Elaine Tai! -  but completely forgot that The Swank shut shop two years ago. Out with a whimper, not a bang... 

The Swank has essentially wound down all its operations in Hong Kong after nearly 70 years in retail.  Joining a sad roster of flagships that were once unique to the city. Its owner, ENM Holdings Limited, officially announced that it would not renew the lease for its flagship store in Central Building on Pedder Street upon its expiry on 30 September 2024. The multi-brand retailer ceased operations at its primary Central Building flagship, as well as its satellite locations across Hong Kong (including Lee Garden Two and Elements).

The Swank had previously shut down its online shopping portal in August 2022. While its outlet presence at Horizon Plaza in Ap Lei Chau cleared out remaining stock, the brand no longer maintains active full-line retail stores in the territory.

It marks the end of an era for Hong Kong's fashion landscape, given that the boutique—originally founded by David and Nora Sun in 1955—was widely credited as the pioneer that first introduced high-end European fashion brands like Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, and Givenchy, and yes, Brunello to the local retail market.

Shifting economic tides severely strained traditional multi-brand operators. The acceleration of direct-to-consumer flagship boutiques by global luxury conglomerates, alongside structural changes in tourist spending habits and the rise of digital e-commerce, severely compressed margins. 

Guess those behind the scenes (and behind the seams) read the tea leaves long before we in lifestyle/luxury media did, as the closure was a surprise to many of us. 

I try not to be nostalgic for a time that didn't exist... but scrolling throught the archives, we had a good time. It was great until it lasted... Such a typical Hong Kong mantra, out with the ol', in with the new. 

Antonino! Yana!! The Swank

 

From the archives, for this waaaaay back Wednesday; Yana - my all time fav model/photographer/human - and Nino'... we did several shoots together at Prestige, My Place, Runway... 

Why this sudden throwback to look at The Swank... more tomorrow.... 

From Hermès to Richard Mille: The Best Watchmaking Novelties of 2026

 

Eight standout novelties from this year’s drops, spanning storied Swiss houses, fashion maisons and the classics reborn, all landing in boutiques across Singapore.

Eight standout novelties from this year’s drops, spanning storied Swiss houses, fashion maisons and the classics reborn, all landing in boutiques across Singapore

Here is a number worth sitting with: across the roughly 60 to 65 maisons exhibiting at Watches & Wonders Geneva alone, somewhere between 500 and 800 new references get unveiled in a single week every April. Add in the brands that skip the fair entirely (Rolex, Richard Mille, Chanel), the ones that drop novelties year-round, and the sheer breadth of categories on offer, from steel sports watches to eight-figure minute repeaters, and you see the problem. Nobody, not even the most caffeinated watch editor, can meaningfully cover a year in horology in one sitting.

So consider this the first of many chapters.

We are picking out the pieces that made us stop scrolling, the ones with a genuine story behind the reference number, and making sure every single one is something you can actually walk into a boutique here in Singapore and see for yourself, whether that’s on Orchard Road, at Marina Bay Sands, or at ION.

Read the full feature here at GQ Singapore.

Jewellery and the Alpha Male: Your Guide to 2026’s Finest Accessories

 

For decades, the unspoken rule for the well-dressed Singaporean gentleman was restraint: a good watch, cufflinks on special occasions, perhaps a signet ring passed down from a grandfather or favourite relative of pride and providence. That rule has quietly collapsed. Walk through Ngee Ann City, Marina Bay Sands or ION Orchard today and the maisons that once catered almost exclusively to women – Cartier, Graff, Van Cleef & Arpels – are dressing their windows, and their campaigns, around men. The discerning gentleman of 2026 doesn’t just wear a fine watch. He wears a brooch, a chain, a cuff of hand-carved gold, and he wears it with the same confidence his female counterparts have carried for a century. A list of our timeless favourites… for this season!

Read the full feature here at GQ Singapore. 

Shooting McLaren for the opening shot of a fashion editorial

 

With Natalie Dunn behind the camera, the first shoot for the magazine. All eyes were obviously on the car... McLaren. 

For the first time, we had pappz' and people surrounding the shoot, ignoring the stars as the wheels were the cynosure of all eyes.. 

News Headlines: The Tyranny of the Metric: Are We Racing to the Top or Scraping the Bottom of the Barrel?

I started writing for South China Morning Post, the local paper, 20 odd years ago and, since then, online publishing has fundamentally transformed the nature of media. Chief among these changes is the relentless pressure for a feature to go viral - or at the very least, to generate high-volume traction.

On the one hand, it is deeply satisfying to know that what you write resonates and reaches readers. On the other, editorial leadership and corporate oversight now apply relentless pressure to ensure every piece achieves maximum reach, clicks, reads, and likes. Editors and writers find themselves working under the constant, suffocating shadow of real-time analytics.

A former colleague recently shared the intense demands inside their newsroom: metrics govern everything, resulting in a desperate scramble to maximise click-through rates. The inevitable consequence is a flood of exaggerated, sensationalised, and downright bizarre headlines designed solely to bait curiosity.

A sensationalised headline will naturally outperform a thoughtful review of a new book, a nuanced critique of an art gallery opening, or an essay on a Qing dynasty exhibition. This raises an uncomfortable question for modern journalism: Are we truly striving for editorial excellence and high-value readership, or are we simply racing to the bottom of the barrel to exploit base human instincts?

There are too many examples to screengrab and paste. This was posted not too long ago; 

Encouraging feedback - whether good, bad, or indifferent - has always been part and parcel of the publishing business. For generations, the "Letters to the Editor" section was where readers voiced genuine praise or thoughtful pushback. But online anonymous feedback has completely flipped the script. Today, "word warriors" unleash waves of relentless abuse, thinking they're punishing the writer or tearing down a bad article. What most vox populi don't realise is that algorithms don't care about emotion- they care about activity. Every angry comment, quote-tweet, and debate triggers higher engagement, propelling the piece into virality. The troll army ultimately defeats its own purpose. If you see something genuinely awful online, the most potent response isn't rage - it's ignoring it completely. In today's digital landscape, starved for attention, any feedback only encourages publishers to keep serving up base instincts. 

When Tatler Asia found itself in the eye of the Lionel Messi storm, the collective outrage of Hong Kong descended squarely upon their social media handles. Yet in the perverse mathematics of the digital age, disaster translated into unprecedented reach. Tatler’s Instagram account achieved levels of engagement, virality, and global resonance it could never have bought. Overnight, feeds from New Jersey to New Delhi were flooded with their posts. In football-obsessed Argentina, casual observers might have been forgiven for assuming Tatler was the sole publishing institution in all of Hong Kong. It was the ultimate algorithmic paradox: an operational public relations nightmare transformed into an undeniable triumph of international visibility.

Media & Fact-Check Analysis

1. How Metrics Changed Newsroom Culture

• Real-Time Dashboards: Platforms like Chartbeat and Google Analytics transformed newsrooms from retrospective publishers into real-time content mills. Journalists often see live traffic dials showing exactly how many thousands of concurrent visitors are on a specific piece.

• The "Curiosity Gap": Behavioral psychology shows that leaving out key details forces readers to click to satisfy their curiosity (e.g., "This Is Why...", "You Won't Believe...").

• Algorithmic Incentives: Social platforms and search engines prioritise user engagement time, scroll depth, and shares. High-brow cultural coverage (art exhibitions, deep history, classical reviews) naturally caters to a niche audience, making it a frequent casualty when publications pivot toward volume.

Classic Examples of "Clickbait" & Shock Headlines

Publications have used various formulas to manipulate engagement metrics:

Headline Style / Pattern	Real-World / Industry Example	Why It Works (and Why It Degrades Journalism)
The Curiosity Gap	"A Woman Kept Hearing Noises Behind Her Wall. What She Found Left Cops Speechless."	Withholds basic news facts to force a click, turning mundane occurrences into artificially heightened drama.
The "One Weird Trick"	"Doctors Hate Him! 1 Simple Secret to Blast Belly Fat Overnight."	Plays on anti-establishment skepticism and promises an effortless shortcut to a complex problem.
Outrage / Shock Value	"You’ve Been Cooking Eggs Wrong Your Entire Life."	Weaponises mild anxiety and shame over everyday habits to provoke an immediate defensive reaction.
Numbered Listicle Sensationalism	"33 Quotes That Will Change Your Life Forever (Number 11 Will Make You Cry)"	Promises hyper-condensed wisdom with artificial emotional emotional payoffs embedded inside.
Hyperbolic Celebrity Bait	"Star Spotted Looking Unrecognizable on Beach—Fans Are Distraught!"	Uses unflattering or casual paparazzi photos to manufacture an emergency out of ordinary moments.

Bold Glamour Meets C-Pop: How KUN & Versace Sparked Menswear

The trajectory from starlet to global brand ambassador is usually a deliberate, multi-year courtship. A celebrity attends a front-row runway show, poses for a targeted regional campaign, and slowly earns the approval of a house’s creative director.

Then came Cai Xukun.

When Italian powerhouse Versace announced in May 2024 that the 28-year-old Chinese megastar, known globally simply as KUN, would become its newest Global Brand Ambassador, the house bypassed the usual corporate hesitation. Donatella Versace, never one for subtlety, went straight for the crown.

“Kun is brave, incredibly talented, and unique,” Ms. Versace noted at the time. “He is a singer and producer who represents the new, confident voice of a generation.”

For those following the tectonic shifts in global pop culture, the pairing was as logical as it was explosive. In KUN, Versace found not just a face to anchor a campaign, but a cultural phenomenon capable of bridging the sleek, gilded maximalism of Milan with the high-octane energy of modern C-Pop.

From Wenzhou to the Center Spot

To understand the weight of the partnership, one must understand the meteoric rise of Cai Xukun.

Born in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, and raised in Shenzhen, Cai spent his youth navigating the grueling world of idol survival shows, the vagaries of fandom and trolling dished out with equal mercy. His definitive breakthrough came in 2018 on Idol Producer, where his stage presence and precise choreography earned him first place, cementing his position as the leader and center of the blockbuster boy group Nine Percent.

When the group disbanded, Cai chose a path rarely taken by young idols: complete artistic autonomy. Operating as an independent singer, songwriter, and producer, he turned out a string of record-breaking hits. His 2019 EP YOUNG redefined digital music sales standards in China, while his 2021 studio album LOST (迷), anchored by atmospheric hits like “Lover” and “Hug Me”, demonstrated a mature, genre-bending sound. By the time he released his self-titled 2026 international project KUN via 88rising, he had established himself as a distinct sonic auteur.

That same artistic intensity made him an ideal match for Versace’s sharp tailoring and Medusa-embossed leather.

Moving the Needle in Real Time

If the goal of modern luxury marketing is to turn cultural capital into commerce, the KUN-Versace synergy delivered - and how! 

Within hours of the May 2024 announcement, the official hashtag on Weibo (#蔡徐坤范思哲全球品牌代言人) soared past 370 million views, occupying the top trending slot for 14 straight hours. But the impact extended far beyond social media metrics.

Unlike conventional fashion endorsements, the partnership fused visual style with music. For Versace’s Pre-Fall campaign, KUN released "Afterglow," a sleek performance video created in direct collaboration with the brand. Draped in Donatella’s body-conscious silhouettes, he performed against minimalist backdrops, creating a campaign that played like a music video and a fashion film in equal measure.

Retailers and industry analysts quickly noted the ripple effect. Boutique foot traffic across key Asian fashion capitals surged, while featured accessories and statement outerwear saw immediate sell-outs driven by a fan base eager to step into his aesthetic world.

Luxury houses constantly grapple with how to authentically connect with Gen Z and millennial audiences, KUN and Versace proved that true style translations require no subtitle or translation. The stats have spoken - louder than any decibel the singer can hit. 

以下是為香港讀者量身打造的繁體中文翻譯，採用了港式新聞與時尚雜誌常見的流暢筆觸及地道詞彙（如「C位」、「神級」、「黑粉」等）：

從新星蛻變為全球品牌代言人，往往是一場經過精打細算、歷時多年的漫長考驗。明星先要在時裝周坐首排看騷，繼而接拍特定地區的廣告宣傳，再一步步贏得品牌創意總監的青睞。

直到蔡徐坤的出現，打破了這項常規。

當意大利頂級時裝屋 Versace 於 2024 年 5 月官宣這位的中國超級巨星——全球粉絲熟知的 KUN——正式成為其全新全球品牌代言人時，品牌直接跳過了奢華時尚界一貫的猶豫與試探。向來作風大膽的 Donatella Versace，一出手就直奔主題。

「Kun 既勇敢、又擁有驚人的才華與獨特性，」Donatella 當時指出。「作為一名歌手兼音樂製作人，他代表着新一代自信而強大的聲音。」

對於密切留意全球流行文化劇變的人來說，這座金字塔頂端的強強聯手，既順理成章，又具爆發力。在 KUN 身上，Versace 找到的不只是一張擔綱廣告的主角面孔，更是一個能將米蘭俐落奢華的極致美學，與現代華語流行音樂（C-Pop）強勁動能完美連結的文化現象。

從溫州走向「C位」

要理解這次合作的份量，就必須先了解蔡徐坤彗星般的崛起軌跡。

蔡徐坤出生於浙江溫州、在深圳長大，少年時期在競爭極其殘酷的偶像選秀節目中摸爬滾打，一邊承受着粉絲狂熱的追捧，一邊應對黑粉無差別的網絡嘲諷。2018 年，他在《偶像練習生》中迎来決定性的突破——憑藉極具氣場的舞台表現力和精準的舞蹈，他一舉奪得冠軍，奠定了作為現象級限定男團 NINE PERCENT 隊長兼「C位」的地位。

團體解散後，蔡徐坤選擇了一條年輕偶像鮮少嘗試的路：掌握完全的藝術自主權。他以獨立歌手、詞曲作者及音樂製作人的身份，打造出一連串刷新紀錄的熱門作品。他於 2019 年發行的 EP《YOUNG》重新定義了中國數字音樂的銷量標準；而 2021 年的音樂專輯《迷》（LOST），憑藉《情人》及《抱我》等極具氛圍感的金曲，展現出成熟且跨越音樂風格的演繹力。到了 2026 年，他透過 88rising 推出同名國際專輯《KUN》，此時的他已躍升為風格獨樹一幟的音樂創作人。

正是這種對藝術的極致追求，讓他與 Versace 剪裁俐落的西裝和帶有美杜莎（Medusa）浮雕的皮革設計成為天作之合。

即時帶動市場的震撼效力

若現代奢華行銷的終極目標，是將文化影響力轉化為實打實的商業價值，那麼 KUN 與 Versace 的協同效應簡直答得極其完美！

在 2024 年 5 月官宣後的數小時內，微博上的官方話題（#蔡徐坤范思哲全球品牌代言人#）閱讀量迅速突破 3.7 億，並連續 14 小時霸佔熱搜榜榜首。然而，這股影響力遠不止於社交媒體的數據。

與傳統的時尚代言不同，這次合作將視覺風格與音樂創作深度融合。在 Versace 早秋系列宣傳中，KUN 推出與品牌直接合作打造的時尚演出短片《Afterglow》。他身穿 Donatella 標誌性的修身剪裁服飾，在極簡背景下演繹，打造出一部既是 MV、又是時尚大片的雙重作品。

零售商和行業分析師迅速捕捉到了這股連帶效應。亞洲各大時尚之都的門市人流顯著飆升，而他在宣傳照中所穿戴的主打配飾及風格外套，更在急於融入其美學世界的粉絲推動下即時售罄。

當各大奢侈品牌都在苦思如何貼地連結 Z 世代與千禧一代時，KUN 與 Versace 用實力證明：真正的時尚語言根本無需翻譯。數據已經說明了一切——其震撼力比這位歌手能唱出的任何高音都要響亮。