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| Portrait by Chris Yau |
For the first in our series of Robb Report’s set questionnaire, we knocked on the doors of the designer’s eponymous studio.
By P. Ramakrishnan.
Images: Chris Yau
Ever the bon mot and full of quips, notes on fashion, style and society, the well-travelled designer Barney Cheng, synonymous with his eponymous label, has a lot to say. About everything. Mercifully, he’s good fun and great chat and a connoisseur of the obtuse and the obscure as much as he is about designer dreams and designer duds.
A master craftsman with 33 plus years under his designer belt, Cheng has been a Hong Kong society and fashion staple for years. International fame and recognition came when his friend, the perfectly divine Academy Award winning actress Michelle Yeoh, wore a glittering tiger-print gown to the Oscars, the year Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was a multiple nominee. She didn’t win the coveted trophy, but she had a winning gown lauded in several Best Dressed lists, which all circuitously traces back to the studio and fashion Maison that Cheng built.
A graduate from the Royal College of Art in London (Textile and Design) and from Parson’s School of Design in Paris (with a major in Fashion Illustration and History of European Costume), while holding a BA in Fine Arts Studio Option from The University of Waterloo, Canada, Cheng’s qualifications are plentiful, dwarfed only by years of hard-earned experience.
Too many Asian celebrities have since worn his creations on the red carpet to list here, but as one of the ‘Top 25 Influential Chinese in Global Fashion’ (Forbes), having celebrated his silver anniversary in the industry, Barney Cheng is a household name in luxury fashion and haute couture – on our side of the planet.
What is the first thing you do in the morning?
I go to the loo – oh this is for publication? Let me clean it up. I tend to like my long morning showers just because it wakes me up and under the water, I think about my day ahead. The morning ritual doesn’t vary much as my shower time is sort of my meditative time, where I think about what's happening in my day, my week, my life.
Do you have any rituals?
Grooming ones yes, I definitely need a haircut at least every two weeks, just because I'd like to have the fade from the side and back. And I love to have my beard trimmed professionally. I don't like to do it myself - basically every 10 days, I head to Selvedge Grooming and sit with Akira [Hirata]. He's very good, he’s Japanese, he has this culture of perfection – he’s the best. If I were a girl, I’d be a lot sexier because he does the most amazing hair. I used to have a great gym routine – if not ritual – and I need to take that up again.
What in your wardrobe do you wear most often?
Summertime, Moncler polos. Polos are so much better than T-shirts because you can flip up the collar and you're actually saving the back of your neck from sunburn - especially when playing tennis as I do. Or I wear Lacoste. My shorts are Uniqlo, either seer sucker or linen. This summer in Lake Como, I wore a lot of Loro Piana.
Do you have a uniform for occasions?
For a formal event, especially overseas, I like to wear a traditional cheung sam as much as possible, just because I think it's iconic, it really stands out and it’s a conversation starter. It’s funny, I was just at a Lake Como party, for a friend’s wedding, and wearing an all-black cheung sam, some of the guests asked if I was the priest!
Any favorite websites?
I’ve been surfing a lot on Farfetch because I like to buy things from my mom. Especially now that she has lost 40 pounds, doing intermittent fasting, she looks great.
How do you find your calm?
With age, I’ve definitely calmed down a lot. My friends help me stay calm. I'm a typical ADHD person, I’m hyper focused and then forget things just as quickly. I don’t know if its wisdom from age, but I’m a lot calmer from my partying days in the ‘90s.
What is your favourite cocktail?
I like mojitos because it's easy to drink and I’m drunk before I know it. I’m not really crazy about Manhattan's or Martinis or anything too fancy.
Do you collect anything?
I recently got myself Christofle silverware. No knives, just forks and serving utensils. I got another 12 Rene Lalique champagne short stems. Some of my pieces are from the 1920s and ‘30s and they’re so beautiful. They look a little Egyptian. Now that I don’t party anymore, I like things for my home.
Do you cook?
I thought I did – but all my friends tell me I cannot. So now, I forward recipes to my cook and she whips them up.
What advice do you wish you had followed?
Just do it. Years ago – and I’m talking before the handover (1997!) – people had asked me to write about life in Hong Kong and I was so reluctant and kept saying, No, I can’t write about my clients. Then Kevin Kwan came out with Crazy Rich Asians, and subsequently the film. When I read it and saw the film, I kept thinking, Hong Kong is so much more colourful than that. I should have written about what goes on here from the '90s – and I’d be living off the residual cheques from Hollywood now.
Not long ago you launched your own line of jewellery.
I wish I had started doing jewellery earlier too – as I’ve always been passionate about jewels – so why did I wait so long before launching my own collection? I love diamonds, anything bling, bling, I’ve always added crystals to the evening gowns and I’d recommend jewellery to my clients – so it was a natural progression. I’m glad I started but I wish I had started sooner. Slowly and surely we’re doing commissioned pieces. Getting pieces into auction houses.
Do you like driving or being driven?
I love driving. I love my Tesla. I'm not a car freak guy – if you need to talk to anyone about cars, talk to Douglas [Young of, G.O.D.]. I just think that Lamborghinis in Hong Kong are a bit too flashy – I sort of have a poor man’s sports car – my Tesla! It does go from 0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds. I mean, it's like a Ferrari but I paid less than a third for it.
Are you wearing a watch right now?
No. I stopped wearing a watch. I haven't worn a watch for at least 15 years, mainly because I tend to lend my watches to my ex-es and a lot of times I don't ask for them back - an expensive hobby! But, currently, I do have a Franck Muller, in white gold, I like the weight of it. I like the shape of it. And it's an automatic so I love that. I would rather spend HK$3 million on gems and diamonds than on a watch.
When was the last time you completely disconnected from the world?
15 years ago, when I went to this retreat. That was the only time I was without digital media for about four days. It was good – but unusual for me. I like to be connected.
What’s your favourite hotel in the world?
Ultimately, I go for comfort so I love Rosa Alpina - it's like your home away from home. They know you by name, the staff there are so knowledgeable and friendly. There’s a fine dining restaurant in the hotel [St Hubertus] that has three Michelin Stars by Chef Norbert Niederkofler. Its not very modern, its not very slick – but its so warm and comfortable, its home-y, its beautiful.
In Zurich, I really wanted to stay in La Reserve, but they didn’t have rooms for me. It’s a tiny little hotel, but great restaurant and its right on the waterfront!
The luxurious Kimpton St Honoré Paris in France is just gorgeous.
And in Asia?
The Savva [Beach Villa] estate in Phuket – that’s where we do a lot of the family trips every summer. It’s a 11,000 sq-ft villa. There are multiple rooms so everyone has privacy and their own area, there are private pools. And the beach is so near, its almost always empty (not so touristy). And the water is so beautiful.
I’ve got to mention the Park Hyatt in Niseko, when I go skiing in Japan. That is absolutely beautiful. I went there two and a half years ago – pre pandemic – and I can’t wait to go back there – maybe this Christmas.
Your favourite hotspots in Hong Kong are…
Neighbourhood (on Hollywood Road in Central), which used to be the awesome Lot 10; Wing (on Wellington Street) has the best fish maw steak and crispy chicken in town - get one of the two VIP rooms. The Chairman, is always great but good luck with securing a booking. But when you do, you will want to have a standing table every month! New Punjab Club (in the same building as my studio) their cocktails are to die for- as legendary as their lamb tomahawk! Chaat, the ladies who lunch love this place; for Japanese fine dining, Wa-En Kappo, killer view, go for lunch or early dinner so you still have light out to admire the airport bridge in your skyline. In direct contrast, Sushi Zo at Tai Kwun, no view at all but super yum omakase!
Who do you admire the most – and why?
I love Pearl Lam [gallery owner]. Pearl is such a character. She may be going through a lot outside, personal or professional storms, but she’ll let nothing phase her. She and Karen Lo are two of the most loyal people I know. Whatever you are going through, they will be there for you, through thick and thin – and its fabulous to have people like that in your life.
If you’re traveling, what’s in your bag?
I have multi multiple adaptors. I have an irrational fear of going somewhere and not being connected and plugged into the world at large. I have different USB heads, I have the travel, collapsible prongs. And I always have a lot of cash – but maybe I shouldn’t publicise that…
What is worth paying for?
Mountain guides, tour guides and experts when you travel to a new place. You go to an exotic and foreign location and miss so much if you don’t know where to go. Get an expert and learn and travel at the same time.
And finally, do you still write letters?
Not so much – but I do send very nice notes and flowers. I love sending flowers, especially from a florist in London called Wild Things Flowers. People remember you with a smile.
