Behind the Scenes

Yet another behind the scenes shot with Olivier. And Ck and Loretta. And the corgis!!!

Pun Intended: Getting Ivan Pun to write a column. Reluctantly. Hong Kong Society Feature

One of my fav people ever Ivan Pun guest wrote a column for Prestige Hong Kong - it's bril and funny and fun - just like Ivan. 

"Things I don't want to talk about..."

Grab the June issue of the magazine for more. 

Prestige Hong Kong: 40 under 40 (2016)

Our parade of Hong Kong’s audaciously young movers and shakers this year includes talents and prodigies ranging from art patrons to fashion designers and from property developers to online entrepreneurs

Jamie Lee

Lee is part of the fitness wave that’s taking Hong Kong by storm. After discovering Crossfit, a high-intensity workout discipline, while in Los Angeles, Lee became addicted to the training method. In 2010 he returned to Hong Kong from California and earned an MBA at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Two years later he teamed up with long-time pal David Chang to found Crossfit affiliate Crossfit 852, which has grown to be a successful community of like-minded and fit athletes.

Ivan Pun

Under the aegis of Pun + Projects, 31-year-old Ivan Pun’s company operates three restaurants, as well as the contemporary Burmese furniture brand Paribawga. He also founded the TS 1 pop-up in downtown Yangon to support local artists (the hunt for a new location is on for the next instalment). With two more restaurants in the making and the launch of Myanmar Made, a curated store to promote indigenous arts and crafts, in September, he has a diary filled to capacity.

Josephine Chiu

Youngest daughter of Chairman and CEO of Far East Consortium David Chiu, Josephine Chiu has a business management degree from King’s College, London. Initially, she was involved in the world of finance, with stints at Crédit Lyonnais, UBS, Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, but soon family ties lured her into the fold and she’s now firmly established in the consortium’s hospitality and property ventures. Although there are several projects in the pipeline (including five Ritz-Carlton hotels), currently she’s working on upgrading the flagship Cosmopolitan Hotel in Hong Kong. Chiu believes in giving back and sits on the boards of several prominent charities and local scholarship schemes.

Stephanie Shek

EightyEight, a luxurious nail salon in the heart of Central, is frequented by glamazons and celebrities. The young lady behind it all is the perfectly polished Stephanie Shek. Born and bred in Hong Kong, cultured in London with a degree from Central Saint Martins, and with stints at Christie’s and work experience at Lane Crawford, she has expansion plans in the works with a proliferation of other beauty treatments and possibly other salons. 

FULL-PAGE PORTRAITS Until Chan
STYLING Sheena Khemaney
MAKE-UP Vic Lai, April Fan and Jasmine Chan at Hong Kong Makeup Artist
HAIR Gloomy Kwok at Hong Kong Makeup Artist and Wilson Wong

Jonathan Cheung

Jonathan Cheung is a co-founder of public relations and marketing firm Buzz Agency. Born in Hong Kong and educated at Parsons School of Design in New York, he went on to earn a graduate degree at the University College London’s Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment. Simultaneously working with his father on the real-estate front on projects at ITC Properties and on family investments, he is currently spearheading a luxury residential property project in downtown Vancouver with architect Robert Stern.

Antonia da Cruz

As the general manager of GuavaPass in Hong Kong, the premium membership platform that gives access to all the top-notch gyms, studios and boutique fitness classes in the city, da Cruz has no regrets setting aside her previous career in the world of banking and finance. Switching effortlessly between business attire and athleisure, she deals with an ever-growing roster of countries, gyms and trainers who want to enrol under the aegis of her company. Daughter of Paulene and legendary jockey Tony Cruz, she’s making her own mark in a city that’s all too familiar with her famous family.

Arthur de Villepin

Arthur de Villepin is the founder and chairman of Art de Vivre (AV) Group, which promotes art and culture around Hong Kong. His work at AV Group includes his roles as co-founder of wine label Pont des Arts and chairman for the greater China region of photography gallery YellowKorner. AV Group is also behind cold-pressed juice company Mr Green Juice and the restaurant Tartine. When he’s not working, de Villepin is an avid art collector – he owns pieces by Myong Hi Kim, Xu Qu, Sun Xun and Zao Wou-ki, among many others.

Yen Kuok

The woman behind the pre-loved luxury goods website guiltless.com and the youngest child of tycoon Robert Kuok, Yen is a Stanford graduate who has set her eyes on a business that promotes and propagates sustainable fashion. Recognised as Asia’s first second-hand luxury business online and with rave profiles in media outlets, the website’s click rate hit the roof over the past year. Down the line, Kuok plans a number of additions to an already formidable roster of offerings: limited-edition items, children’s wear and menswear, as well as emerging Asian designers.

Queenie Rosita Law

Queenie Rosita Law studied graphic design at Central Saint Martins, followed by a post-baccalaureate programme at the Pont-Aven School of Contemporary Art in France. As director of Production Q, a company she launched in 2014, she oversees several artistic ventures featuring design, photography and art. Currently, she’s promoting The City Book, a gorgeous guidebook to Hong Kong from several artists’ perspectives. With more such books planned and collaborations with major companies in the works, she’s surprising her father, property and textile tycoon Raymond Law, and wowing readers along the way. 

Poman Lo

A recipient of a Hong Kong Outstanding Student Award at age 14, Poman Lo has collected several awards and honours throughout her teenage years, culminating in summa cum launde honours from Duke University in North Carolina. Not one to peak early, currently she’s the vice-chairman and managing director of Regal Hotels International, Century City International Holdings and Regal Reit. To top it all, last year, at age 36, Lo received a Business for Peace Award conferred by Norway’s Business for Peace Foundation.

Tina Leung, portrait by Olivier Yoan

Tina Leung

Tina Leung started her career as a fashion assistant at Prestige Hong Kong, and has since gone on to greater things. She’s now a globally recognised street-style star and fashion influencer who spends her time flitting between the fashion capitals of the world, styling fashion shoots, being photographed and collaborating with fashion brands on exclusive projects, from high-street sensation Topshop (with whom she just launched a sneaker) to current It brand Gucci, and everything in between.

Zac Purton

Australian born jockey Zac Purton won the Brisbane jockeys’ premiership as an apprentice back in 2003. In 2007, he moved to Hong Kong to pursue his racing career, making history in 2014 when he ended the championship reign of Douglas Whyte, who had held the title for 13 consecutive years.

Lois Tien

The daughter of Michael Tien, founder of the G2000 empire, Lois is currently brand manager of Anagram, a women’s clothing label that’s also owned by her family. At the moment there are three Anagram boutiques in Hong Kong and one in Macau, and Lois is focusing on launching the brand internationally and creating an online store.

Olivier Yoan

A photographer whose work is oft spotted within the pages of Prestige Hong Kong, Olivier Yoan has also shot campaigns  for Calvin Klein, Mr Porter, Marc Antoine Barrois and Kasané, as well as editorials for every leading title across Asia from Esquire to Elle. The self-taught artist and former model is currently based between Europe and Hong Kong. We predict a development into film soon.

Published July 2016, Prestige Hong Kong. More at PrestigeOnline.com

Prestige Hong Kong: 40 under 40 (2017)

The Prestige roster of young movers and shakers this year has a generous addition of new names that we are thrilled to shine the light on – be it serious art collectors, documentary filmmakers, aspiring philanthropists, sportsmen and women, restaurateurs or writers. Of course, the usual suspects are ably represented: business people, property tycoons-in-the-making and second-gen surnames who have added a new tangent to their family activities.


FULL-PAGE PORTRAITS: Until Chan
STYLING:  Florent Thiebault
HAIR AND MAKE-UP: Wendy Lee

Olivia Dawn

For musically minded Olivia Dawn, the world is a stage. A Juilliard bachelor and Berklee double-master graduate, Dawn is known for her powerful vocals and incredible talent on the violin. The string player has worked with top musicians and emerging artists in the industry, performing innovative live sets across the globe, and has now been named as the official music curator for W Hong Kong. The multi-talented instrumentalist tells us, “I’m passionate about music, about thinking outside the box, always chasing dreams. I don’t think you should give up on anything, so I don’t.”

Justin Cheung

Justin Cheung, son of acclaimed Hong Kong film director Alfred Cheung, is making his own move into the world of movie making: the 23-year-old tells us he hopes to work between the Chinese and US film industry. Cheung recently graduated from the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and is currently in the final stages of producing a documentary exploring the complex relationship between domestic workers and their employers, which is based on his childhood growing up with a helper in Hong Kong.

Amanda Lau

Since graduating from the University of Hong Kong and furthering her studies at Peking University, Columbia University and CKGSB, the ambitious Amanda Lau has forged a career in the charity sector. She has spent time working tirelessly for a number of deserving causes over the years, and has currently hung her hat at Unicef Hong Kong. In 2014, in recognition of her charitable efforts, she received a knighthood in the Order of Malta. Anything else? Well, she’s an ambassador for a number of luxury brands too, including Asia’s premium private charter-jet consultancy, L’Voyage.

Arthur Lam

Thirty-two-year-old Arthur Lam is the name to know in the clean-power space. He co-founded the energy management company Synergy in 2009 with the aim of offering businesses the technology and solutions to save energy and money, all the while reducing their carbon emissions. Synergy is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and earlier this year it was named Most Promising Public Listed Company by Forbes China, proving its potential significance in this fast-growing market. When Lam isn’t working, you’re likely to find him out in the open air, often golfing, playing tennis or scuba diving.


Plus these other awesome peeps - feature is written by the entire Editorial staff. I just have my bits and blobs here - the rest you can read at PrestigeOnline.com

Harris Chan

Fashion is in Harris Chan’s DNA. His parents founded women’s label Moiselle in 1997 and the success of the brand now sits squarely on Chan’s entrepreneurial shoulders. The young designer regularly invites his Insta-star circle to sit front-row at his shows, dressed in Moiselle – naturally. Of note this year was the runway show that took over Duddell Street and quickly turned into the hottest ticket in town. Chan remains committed to giving back to the community; he’s been involved with the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, as well as being co-chair of the amfAR charity ball in 2016.

Jonathan Cheung

Inexhaustibly stylish and always on trend, Jonathan Cheung is co-founder of Buzz Agency, which over the last few years has monopolised the hottest events and parties in the city. Every major fashion house and brand has his calling card, as his personal and professional guest-list is second to none. Born and bred in Hong Kong, he studied at Parsons School of Design in New York and then went on to earn a graduate degree at the University College London’s Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment. Like all local billionaires and budding billionaires, Cheung has a major hand in real-estate projects, including ones at ITC Properties, and in several family investments around the globe.

Edwin Chuang

The young businessman, property tycoon-in-the-making and hotelier (Sáv Hospitality) Edwin Chuang has had an intense year. His company made a record-breaking sale of the most expensive house in Hong Kong (a private villa on Gough Hill Road) and opened a resort in Xiamen. A 300-unit residential project in Tuen Mun is up for sale to the general public and he’s opened a resort in Cebu. He’s also sailed into the yacht business as his company bought out Versil Craft, a 70-year-old Italian brand that’s known to be among the best in the world. For relaxation, if you can call it that, he boxes - he spars down in Central at Soho Fitness. Which he also owns. Obviously.

Orlando Ho

Son of casino tycoon Stanley, 25-year-old Orlando Ho heads gaming company Koo Tech, which successfully launched the popular game Age of Quantum last year. Born and brought up in Hong Kong and Macau, he studied in the US and came back home after graduating from Boston University. He set up the tech enterprise two years ago with an office in Hong Kong (business) and one in Chengdu (operations). It’s not all fun and games in mind for Ho – there is serious ambition too. In the coming year, he has stated that he’d like his company and his team to be counted as one of the top 10 game makers of the year.

Queenie Rosita Law

Production Q is the creative studio founded in 2014 by Queenie Rosita Law. With clients as varied as Joyce Gallery Paris, K11 and Roger Vivier commissioning customised art, Law offers a striking and personal selection of design elements to leading luxury brands. In addition to her growing enterprise, this leading lady has also turned her hand to publishing. To date, she has published two city books: on Singapore and Hong Kong – focused on offering a unique kind of travel guide written from the perspective of local artists. This duo sits alongside Law’s highly personal and poignant book that explores the way creativity allows you to overcome hardships. 

Sean Lee-Davies

Sean Lee Davies has expanded his activities significantly since his days as a contributing photographer for Prestige. First, there was his effortless banter as host on the television show Tycoon Talk. He also writes, directs and produces television programmes, while his interest in non-profit ventures, charities and animal-rescue operations endear him to many. As CEO of Awethentic Studio and Gallery (which curates and encourages local and international talent) he’s embarked on yet another project to keep him occupied. To top it all, he also heads Project C:Change, which raises funds and awareness in Asia to combat the trade in endangered species.

Loui Lim

The handsome young man wears more than one cap: director of Dream Cruises, and vice president of Branding & Brand Marketing and Communications for Genting Cruise Lines (a portfolio of cruise ships that spans the globe). Having conquered the seven seas, his ambitions have taken flight this year – he recently launched Hong Kong-based Crystal AirCruises, one of the world’s largest private jets for charter and custom itineraries, which is based in Hong Kong. With a background in investment banking, a BA in architecture and a Master’s degree in business management, his personal portfolio also includes modelling in photo shoots.

Joanna Lui

Since we last met Joanna Lui (daughter of resort and casino mogul Francis Lui), the founder of luxury-lifestyle cafe Cha Bei has been a very busy bee. Not only does she oversee Lifestyle Curation Services at Galaxy Entertainment Group and hold the title of Executive Director of the GEG Foundation, but she’s also launched another ambitious project, Dean & Deluca, bringing the wares of the New York-based purveyor of fine food to Hong Kong and Macau. A graduate of Tufts University in the United States, she worked in hospitality before joining the family fold at Galaxy Macau. To top it all, she got married earlier this year; as we go to print, she and her husband are expecting their first child. 

Edward Muller

For many spinners this face – well, this body – is familiar, but Edward Muller is a part-time fitness instructor at XYZ, and so much more than a sweaty tank-top. He owns, among several other businesses, Selvedge Grooming, the luxury men’s brand that’s sold at high-end boutiques. American-born Muller grew up in Beijing and Hong Kong, and after studying in Sydney he settled back in this city. Passionate about scents and fragrances - he stumbled upon barber-shop culture half a decade ago and decided to study it further – and with more than 10 years of product development and marketing experience in consumer goods behind him, he collaborated with a team of developers from Italy to turn his latest obsession for the male-grooming industry into reality.

Ivan Pun

Pun + Projects has an ever-growing portfolio that encompasses several restaurants as well as the contemporary Burmese furniture brand Paribawga – he founded the TS 1 pop-up in downtown Yangon to support local artists, a project he hopes to replicate annually. Earlier this year, Pun launched Hawkr, a tasty new venture in Quarry Bay (alongside chef Mina Park and private-equity principal and restauranteur Jake Astor), bringing Southeast Asian fare to the island. A new Pacific Place branch is set to open imminently.

Lucia Tait-Tolani

Lucia Tate-Tolani has her own company, a by-invitation only personal styling service (pairhk.com) that caters to the most fashionable women in the region. Tait-Tolani brings in designers, brands and retailers that aren’t regularly available in Hong Kong for private shopping events. The idea is to have some fun with fashion, meet the creatives involved and fall in love with a new way of dressing – without overpaying. Her services include one-on-one personal styling (for the manicured few), and she clearly knows her Altuzarra to Zegna, having been in the fashion industry for over a decade. She studied at Manhattan’s Fashion Institute of Technology, worked in fashion and lifestyle publications, had a stint in e-commerce (Vivre) and is a firm believer in redemption by re-wear and recycle.

Lois Tien

As brand manager of the flirty and feminine women's-wear label Anagram, Lois Tien looks after the success of her three family-owned boutiques in Hong Kong, with a fourth store in Macau. The daughter of Michael, founder of the G2000 empire that revolutionised women’s work-wear wardrobes, Tien is closing 2017 on a high: she’s set to open a fifth store, at Causeway Bay’s shopping destination Lee Garden One, before the end of the year.

Rex Tso

Rex Tso has been in 22 fights and he’s won all 22 of them. Born in Tuen Mun, the boxer has won all regional super-flyweight titles and has been ranked in the world’s Top 10. He trains at DEF Boxing gym in Hong Kong, and turned pro just six years ago. He’s only the third ethnic-Chinese boxer to be signed to Top Rank and is easily one of the most exciting sportsmen to watch in the ring – as his dramatic fight against Kohei Kono proved. The battle was stopped in the seventh round, because of Tso’s swollen eye from an accidental head-butt (by the way, he won the match). Tso recently signed a lucrative multi-year deal with sports giant Nike. The boxing champion earned the nickname “The Wonder Kid” for sheer effort and skill – and he’s as quick as can be in the boxing ring. To pilfer an expression from another champ (as he may have inherited the philosophy): float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

Rosemary Vandenbroucke

As a leading name in Hong Kong’s wellness community, former model Rosemary Vandenbroucke works to inspire and empower people on their personal journey. With her experience as a holistic health coach and her passion for helping people find their own best self, Vandenbroucke has stepped in to curate a number of wellness programmes across Asia, including at the Wonderfruit festival held in mid-December in Thailand. The RYT 500-certified yoga instructor is also passionate about philanthropy, supporting wildlife and environmental causes both close to home and further afield.  

Published November 2017, Prestige Hong Kong.

Prestige Hong Kong's 40 under 40 (2016) here.

Prestige Hong Kong's 40 under 40 2015 bits here.

Lifestyle: Couple on a Mission: Cover shoot and Cover story: 2017

Tenniel Chu

Tenniel and Carmen Chu

Carmen Chu

Tenniel and Carmen Chu tell Lifestyle and Prestige how the Mission Hills golfing dynasty is bringing the game to a whole new audience in China. Cover story is up at PrestigeOnline here. 

Photography / Olivier Yoan  
Styling / Florent Thiébaut 

Styling assistant / Marco Chan  
Hair & Make-up / Reve Ryu    

Outfits / Brooks Brothers

This was the Lifestyle 2017 cover story. #ThrowbackThursday

Behind the scenes; the two were the most hospitable gorgeous couple to work with. Was a dreamy cover shoot day where for once, everything went as planned! Awesome team behind the scenes, and in front of the camera. 

Society cover fronts as Best Dressed Too. Sometimes.

The Society cover page doubles as our monthly pick of best dressed too. eg these fine folks who made the page.

Prestige Hong Kong. 

 Gigi Hadid in Versace at The Met Gala

 Kiko in Dior at Cannes Film Festival

 Penelope Cruz in Chaenl, at Cannes Film Festival 

 Shu Qi wearing Valentino Fall 2018 at Bvlgari

Chadwick Boseman in Versace at the Met Gala

Behind the Scenes: Avni Jhunjhnuwala: Dog gone it...

Canine Companion

It may come as no surprise, but we are easily distracted during a shoot. Throw a kitten or dog into the proceedings and work pretty much comes to a standstill. So between shots for our First Person page, as Dino Busch tried to find just the right angle of reflective light, who should come ambling into the frame but the Jhunjhnuwalas’ little munchkin Sparkle? The Yorkshire terrier really wanted to take part, but, averse to strangers, refused to be manhandled by anyone but Avni. Lord knows, photographer Dino Busch tried his best to get a quick cuddle – but, for someone with such tiny legs, Sparkle sure could do a mad dash out of the picture. Not so dim, that little Sparky.

Check out my full chat with Avni at PrestigeOnline - here.

First Person: Jackie Au

First Person: JACQUELINE AU

“If you’re coming in here looking for drama, then I’m not the girl for you,” says Jacqueline Au, creative director of The Lab of Fairy Tales Bridal, indicating the exquisite collection of dresses hanging in her three-month-old showroom. “I offer something unique to brides on the biggest day of their life. If you’re looking for a big, poufy statement outfit, this is not the place for you.” Duly noted.

Au studied politics and graduated from the London School of Economics with a degree in international relations, and went on to do her Masters “even though I knew I wanted to be in fashion”. Her CV boasts stints at Gucci, Céline and Lane Crawford. Did her education inform her career?

“Most definitely. I’m very straightforward. I had my first interview at Gucci, and my boss asked, ‘Why should I hire you? You don’t do any fashion.’ I said, fashion in the end is a business and I have that analytical side for you and I love fashion so I’m the best person you can hire.” She was hired on the spot.

She went on to Lane Crawford and then Céline, where she had time to breathe and think, while simultaneously preparing for her own wedding. “Fashion in Hong Kong is in line with all the capitals – except in bridal. Here, it’s very dated. Even the set-up, the way they sell you the gown, is very much like, ‘Say yes to the dress!’ – very stuck in the ’80s. Every day we’re wearing, Haider, Givenchy, Céline – and on your wedding day, you’re wearing a cupcake!”

Her boutique stands in defiance of that confectionery trend and you’ll find yourself mesmerised by the gossamer gowns, the elegant silhouettes and the finesse of her finely curated collection. “My job defines me. I have the privilege of saying that.”

BEHIND THE SCENES:

We Were Working in the Lab...

Held up in Central’s congested arteries, the crew arrived late at Jacqueline Au’s studio. We felt so grubby and under-dressed … and common as muck. Au’s studio – The Lab of Fairy Tales Bridal – is as chic as she is. In our (not even designer) denims, we felt unworthy. But while Au had her make-up done we had a fantastic, informed and informative chat, as photographer Ruby Law set up an entire set behind our backs. When the shoot started, within minutes we had “the shot”, but kept clicking away anyway as our lovely subject changed outfits, whirling and twirling for the portrait. Check out our chat on page 10.

Published in Prestige Hong Kong, January 2018

 My all time fav behind the scenes shot - Jackie towering over me! Always wanted a woman to look up to... ;0)  #lols