Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i Tatler Hong Kong

TATLER HONG KONG In this edition, acclaimed classical musician Xuefei Yang, the first guitar student to graduate in mainland China, shares her daily routine—from her diet and exercise regime to the rigours of her practice and performance schedule. TATLER INDONESIA Sea Soldier founder Nadine Chandrawinata talks about her fight for a greener and cleaner world, as well as her new role as a mother and the additional perspective parenthood has brought her. TATLER MALAYSIA No stranger to the world of fast-moving consumer goods, Mamee-Double Decker scion Vuitton Pang flexes his entrepreneurial muscles with the rapid expansion of his latest venture emart24, South Korea’s fastest-growing convenience store. TATLER PHILIPPINES Furniture designer, style icon, TV host and mother-of-three Stephanie Kienle Gonzalez gives an exclusive first peek into her new coffee table book,…

HONG KONG ARTS FESTIVAL The festival, which has a history of introducing some of the most innovative and avant-garde productions and performing arts companies to Hong Kong, offers more than 60 live and online events this year. As well as an exclusive, live-recorded performance by Bristol Old Vic of its new production Wonder Boy—a coming-of-age story of a schoolboy with a speech impediment directed by Olivier-winning director Sally Cookson—other highlights include the Bavarian State Opera’s satirical opera The Nose and psychological drama The Dead City, the transhumanism-themed To Be a Machine by Dublin-and London-based theatre company Dead Centre, and Paris Opera Ballet’s Giselle, which was created originally for the company, the world’s oldest national ballet, in 1841. Until March 26. Various venues and online In Our Good Books Here are…

CANDACE CHONG MUI-NGAM Candace Chong Mui-ngam, a six-time winner of the Hong Kong Drama Awards Best Script prize, brings a bold new story to the stage this year. We Are Gay is Chong’s first play centred around gay characters; a murder mystery that examines what happens when an older barrister sidles his way into a relationship between a younger couple, an ambitious lawyer and a swimming coach. Unlike local plays, literature, films and television drama, where same-sex romance is only hinted at by euphemistic dialogue, handholding or, at most, kissing, Chong’s play features nudity, sex, violence and strong language. “I want a darker story with explicit details, which gives the play more realness, because in Hong Kong, we avoid talking about homosexuality and sex in public,” she says. Chong has…

The area around the Canal Road Flyover is known for its proximity to wet markets, bus interchanges, Happy Valley’s cemeteries for different faiths, and elderly women practising the art of da siu yan, or “villain-hitting”, aka Hong Kong’s version of voodoo. It’s not where you would expect to find a cutting-edge contemporary art gallery. Ysabelle Cheung and Willem Molesworth found success in the city’s art scene as a well-respected writer and critic, and the director of de Sarthe Gallery respectively. Last summer, Molesworth quit his job to set up Property Holdings Development (PHD) with Cheung in the vast 3,000 sq ft top-floor space of Eastern Commercial Centre on Hennessy Road. Once a private clubhouse, the space will now play host to artworks created by a roster of critically acclaimed emerging…

The fire opal may not be as well-known as its whitish counterpart, but its unique spectrum of colours, coupled with its rarity, make it a highly covetable gemstone. The result of a unique accumulation of small, hydrated silica spheres that emit a dark orange hue, its fragility and delicate nature add to its preciousness. It’s no wonder, then, that Austy Lee has chosen the fire opal as the centrepiece for two designs in his Tenth Dimension collection. The Honeycomb in Psychedelic Trance ring, set in 18-karat yellow gold, features a Mexican fire opal, Colombian emeralds and an unheated Sri Lankan purple star sapphire, and is finished with abalone shell, rubies and fancy vivid yellow diamonds. The fluid arrangement of the gemstones mirrors the natural hexagon of a honeycomb, while the…

There’s a real buzz around arts and culture in Hong Kong, largely thanks to the development of the West Kowloon Cultural District, including the M+ museum opening last November, and the upcoming unveiling of the Palace Museum. There’s talk of Hong Kong reinventing itself as a cultural hub but, in reality, the city has long been home to many fine galleries and museums that have laid the foundation for the current wave of excitement. Here, I check in with some of my favourites. ART MUSEUM CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG Founded in 1971, the Art Museum at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) emphasises Chinese studies and China’s artistic legacy. With more than 15,000 works in its collection today, the museum curates diverse exhibitions, organises symposia and offers professional…

Y2K REVISITED In the ultimate early-Noughties nostalgia trip, Louis Vuitton has combined key Y2K trends denim and monograms in its new Monogram Jacquard Denim bags, ranging from the signature Speedy model to a new modern classic: the half-moon Loop baguette handbag. ON THE MOVE A sell-out success, the ongoing collaboration between Prada and Adidas welcomes a new phase in apparel, accessories and bags. The sustainable collection made of Prada’s proudly recycled and infinitely recyclable Re-Nylon fabric includes tracksuits and bucket hats along with elevated takes on the Adidas Forum High and Low silhouettes for a minimalist’s athleisure dream. COLLABORATED AWAY Two masters of artisanship, Loewe and Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, return with a second collaboration. The Loewe x Spirited Away collection, inspired by the 20-year-old cult classic by Hayao…

GOLDEN GLOW Double down on dull skin with YSL Beauté’s Pure Shots Night Reboot Serum and Eye Reboot Concentrate. Infused with moonlight cactus flower from Morocco and glycolic acid, this product helps to regenerate skin cells, making skin look and feel healthier. BOTANICAL BOOST Formulated from 95 per cent naturally derived ingredients, the Red Camellia Revitalising Serum from Chanel’s latest No 1 de Chanel line harnesses the benefits of the house’s signature flower, the camellia—specifically the red camellia. Grown and harvested in southwest France, this key ingredient assists with protecting skin vitality and slowing the first signs of ageing. FIRM BELIEVER Nars s newest serum aims to improve elasticity and revive skin’s firmness and natural glow. The Light Reflecting Firming Serum contains a blend of gold-fortified peptides and red snow…

You trained in industrial design; how did you translate your skills to the jewellery world? I can see links between the two. For me, jewellery and design are both fields of controlled, strict and precise expertise, yet ones that require out-of-the-box thinking to create exceptional pieces. What did you hope to achieve with this project? A high jewellery boutique is a nice place; you feel safe there. But it also feels quite solemn and imposing. I thought it would be the ideal place for an unexpected project like this. We leave the scale of jewellery behind and move to that of interior design; we move from the scale of the hand to that of the body. I really want to set up an artistic dialogue with the space. It’s your…

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Kay Tse is one of Asia’s most influential recording artists and entertainers, having made music since 2005. Fast-forward to today, and Tse has been photographed wearing French jewellery maison Boucheron’s Serpent Bohème collection. It is inspired by the jeweller’s founder who, believing snakes possessed protective properties, gave his wife a serpent-shaped necklace for their wedding anniversary back in 1888.…

There are two truths and a lie in the following: This is the Arts and Culture issue. We look at tangible artworks in bricks-and-mortar galleries as well as digital creations that exist purely as code in the metaverse. I know everything there is to know about the latter. Unless you happen to be Yat Siu, one of our cover stars this issue, the metaverse may be something of a mystery to you as well, and might evoke more questions than excitement—the chief of which would be “why?”: why does it matter? Why are luxury brands flocking to this virtual space? Why are consumers starting to think about splitting their luxury spending between physical products and digital assets? Why didn’t I read up about this months ago instead of trying to…

ADRIAN CHENG K11 Group Chairman “Using pixels and algorithms to code and create art was a trend even in the 1990s. NFTs and the metaverse are two big components in exhibiting and facilitating this movement. People born before the internet age are not used to buying virtual weapons and playing online games, whereas the younger generation are used to digital ownership and establishing identity in the virtual metaverse. Some recent examples of my investments are RTFKT, which is a leading brand that creates digital sneakers and artefacts; and The Sandbox, where my “land” is one of the biggest plots and forms part of the “Mega City” virtual world. I would like to build an innovation hub to showcase some amazing start-ups that I have invested in and create a virtual…

THE INSIDE THAT COUNTS TESTINA ZS Hospitality has collaborated with Trippa Milano from Italy on this new trattoria in Central. The kitchen is led by chef Marco Xodo, previously of 8½ Otto e Mezzo in Shanghai, with dishes that skitter across Italy—from whipped codfish to homemade pappardelle with lamb. testina.hk HANDS ON ROLLIE Fresh from opening Carbon, a restaurant and bar with a wellness slant, and the first Cookie DPT café, entrepreneur Wil Fang has launched his latest dining project: a modern temaki (hand roll) bar inspired by the American-Japanese flavours he grew up with on the US West Coast. instagram.com/rollie.hk NEW BEGINNINGS SUSHI FUJIMOTO Kenichi Fujimoto, formerly of the Michelin-starred Sushi Saito at Four Seasons Hong Kong, has opened his own restaurant in the brand new FOCO building in…

Like most people, Levina Li-Cadman was shocked when Beeple’s The First 5000 Days sold for US$69 million at a Christie’s auction in March last year. “I was floored,” says Li-Cadman. “I just kept thinking: I need to explore this space by buying NFTs and launching NFT-related projects.” She did exactly that by joining forces with digital art collector Frank Smits to open The MetaArts Club (TMAC), a membership-based organisation which seeks to bridge the gap between collectors and digital artists. As the co-founder of arts consultancy Arts-Partners, Li-Cadman has helmed several public art projects in Hong Kong, including the Harbour Arts Sculpture Park in 2018, and the Event Horizon installation by Antony Gormley in 2015. Smits is an avid collector and curator of digital art. He lived in Jakarta for…

Amy Lo has been a fixture of UBS for nearly three decades, but she is far from slowing down. She continues to take on new challenges, driven by her passion to make a positive impact and her love of continuous learning. “I strongly believe that as a leader you have to be forward-looking; just like in football, I’m not here to look at where the ball is right now; it’s where the ball will be in the future,” says Lo. “Where are the growth opportunities and how am I going to attract and retain talents?” These aren’t rhetorical questions; they inspire Lo to take action. She held an overnight offsite that combined workshops, brainstorming sessions, and team building with secondary students. And she established a shadow board of young talents…

Internationally celebrated Chinese classical guitarists like Xuefei Yang are rare, as western music was banned during China’s Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. “The guitar was associated with pop music, the Beatles, the image of having long hair and hooligans, and jeans were seen as a symbol of capitalism,” Yang says. “For a communist country, it’s not a very nice image.” But, as she was born in Beijing after the Cultural Revolution, Yang had the opportunity to take up the instrument as a hobby. When she was ten, her parents took her to Zhuhai’s first Guitar Festival, where she was the only junior contestant. Yang went on to study at the Central Conservatory of Music and become the first guitar student to graduate in the mainland. She has since…

Sean Zhang is at the forefront of professionalising the fast-growing but often chaotic world of e-sports. The China-born, Australia-raised CEO of Talon Esports worked in investment banking before co-founding the Hong Kong-based, pan-Asian e-sports team in 2017. With a diverse range of revenue streams including tournament winnings, sponsorship, player transfers, publisher fees, and the sale of merchandise both physical and digital, as well as events and its own creative studio, Talon brings the discipline of traditional sport to competitive gaming. It is particularly known for its PSG Talon team, which plays League of Legends, in partnership with the e-sports division of legendary French sporting club Paris Saint-Germain. Here, he explains how Talon Esports is taking e-sports to new competitive and commercial levels. I was always interested in gaming. When…

Wang Chen Tsai-Hsia, better known as Madame Wang, established Shiatzy Chen in 1978 with a view to modernising the Chinese aesthetic without abandoning traditional silhouettes. The Taiwanese brand was one of the first to introduce neo-Chinese chic—a marriage of western aesthetics with Chinese craftsmanship and cultural traits—to the global fashion stage. Yung Hua Chen represents a new wave of Taiwanese photographers who focus on images of women. The pair created a Chinese New Year campaign with the theme “red sorghum”: rich in colour and traditional charm, it depicts a journey home for the festivities. Here, the pair share their creative process and resolutions for the new year. What was the inspiration behind the theme “red sorghum”? Madame Wang: Red sorghum symbolises a spirit, a resilience. For this photo shoot,…

Perfumer Jérome Epinette has a famous nose. You may not have heard his name, but you have almost certainly heard of some of the fragrances he’s designed. From cult favourites such as Byredo’s Gypsy Water and Pulp, and Boy Smells’ new range, to scents for Victoria’s Secret and L’Occitane en Provence, Epinette is everywhere in the perfume world. “It is hard to keep track, but I would say [I’ve developed] more than a couple of thousand [fragrances]”, Epinette tells Tatler. Finding inspiration in everything around him, from “nature, painting, food, drinks, music, architecture, discussion and sharing emotions”, Epinette’s latest creation, Tiffany & Co’s Rose Gold EDP, draws inspiration from a well-loved natural perfume. “Rose Gold EDP is a modern approach to a very common ingredient: rose,” he explains. “Nothing heady,…

Caviar is best known as a luxury gourmet treat. But beauty innovators at La Prairie have been exploring what else the coveted ingredient is capable of. More than 30 years ago, the skincare brand discovered that the pearlescent black eggs contained nourishing, rejuvenating properties; since then, caviar has been a mainstay of its signature collection, with a formula refined over the decades by scientists. For its Skin Caviar range, La Prairie sources only top-of-the-line farmed caviar from a passionate artisanal cultivator based in the Swiss Alps. The team has since developed a cutting-edge set of extracts ranging from the skin-lifting Caviar Premier to the enriching Caviar Absolute. These two extracts collide in the brand’s signature, and recently reformulated, Skin Caviar Liquid Lift serum, designed to create a lifted appearance and…

STYLE MATTERS With three decades as a visionary businesswoman and creative director behind her, Cindy Yeung is known for her exquisite examples of art deco design, which prove that timeless style really does hold up over the years. Her latest Nuò by Cindy Yeung jewellery suites certainly don’t disappoint, and feature breathtaking examples of natural South Sea pearls, purple jade and black chalcedony. CATCHING COMETS There’s no doubting Tasaki’s cool Comet ear cuffs deserve a place in your jewellery box this spring. This chic collection also includes earrings, necklaces and rings in an assortment of colourful golds, all of which come set with Akoya pearls. LOVESICK Chanel has added a handful of new pieces to its well-known Coco Crush collection, including a slender white-gold hoop earring and a versatile necklace…

British-born New Yorker Miles Chamley-Watson’s audacious attitude and unique style have garnered attention from Richard Mille, which has entered a partnership with the world fencing champion. One of the most recognisable fencers worldwide, Chamley-Watson explains how important time is to his profession. “You can train your whole life, but the merest millisecond means the difference between gold and nothing. I train myself mentally in slow motion. I need to get in touch with my neural system, unblock my mind and establish a ‘flow state’.” He also discusses the similarities between the way he and Richard Mille approach their industries. “We’re both unconventional. It’s a brand that’s all about taking risks. I have ‘risk’ tattooed on my hand and I look at it for inspiration each time I compete.”…

You’ll have heard a lot about the metaverse recently. Yat Siu is busy building it. “The most important thing to understand about the metaverse is, for most of us, our virtual existence is already more important than our physical one,” says Siu. “If you’re detached from the online world, you’re a lesser human today: you can’t connect with people or promote yourself.” Animoca Brands, the game producer and venture capital company of which he is executive chairman and managing director, has pivoted dramatically in recent years towards blockchain, NFTs and the metaverse, meaning a network of fully functioning 3D virtual worlds, accessed using VR, in which users can live a second life. The company is doing so armed with a valuation in the billions and a war chest that has…

It was in the spring of 2020 that Mandy El-Sayegh felt herself losing touch with reality. “I kind of had a nervous breakdown,” she says. “It was quite public.” At the time, El-Sayegh was coming out of a turbulent six-year relationship and the Covid-19 virus was tearing across the UK. A national lockdown forced her to isolate in her studio, away from family and friends, and to retreat into her work. At first, she was thrilled at having so much time to focus on the sculptures, installations, videos and the fleshy, multilayered paintings that have made her one of the world’s most in-demand young artists. But as galleries and museums were closed, there was nowhere for her art to go. It accumulated in piles around her, filling every inch of…

OLIVIER YOAN French photographer Olivier Yoan has worked with brands such as Calvin Klein, Jimmy Choo and Roger Vivier. He is also the creative director of online platform The Ené, a directory of eco-conscious businesses and retailers around Europe. For this issue, Yoan photographed the fashion shoot (p.88) KYLE JOHNSON Seattle-based Kyle Johnson creates images that are intriguing and classically executed. Whether it’s a portrait or travel story, Johnson’s aesthetic pairs textured natural settings with a distinct photographic perspective. He has recently photographed stories for WSJ Magazine, Wired magazine and The New York Times, as well as commercial clients including Airbnb and Amazon. He photographed this month’s cover star, Yat Siu (p.148) JOHNSON CHIANG Inspired by Vincent van Gogh as a teenager, Hong Kong multimedia illustrator Johnson Chiang decided to…

Amid a sea of big-name art institutions in Hong Kong, one small, grassroots gallery is punching above its weight and doing things differently. Since late 2020, Young Soy Gallery, whose name loosely translates from Cantonese as “Ugly Gallery”, has disrupted the local scene with its inclusive exhibition formats and unpretentious founding principles. In its founders’ minds, art should be accessible to everybody, regardless of their social standing. After noticing talented artists weren’t getting the exposure that he felt they deserved, founder Shivang Jhunjhnuwala, 27, teamed up with business partner Alexander Glavatsky-Yeadon, 26, to promote underrepresented local talent to the public, especially those who might feel alienated by traditional galleries due to a lack of exposure to the art world. The pair grew up down the street from each other in…

How did you first get into the restaurant industry? I always liked to cook, and I had it in the back of my mind as a plan B. Everyone has this dream of having their own restaurant—not necessarily to get rich or anything, but because it’s cool. I originally studied fashion design and was working in the casino industry when the recession hit, but that was the perfect opportunity to go back to the drawing board and start selling tacos on the street. I didn’t have any permits or experience other than working at fast food joints like Papa John’s and McDonald’s, but it changed my life. What is 1st & Beaudry, and what is its special significance to you? 1st & Beaudry is a hallowed corner in Downtown Los…

Unless you are living off the grid, you will at least have heard the acronym “NFT”; the phenomenon has been taking over our social media feeds and daily lives for the last 12 months or so. You may have come across terms such as Blockchain, Ethereum and Bored Apes, but have no real idea of what they are or why people care. But this craze has changed (and will continue to change) the way in which we produce and consume culture. If you’re as clueless as we once were, we’ve compiled a Dummy’s Guide to NFTs to help you, with some crypto term definitions thrown in for good measure. Read on to find out what level of crypto cred you’ve attained. LEVEL 0: CRYPTO? NO. What is an NFT? NFT…

ROSSI & ROSSI Two Manifestos From March 19 to May 14 Iranian sculptor Siah Armajani was exiled to the US in 1960 for his pro-democratic political activities. Karachi-born conceptual artist, sculptor, writer and curator Rasheed Araeen left his engineering position in Pakistan in 1964 for a career in art in London. Both artists are known for bridging art with political activism, and their Hong Kong exhibition showcases their seminal works and compares their journeys to the west. rossirossi.com HAUSER & WIRTH William Kentridge. Weigh All Tears From March 17 to April 30 South African artist William Kentridge’ first solo exhibition in Hong Kong features his 2020 film Sibyl, created by filming his drawings, making changes and filming them again, the technique he is best known for. The show also features…

A property company investing in the development of Hong Kong is hardly out of the ordinary. But rare are the corporations that set their sights on expanding not only the city’s vertical profile, but also its wealth of art and cultural experiences. HKR International is one such group. The real estate, property management, hospitality and healthcare conglomerate—which manages HKRI Taikoo Hui in Shanghai, as well as the entirety of Discovery Bay’s residential and commercial offerings—is helmed by Victor Cha, a veteran with more than four decades of experience. Cha has been tasked with identifying potential areas of further development, and has taken it upon himself to do so not just in the realm of property, but also in his role as chairman of the Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF). “HKAF…

He may be the son of Sylvia Chang, one of the most acclaimed directors and actors to have worked on Hong Kong, Taiwanese and mainland Chinese movies, but 30-year-old Oscar Wang is far more than “Chang’s son”. He is the founder of Shanghai-based design studio Open Work Studio, which created the Fendidi family—an adorable quartet of pandas—for Fendi in 2019; and Stella Friends, a series of endangered animal cartoon characters for Stella McCartney, in 2021. The Chelsea College of Arts alumnus also manifests his creativity as an interdisciplinary designer and a restaurant owner. Jumping on a call with Tatler while en route to Shanghai following his trip to China’s Changbai Mountains for the Kaws: Holiday tour, Wang explains how he is creating concepts across fashion industry and beyond. Why are…

SIMPLE PLEASURES Aurelia & Pierre is a brand for modern women who appreciate minimal design and classic luxury. Hot on the heels of its first high jewellery collection, this brand creates clean silhouettes adorned with coloured stones and white diamonds. INTO THE WILD Graff excels in producing dazzling diamonds, and its experienced master jewellers have once again cast its gemstones into an exquisite selection of settings for the Wild Flower collection. Stylish asymmetry defines this line, as do blossoming layers of white diamonds, which form pretty petals that wrap around the finger. NATURAL WORLD Italian fine jewellery brand Vendorafa is shining a spotlight on its history with a limited-edition collection that pays homage to archives spanning 70-plus years. Many of Vendorafa’s gilded creations interpret the ethereal beauty of nature; the…

What do you love about ancient talismans and why do you incorporate them into your jewellery? I’m amazed by their enduring significance and timelessness. I love that medallions have been used throughout history and across civilisations, but still resonate to this day. Historically, they have signified familial lineage or been prescribed to have protective properties, and it’s fascinating to see how something so ancient can acquire new meaning and continue to remain relevant. You’re also inspired by the art deco era. When I started designing, I fell in love with art deco architecture, particularly its use of patterns, form and balance. My initial inspiration came from sculptural buildings and, as a result, my pieces were very angular and minimal. When did you first become interested in history? In elementary school…

IN FULL BLOOM Dior has added two timepieces to its magnificent Grand Soir Botanic collection, which celebrates its founder’s life-long passion for flowers, something that was often depicted in his floral-accented embroidery and haute couture works. Each watch is limited to 18 pieces, each equipped with a quartz movement and time-setting corrector, and boasting a breathtaking dial inspired by gardens, infused with romance and delicacy. INTO THE FUTURE Contemporary and complicated, Greubel Forsey’s latest sports watch is limited to 88 pieces worldwide and is available with a matching integrated bracelet in lightweight titanium. Exposed mechanics include a balance wheel and escapement, which sit alongside bold charcoal-grey bridges for an ultra-modern look. MORE IS MORE Eleven new models of Audemars Piguet’s iconic Royal Oak Offshore have been unveiled. Presented in titanium,…

On December 4, 2021, it was reported that the record for the highest price ever paid for a work by a living artist, set by Jeff Koons’ Rabbit in 2019 at US$91.1 million, had been broken. The new record-holding piece, Merge (2021), had achieved US$91.8 million. But this sale was just the beginning of a controversy. The “artwork” was in fact made up of 266,455 NFTs, each comprising a single dot known as a mass . These variously sized and priced dots were purchased, in varying numbers, by approximately 28,000 buyers within a 48-hour window on the platform Nifty Gateway. Every time a collector bought a new mass, it would merge with those they already owned; further, collectors could sell their mass on to other buyers—leading, potentially, to the formation…

Although there are some high-speed aspects of the wine industry—wine investors saw some wines triple or quadruple in value over 2021—the wine world, as a whole, moves rather slowly. Thus, many observers have reacted with scepticism or bemusement as various major (and less major) wine players have plunged into the lightning-fast world of cryptocurrencies, blockchain and—trendiest and least well understood of all—NFTs. As somebody who also makes digital art and counts many crypto believers as friends, I’m less surprised than most by the wine-NFT mashup. Once you get past the “but why?” aspects of the NFT universe, it does appear that NFTs can offer real benefits to the world of wine, especially collectibles. While the first wave of NFTs involved the sale of digital images, NFTs are now being used…