Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2022 i Tatler Hong Kong

TATLER HONG KONG One of our two Asia’s Most Influential cover stars this month is Alan Lau, who straddles the worlds of tech and art as both Animoca’s new chief business officer and the vice-chairman of M+. He talks to Tatler about bringing those diverse spheres together. TATLER INDONESIA Adi Reza Nugroho is the co-founder and CEO of MYCL, a biotech start-up that produces sustainable material for the global market. MYCL is using innovative technology to grow ethical and carbon-friendly mycelium-based materials, providing high-performance, low-impact bio-material for use in fashion and building. In this issue, we dig deeper into how he runs the company and why he started the business in the first place. TATLER MALAYSIA Newly minted champion Ng Joe Ee is one to know this month. The 16-year-old…

Tatler celebrated its 45th anniversary in Hong Kong this year, marking the occasion by partnering with Landmark to host a first-of-its-kind exhibition at the Landmark Atrium. Then & Now: Style Through the Decades was a retrospective of iconic portraiture from Tatler’s and Landmark’s photography archives, featuring images of the city’s most stylish men and women, and the Tatler community came out en masse for the grand reveal on October 14. Friends and previous cover stars Wesley Ng, Adrienne Hui, Ming Ho-Tang and countless other fashionistas, many of whom made this year’s Asia’s Most Stylish list, were present to toast the occasion and reflect on their relationships with institutions of the luxury realm. However, the beauty of the evening lay in attendees’ diverse and distinctive expressions of style: Emily Lam-Ho…

The Asia Art Archive (AAA) celebrated its 22nd anniversary this year and on November 3, the foundation held its annual fundraising gala at the Hong Kong Country Club. The event saw 170 aesthetes, including Masaaki Matsuzawa and Ann Cha, on hand to once again raise money for a good cause. Under the helm of executive director Christopher K Ho, this year’s auction featured 54 works by artists from around the world, including Doris Wong Wai Yin, Nibha Sikander, Sin Wai Kin, Maria Taniguchi, Charlotte Mui and Movana Chen, which were generously donated by the artists, individual donors, institutions and galleries. Touching speeches were made by Ho, co-chair Benjamin Cha and the AAA founder Claire Hsu, who dedicated her speech to Jane DeBevoise, board member and chair of the AAA in…

When Luanne Lim, CEO, Hong Kong at HSBC, first moved to the city in 2017, she immediately began collaborating with bankers, financial controllers, technology and data analysts and, surprisingly, artists. “One of the first projects that I led in Hong Kong was the HSBC banknotes project,” which involved managing the design of a new series of HSBC’s banknotes in Hong Kong, says Lim. After months of debating the merits of various artistic approaches, Lim and the team chose delicate watercolour designs reflecting the city’s rich culture. “Through working on the banknotes—through art—I learned about my new home,” says Lim, who is from Singapore and has worked for HSBC since 1999, in her home country, mainland China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam—and now at the bank’s Asia headquarters in Hong Kong. The…

Think long shirt-dresses and black satin shoes; silk jumpsuits lined with light terry cloth and bags shaped like tennis racquets and slot machines—it’s all about Monte Carlo, baby. Chanel’s Cruise collection embraces the beachy vibes and opulence of Monaco, and creative director Virginie Viard pays homage to the place, and the time she spent there with the maison’s key figures, including Karl Lagerfeld. “Monaco is inherent to the history of Chanel,” she says. “We have lived so many happy moments there.”…

Hong Kong rock band Zarahn’s lead singer Endy Chow remembers going to the cinema with his parents one afternoon in 1992 when he was a schoolboy. “My family and I passed by New World Centre and saw this giant hand-painted poster hanging on its façade, on which Jet Li leapt up and brandished a sword,” he recalls. He and his family were so dazzled by the martial artist’s mighty look that they went to see the movie, The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, adapted from Jin Yong’s classic wuxia novel. Chow could not have imagined that many years later, he would be collaborating as a music director with Ronin Theatre—a local company with a focus on productions about Hong Kong—on a new musical about the movie poster artist who filled his childhood…

HEAVY CARGO If you love a mini bag but they simply can’t fit everything you need, we’ve got good news: with pouches affixed to skirts, jackets like bum bags, and the grand return of cargo pants, you’ll have plenty of chic storage, no matter how tiny your handbag is. LET’S GET PHYGITAL While fashion houses are still exploring digital wearables in the metaverse, in real life, futuristic accents include pixelated shapes, trompe l’oeil trouser-skirts and faux-topless effects. RUNWAY BRIDE Why should your wedding outfit be any less individualistic than your everyday looks? Head down the aisle in a minidress or a suit paired with sneakers for a truly unforgettable bridal look. COME UNDONE The spring-summer 2023 runways celebrated the perfection of imperfection, with intentional wrinkles, raw hems and undone edges—an…

Scan to watch the fashion shoot in action, and read Suzi de Givenchy’s story…

Victoire de Castellane, the prolific artistic director behind Dior Joaillerie, is a master of creating covetable jewellery creations that harness new kinds of jewellery-making knowhow, pay tribute to the exacting standards and heritage of Dior, and celebrate a boundless creative freedom. It’s a talent de Castellane has been finessing since she was five years old, when she took apart a charm bracelet to make a pair of earrings. At 12, in a secret experiment hidden from her mother, she melted down gold medallions to create her first ring. Growing up, she was influenced by her grandmother, the Countess of Castilleja de Guzman, whom de Castellane watched switch jewellery several times a day with her changing outfits. De Castellane grew up hearing stories of her great-great uncle, the famous dandy Boni…

Each stone and gem, whether mined from deep within Earth’s core or harvested from the ocean, has an almost talismanic significance for Hong Kong fine jeweller Austy Lee; he sees them as reverberating with their own innate power. Take the Faravahar Brooch from the Ancient Fetus Collection, for example, referencing the Persian religion of Zoroastrianism, and representing the human soul. Lee’s interpretation is rendered in a brooch of 18-karat yellow gold set with an antique lava cameo, Zambian emerald, abalone shell, fancy yellow, fancy colour and white diamonds. Lava cameos came into popular use in the 19th century, propelled by tourism to the ruins of Pompeii. Until then, cameos were miniature works of art often fashioned out of agate or shell, materials with layers of distinct colour banding that would…

BLACK BEAUTY La D de Dior was conceived in 2003 as “a ribbon that tells time”, and has been a timeless icon of the luxury fashion house ever since. This year, Dior has remodelled it in an ultra-modern black avatar, its sleek 34mm round case giving it a classic yet edgy look. The matte black dial is adorned with three black diamond markers, while the steel bracelet is textured with the brand’s satine pattern. The watch is also available with a black diamond-set bezel. MASTER TRIBUTE Longines is celebrating its 190th anniversary with a series of exclusive timepieces from The Longines Master Collection. The gold versions are numbered editions limited to 190 pieces. The dial features a grained anthracite finish and delicately engraved Arabic numerals and pink hands that mark…

“If women hold up half the sky, then they should also hold up half of wealth,” said Angelina A Kwan, chief executive officer, Stratford Finance, vice chair of The Women’s Foundation, and The WealthiHer network ambassador, when she presented the key findings of The Changing Faces of Women’s Wealth (2020-2022), a report by The WealthiHer Network and co-presented in partnership with Front & Female in Asia, at an event in Hong Kong recently. Currently, women hold only a third (32 per cent) of the world’s wealth. It’s a figure included in The WealthiHer Network report, which delivers a new perspective and agenda for change. The WealthiHer Network, which is based in the UK, aims to advance women by transforming female financial futures and the financial services industry, leveraging the power…

On October 18, 40 digital art enthusiasts dressed up for a private preview of the Digital Art Fair Xperience at the Asia Standard Tower in Central. Hosted by Gillian Howard, co-founder of the fair, guests were immersed in an engaging, interactive Web3 art experience, with thousands of artworks on display. When the first Digital Art Fair Xperience opened in autumn 2021, it became Asia’s first physical art fair dedicated to digital, NFT and crypto art. Such was the inaugural edition’s success that the fair returned this year with an even more diverse exhibition, which members of the Tatler community were able to experience before it opened to the public two days later. For a three-week period between October 20 and November 6, the 20,000 sq ft venue was transformed into…

K11 Night is known as “Asia’s Met Gala”, and this year’s event in particular promises to be a glittering addition to Hong Kong’s social calendar, with a highly exclusive, invitation-only evening launching the year’s most avant-garde fashion exhibition, The Love of Couture: Artisanship in Fashion Beyond Time, at K11 Musea’s K11 Art & Cultural Centre. The 2022 event is co-chaired by leading industry heavyweights: Tim Reeve, deputy director and chief operating officer of London’s V&A, the world’s leading museum of art and design, and K11’s official museum partner; and award-winning Hong Kong production designer, film editor and costume designer William Chang Suk-ping. These design powerhouses will come together to create The Love of Couture: Artisanship in Fashion Beyond Time, collaborating with six emerging fashion designers from Hong Kong, mainland China,…

When Isabella Wei was cast in the hit Netflix mystery series 1899 in 2020, she was 16 years old and still at school. Now 18, Wei is on the verge of becoming a household name in her home city, a rise to success she credits, in part, to the youth drama programme she became involved with as a teenager. She stars as Ling Yi in the noirish drama, which landed on the streaming service to acclaim last month after premiering its first two episodes at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The series, directed by Baran bo Odar of mega-hit series Dark, follows a multilingual cast on an immigrant ship headed for New York in the year 1899, when a mysterious turn of events unfolds, yielding mind-bending riddles for…

RUTH SHAPIRO YES “When reading about the hoard of items acquired by the now-imprisoned Rosmah Mansor, wife of the former Malaysian prime minister, I couldn’t help but think, 272 Hermès bags: why? There aren’t even that many colours to coordinate with. Marie Kondo has built an empire on helping us get rid of stuff. Of course, and thankfully, few of us reach even a fraction of Mansor’s stockpile, but we can agree that for many reading this article, we already have enough, if not too many, things. The world is facing increasing inequality in so many ways: educational, socio-economic, even who is affected by climate change and by how much. It is time to change the narrative and our own behaviour, and bring our friends and families along with us.…

Andre Kwok is fostering Southeast Asian city leadership through human-centric, technologically inclusive and sustainable solutions. In his final year of university, he founded the Good City Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental development organisation that started as a conference, Future City Summit, and has grown to five staff, plus a network of 35 city partners in Asia, representing politicians, academics and business leaders. Here, he details his organisation’s inception, evolution and future. People have been talking about smart cities for decades, but city-level issues aren’t taken seriously in developing Asia. We address or highlight issues, not at a national level but city level. Bangkok and Chiang Mai have very different local cultures and economic dynamics, so the way we address economic or social issues should be very different. The Foundation is a…

FOR EYES THAT SPARKLE “Make-up trends in 2022 have been heavily influenced by the Y2K era, with futuristic aesthetics and bold colours encouraging people to try out different eye make-up styles,” says Patricia Ng, make-up specialist at Byredo. “When it comes to the holidays, looks are all about sparkle, so applying a silver shadow in the inner corners will make the eyes pop.” Ng recommends that those with almond-shaped eyes can opt for a cut crease or halo eye look. “For a good cut crease, simply blend a matte shade into the crease of the eye, then spread a shimmery shade across the full eyelid. This creates sharp contrast and depth, giving you a divine look.” FOR A STANDOUT LIP Metallic lips are all over Instagram, says Nars’s assistant training…

Editor's Pick Amrita Katara Watch & Jewellery Editor of Tatler Hong Kong This year, yellow diamonds are big news in high jewellery collections. Graff’s most recent addition to the Tribal collection is a necklace made of 98.13 carats of white diamonds and pear-shaped yellow diamonds. The skilled craftsmanship ensures that the necklace flows over and follows the surface it rests on, cascading down the neckline and emulating nature’s grace and form. Jewellery has rarely been more hypnotic. GOLDEN RULE The Prada triangle makes its presence felt in the brand’s debut fine jewellery collection. Gold is at the heart of each piece; the house has sourced 100 per cent ethical and recycled gold to create familiar motifs and timeless designs. Customers can check the authenticity of their purchases using Aura Consortium…

The 2.55 bag might have made it famous, but Chanel’s instantly recognisable quilting motif was actually introduced in the 1920s, when Gabrielle Chanel incorporated quilted linings, collars and cuffs into her runway looks. The chequerboard print appeared in collections in the 1930s, but it was the 2.55 “It Bag” launched in February 1955, that truly linked the design with highly coveted luxury in the fashion world. Over the decades, the quilting motif has stitched its way into key collections from the maison, from ready-to-wear to cosmetics, and even watches and jewellery. The Coco Crush fine jewellery collection, launched in 2015, is at once modern and traditional. Chanel lovers can enjoy the interpretation of a classic motif in contemporary jewellery designs, and the collection includes bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings in…

Hans Wilsdorf had a dream: to elevate the art of precision wristwatches; and so he established Rolex. As the dream took shape, he dared to expand his imagination. The Rolex Oyster Perpetual Day-Date debuted in 1956, eclipsing the Datejust’s decade-long success—the idea was to perfect calendar watches to display the date and day, spelled out in full at 12 o’clock, making it a horological marvel at the time. In addition, the Day-Date displayed the date in 25 different languages, resulting in global demand for the complication. The Day-Date’s popularity went from strength to strength and it has been worn by some of history’s most prominent figures. On the night she sang “happy birthday, Mr President,” Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe reportedly gave US President John F Kennedy an 18-karat gold model.…

Joyce Cheng emerges from the shadows in a va-va-voom glittering emerald number and stares down the lens, her fingers curled around a crystal-encrusted, apple-shaped clutch like a fairytale queen. In a shoot at The Magistracy, Black Sheep Group’s gorgeous new restaurant at Tai Kwun, Cheng fills the room with energy, sashaying in flowing skirts and gasping in awe as she holds up a butterfly-embellished dress. She strikes up banter with the crew, makes sure everyone has had a chance to eat, and sings Happy Birthday to her hair stylist, while playing up to a parody of a difficult diva persona and provoking laughter in between shots with jocular antics. “I am Batman!” she growls as she stands in an alcove, holding up the edges of a yellow gown like wings.…

Twelve months after releasing the inaugural T Dining Guide to Champagne, I can happily report that while champagne has always made up a healthy part of my wine diet, the past year has been especially bubbly. Having—I hope convincingly—argued that champagne is to be enjoyed on more than just special occasions, I’ve found myself doing so in any number of settings with all sorts of different cuisines; nothing elevates a bowl of kimchi jjigae like a flamingo-pink saignée champagne. Meanwhile, champagne collecting has continued to flourish, with the Cristals, Salons and Clos des Goisses of the world occupying an ever more vaunted position in the global wine trade. However, there are still a great many people—countless wine lovers among them—for whom champagne is still primarily a celebratory beverage, which is…

Hong Kong may be known on the world stage for its luxury boutiques and gleaming skyscrapers, but it is the streets of the city that give it the most character. So evocative are its dense, neon-lined alleys that they have become a trope in films within the cyberpunk genre, such as Ghost in the Shell or Blade Runner, the latter a favourite of photographer Aaron Michelson which, he says had a “huge influence” on his work. This photograph sits proudly in Michelson’s portfolio due to its spontaneity (it was captured while he was running errands in Wan Chai on a rainy evening) and for the mood it sets. “I loved how the water’s reflection made the scene a lot more colourful and how the pouring rain, vivid signs and roads,…

Fans of Christian Dior likely know the couturier had a love for lucky charms. It’s a passion that runs throughout the house’s heritage and comes out to play in a myriad collections—from astrology-inspired ready-to-wear to fragrances inspired by the founder’s iconic lily of the valley, the flower Dior considered to be his lucky charm. The lucky star is one emblem that Victoire de Castellane, the celebrated artistic director of Dior Joaillerie, has been uniquely reimagining throughout the house’s Rose des Vents jewellery collection since 2015. The compass rose, a star-like motif used in navigational charts to show the right path forward, provides inspiration for these pieces. In the latest Rose des Vents arrivals, the theme is once more reimagined through a series of magnetic creations that are both deeply intertwined…

LEUNG YAT-TING The portraits of Canto-pop singer Joyce Cheng for this month’s cover were shot by Leung Yat-ting, who goes by Leungmo. The Hong Kong photographer and creative has worked with fashion and commercial brands, and on magazines, music albums and posters. She was selected for 2019’s New Wave: Creatives, the British Fashion Council’s list of 100 most innovative and inspiring global young creative talents. (p.146) RAUL DOCASAR Hong Kong-based photographer Raul Docasar’s forte is still-life photography. He has been commissioned by international publications, including GQ, Esquire and Harpers Bazaar, and his clients include luxury brands such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari and Harry Winston. He loves the outdoors and spends his spare time in country parks. He had a fun time shooting this month’s cover star Alan Lau…

Anyone itching to find out who will be shaping Hong Kong for the future needed cast their gazes no further than the Rosewood Hong Kong’s Pavilion Hall on October 6, when Gen.T held its highly anticipated Leaders of Tomorrow event. Hong Kong’s most innovative entrepreneurs gathered for an effervescent and enlightening evening to celebrate the honourees on the 2022 Gen.T List. Welcomed by a fevered flurry of flashes by Tatler’s senior photographer and resident magic-maker Affa Chan, Gen.T honourees from past and present toasted the inauguration of 32 new honourees from Hong Kong—and a total of 300 across Asia—including Sidhant Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Clearbot, Olivia Chan, co-founder and CEO of BeautyFact, and Terence Hon, co-founder of GreenPrice, who were all featured on Tatler Hong Kong’s October cover. Once…

Where did the idea to blend food and art come from? Cooking itself is an art: between the preparation, methods and presentation, there are thousands of ways to play with [food]. Both food and art are forms of communication and they link people together. It felt natural to combine both to create a comprehensive dining experience. Why movies? I love Hong Kong movies, especially the ones from the golden age [the 1980s and 1990s]. There are so many famous local movies that represent different ideologies and [ways of] life in Hong Kong. That’s why I wanted to link my food with Hong Kong’s unique cultural [history], as a reflection of the roots and core values of the city I live in. When building the menu, which came first: the idea…

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to meet Gilbert Yeung, a Hong Kong nightlife legend, when he was in his 30s and on the cusp of a nightlife revolution in Hong Kong? For years, Yeung’s hotspots Dragon-i, Cassio and Tazmania Ballroom, all places to see and be seen, were where models and moguls converged, celebrities like Snoop Dogg and the late Avicii performed, and champagne flowed by the caseload. Now, at 54, the entrepreneur behind some of the city’s hottest venues looks back on the early days of his career. He shares stories of triumph and failure, and how a chance encounter with Pierce Brosnan sparked an idea that would change the city forever. What was your goal when you launched Dragon-i in 2002? At that…

“My plan is to try not to do anything for two weeks, and to enjoy Mediterranean sunsets with Lana del Rey music in the background,” Demna tells Tatler ahead of his summer holiday, a few weeks after presenting his second couture collection for Balenciaga in July. If you pay even the slightest attention to fashion business, you’ll know that, while much of the industry has struggled during the pandemic, Balenciaga has gone from strength to strength. In 2019, its parent company Kering revealed that the French label was set to surpass €1 billion (approximately US$1.12 billion) in revenue; according to Bloomberg, it stood at an estimated US$2.3 billion in 2021. This seed of success was planted in 2015 when Kering approached Demna—who no longer uses his family name Gvasalia professionally,…

LET IT GLOW It wouldn’t be party season without a little sparkle. Whether you go subtle with a couple of carats in each ear or opt for a full-on glitter gown, pick pieces that will make you shine bright like the diamond that you are. SEEING RED Forget digital lavender; seeing as red is both a traditional Christmas colour and an auspicious tint in many Asian cultures, we’re calling it as the hottest hue of the season. Add to that the fact that there’s a shade for every skin tone and wardrobe aesthetic, and we’re going shopping. Why should Santa get all the fun? IT’S A BLING THING Who said jewellery should only be seen on body parts? Stand out on the dance floor with a blindingly bedazzled clutch as…

What made you decide to open a Hemmerle boutique in Asia? And why Hong Kong? I was born in Germany, studied in London, lived in New York and married an Egyptian, who did not speak a word of German when we met. So, we are an international couple, rather than German. When we thought of the Asian collector space, Hong Kong felt like the logical place to start. Yasmin [his wife] and I have a special bond with Hong Kong: we spent our honeymoon here 16 years ago. How do you see Hemmerle’s Asian presence developing in the next five years? I would say it’s a growing collector space. You know, we are a small firm, and our best advertisement is our clients. Since we have a growing collector base,…

The watch world has never been hotter, as demand for pricey Rolex, Omega and Vacheron Constantin timepieces booms, but in Asia the high-end market has cooled after governments clamped down on travel in response to the pandemic. According to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FHS), Swiss watch exports reached an eye-popping US$2.3 billion in July, climbing to the highest point in nearly a decade. Sell-Out Index, which measures global watch and jewellery sales, additionally revealed exports Stateside skyrocketed 13.5 per cent in comparison to the same time last year, with the US replacing China as the world’s biggest market for Swiss timepieces. Nonetheless, demand in Asia is recovering, with Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan holding steady among the top five major markets. Collectors who have long enjoyed a…

SINGAPORE As the gateway to fast-growing Asean economies, Singapore offers a wide range of investment opportunities in a well-governed, well-regulated, stable environment. Its top tax rate on residents’ income is 22 per cent, and income derived outside Singapore is only taxed if it is brought onshore. There is no capital gains tax, wealth tax or inheritance tax, while the city state offers a number of tax breaks to family offices. BAHRAIN Bahrain’s pro-business government policies offer growing investment opportunities, with 100 per cent foreign ownership allowed in most sectors. It has the most diversified economy in the Gulf Cooperation Council and acts as a hub for the Middle East and North Africa. It has the added benefit of not taxing personal or corporate income. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES One of the…

COLLABORATION IS KEY The next cohort of high-net-worth individuals are realising that the issues facing the world today are far too complex for one person, government or company to solve alone. Instead, these new philanthropists are collaborating to create sustainable change for good. From pooling resources and sharing networks to bridging the gap between the public and private sectors, Asia’s young changemakers are taking a modern approach to philanthropic partnerships and putting egos aside to make the world a better place. ROLLING UP THEIR SLEEVES Among previous generations, regularly contributing funds to different causes was enough to earn the “philanthropist” label. Now, new wealth holders expect to be closely involved in their own charitable endeavours. For some, this means having a hand in the operations of the organisations they contribute…

“If you’re looking at juicy investment opportunities in Russia, you could run afoul of sanctions”— BENJAMIN KOSTRZEWA The Ukraine War has led the US to impose a raft of sanctions against Russian individuals and organisations, hampering the Russian economy and cutting many of its ties with the global financial system. As an individual investor, you’re not particularly likely to be caught up in them—but it could happen, and with fines of about US$330,000 per transaction, you really want to avoid that. Financial institutions are the traditional gatekeepers of this kind of thing. Any large bank will have a policy of not doing business with sanctioned individuals or entities, and individual investors can reasonably expect any financial institution they’re investing through in traditional asset classes to take care of the due…