Featured on the front panel of the cover are a diverse group of heavy-hitters from Hong Kong’s entertainment industry. Shown are CLOT founder Edison Chen (center,) in addition to Hsu Chi, Cherrie Ying, Miriam Yeung, film director Andrew Lau (seated,) Anthony Wong, Eason Chan, and Josie Ho.

The second and third panels contain twenty members of the CLOT family including Sam Lee, Amanda S, DJ Tommy, M.C. Yan, Poon, Hanjin, Pavlos, Chef, Billy, Tony, Ken, Mike and a whole gang more.

To see the full tri-panel cover photo, please click here.

In addition to brief interviews with crew members, the magazine highlights CLOT’s over thirty(!) high-profile collaborations. Partners have included brands such as Nike, Levi’s, BAPE, Revolver, Neighborhood, Be@rbrick, Devilock, EA, Bandai, and celebrities such as Kanye West, and Maggie Q.

Sorry, but do you guys ever take a vacation?

To check out EAST TOUCH go here.

Hong Kong’s Soho neighborhood (which in this case stands for South of Hollywood Road,) is known primarily for two streets: Staunton Street and Elgin Street. The place was a low-rent backwater of printing shops and scap-compacting until the escalator was completed in 1993.

Built on a steep slope, the area slowly began to attract restauranteurs who bet that commuters taking the Mid-Levels escalator home from work might want to stop off to grab a bite to eat. Due to the low rents, individuals (not big corporations) began to open up interesting shops and small, unique restaurant / bars.

Fast forward to 2007, these two blocks and the surrounding alleys are filled with rows of restaurants specializing in foreign cuisines, interspersed with small boutiques. Now that the street is well established, people like Starbucks, 7-11, and Krispy Kreme have descended, delivering convenience, but driving up the rents. With prices so high, the recipe that allowed Soho to have a distinct feel is now being threatened.

In response, Soho pioneers are coping with this by starting to expand to the west, moving towards a neighborhood called Sheung Wan. Some are also pushing northward, into what is now known as Noho.

This brings us back to Nadia. Six years ago, Nadia operated a cool underground bar on Elgin Street that was the best nightspot in Hong Kong. You’d arrive at a non-descript door, press a buzzer, walk down a flight of stairs and enter a totally bohemian world. Musical instruments lined the floor and sooner or later someone would pick one up and a surreal jam-session would ensue. The crowd was made up of Hong Kong’s artistic and creative types. Movie stars, socialites and musicians would converge. It was absolutely never dull. People entranced by the environment, let their guard down and socialized freely, making it a truly special place in what can sometimes be a cold city.

Back to the present again, Nadia currently has a new underground bar / speak-easy on Wellington Street in Noho. Called Sense 99, it’s one of the top alternative nightlife choices in town.

Again mimicking the expansion trend, Select 18, Nadia’s shop, is located on the new western frontier of Soho. Select 18 specializes in vintage clothing and jewelry. As a small unique shop it epitomizes the warm, individual spirit that once set Soho apart from other neighborhoods in Hong Kong.

I couldn’t help but shoot a little video of the fish tank that Nadia and her partner Thomas just installed. (It’s painted to look like an old-fashioned TV!) Keeping goldfish is thought to bring good luck and it’s common to find a fish tank in homes, offices and shops.

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The exact street address is 18 Bridges Street. Staunton Street – Soho’s main thoroughfare, turns into Bridges Street after it bisects Aberdeen Street. Select 18 is located directly in back of Centre Stage, the new development that houses club M1NT and The Press Room restaurant on 108 Hollywood Road.

In between the F.I.L. store opening and an event for Rio Mints, I stopped by my friend Eyedie Tai’s photo exhibition. The show was held at Philia Lounge which is located on Arbuthnot Road, just up the street from Hong Kong’s top club, Dragon-i, in Central. Active as a photographer, a model, and a socialite, Eyedie is a well known face around Hong Kong.

Eyedie’s last exhibition held at Kee Club several years ago was heavy on portraits and Moments Voles II is the same. Though the show contains a mixture of material, perhaps the majority of attention went to a collection of portraits featuring several of Hong Kong’s most beautiful celebrity / actress / models including Nissa, Gaile, Lisa S., Amanda Strang, and Isabella Leong.

Rather than straight fashion shots, the photos here have a distinct candid feeling. Accurately titled “Stolen Moments” in French, the result is an exhibition with a casual, relaxed warmth that accentuates the feminine beauty of her subjects.

Since Eyedie’s relationship with most of the models here is beyond simply a professional association, there is an intimacy in the photos that perhaps shows the model’s true face.

There was a large turnout for the opening, including an army of reporters who kept Eyedie busy answering questions about her work.

The entrance-way to the lounge was covered in a wall of photographic prints.

I was cruising around Causeway Bay when I nearly walked into a street promotion for my friend Jill’s debut album ‘Hit Me’. Jill and her twin sister Janice are everywhere in Hong Kong these days. They are featured in a huge McDonald’s campaign, and you can hear their music blasting from trendy shopping centers all over town. Jill’s twin sister Janice established herself as the hottest new singer in Hong Kong last year, and it’s exciting that Jill is now entering the market as well. In contrast to the good-looks-only Pop idols that make up a large portion of the industry, Jill and Janice are both talented, experienced singers.

Janice and Jill aren’t the only twins in the H.K. music industry. Two twin brothers – Dino and Julio, who form a group called Soler, are another pair. These guys also stand out in the market. Although newcomers in Hong Kong, they are both serious musicians who have put in years building their musical skills. I’ve seen them perform live on several occasions, and they put on a great show.

The most famous set of twins in the H.K. music industry aren’t actually twins at all, but that didn’t stop them from going by the group name Twins. Gillian and Charlene, more commonly known as A Gil, and A Sa, were, and still are a phenomenon. In terms of the new economics of the Hong Kong music industry, where product endorsement nets more revenue than music sales, Twins are one of the most successful acts in Hong Kong. Their cute, innocent looks lead to a marketing bonanza, and they appeared in hundreds of ad campaigns.