For years, vacant lots sat idle on Wellington Street, a busy pathway between the escalator, Lan Kwai Fong, and the heart of Central. Recently however, the look of the street has changed dramatically. The long, inclined block now boasts a healthy array of retail brands occupying ground floor locations. What happened? (more…)

Friday night for the first time I took the new ferry directly to the Cotai strip in Macau. This recently developed area is home to several new attractions, the most prominent being the massive Venetian complex.

Arriving at night, the new route lacks the dramatic view of the older Jetfoil, but it’s a more direct option if you’re headed to Taipa. My destination for the night was the Moet Bar which recently opened in the brand new DFS Galleria Macau, part of The Shoppes at the Four Seasons. The sprawling network of buildings is actually all connected to the Venetian.

To make things clear, the Moet Bar isn’t meant to be a nightspot. In fact, its operating hours end at midnight. (more…)

Long before CLOT and Silly Thing popped up on the international street wear radar, Hong Kong was already home to several urban brands. For those who don’t know, Dusty is a local clothing company with a long pedigree. These guys have been doing their thing way before most of Hong Kong caught on. I’m talking about nearly a decade of bringing cool brands to the city and doing collaborations with underground artists from all over the world. (more…)

Being located at the foot of the world’s foremost clothing producer has its benefits. While shopping in Hong Kong offers a cornucopia of brands, there are even more choices tucked away on side streets around the city. In fact, almost every major neighborhood in Hong Kong has some sort of store selling factory samples at a fraction of their normal retail price. If you derive pleasure from uncovering hidden treasures, then sample store hunting is for you! (more…)

Strolling through the third floor of the IFC mall, I was surprised to see the denim brands: Evisu, 7 For All Mankind, True Religion, and Lucky Brand Jeans, all occupying the same corner of the shopping center. In a pamphlet nearby I read that this area is dubbed the ‘Denim Zone‘.

In Hong Kong you traditionally have similar businesses clustered together in the same district. This means that lighting stores will be next to lighting stores, restaurant suppliers next to restaurant suppliers, sneakers shops next to sneaker shops, fabric stores next to fabric stores and so forth.

Was the placement of the denim brands here an example of an old technique in a new setting, or something different altogether? If it works for kitchen sinks, will it fly for fashion? (more…)

The D-mop crew christened a new J-01 shop on Friday afternoon and celebrated with the launch of the Adidas ZX Consortium line. The ZX line features shoes designed by trend-setting retailers from around the world including two Hong Kong / China fashion players, D-mop, and CLOT / ACU.

Here’s a sneak peek at the shoes! (more…)

Obviously I don’t leave town much, so it came as quite a surprise to discover a mini-Muji store in the departure hall of the Hong Kong International Airport recently. Muji, the Japanese retailer, is famous for their high-quality, minimalist goods. Their selections are wide, ranging from clothing and stationary, to household items and snacks. My first impression was to write it off as an over-aggressive expansion. What are they doing opening up a shop at the airport? (more…)

I’ve known about Loading since it opened up a few months ago, but I didn’t make it over until they held a special live painting event featuring Swedish graffiti artist Anna Fredriksson. (more…)

If you’re a regular reader of Hong Kong Hustle you know that I’ve written about the city’s mini-malls regularly. I’ve explained the logic behind them due to Hong Kong’s exorbitant rents and the scarcity of land. I explained how they’re useful for new designers who can’t afford premium ground floor locations. I’ve also talked about a recent resurgence in the shopping centers and the trend to convert semi-profitable large spaces (such as cinemas) into compartmentalized mini-malls. Well, it’s recently gone one step further. (more…)

I was cutting through Sharp Street in back of Times Square last night when I saw a bright wall decorating an area under construction. The temporary facade featured scores of colorfully animated characters including the iconic Julius the monkey. The words at the top said “Stick around to find out where Julius and Friends sail off to next.” Below it noted simply “the paul frank store.” Hong Kong’s been waiting for this! (more…)