Dear readers, thank you for all of your support over the past year! You might be wondering what’s happened to the look of the site. I assure you that this is a temporary change. Hong Kong Hustle is getting ready to launch a new interface in the new year (if I can figure out exactly how to make it work!) so please be patient. I will continue to update the site while working behind the scenes on the interface.

Thanks again for all of your emails and comments. I apologize that I simply don’t have enough time to respond to each and every one. It’s not because I don’t want to help, it’s because I’m often busy attending events, writing up posts and editing photos! I believe some of the new features of the site will help provide you with the additional information you’ve been requesting.

But what’s the significance of the shoes in the photo above? (more…)

Last week I stopped by the opening of the new DevilCLOT store in Soho. It’s a temporary boutique, only open for a month and a half, until the end of December. (For more background info, please see my previous post here.)

Endo from Devilock was in the house, along with Edison from CLOT, and Madsaki (pictured above from left to right).

Earlier in the day I had passed by and watched through the window as they applied the finishing touches. (more…)

DevilCLOT is a collaboration between the Japanese brand Devilock and Hong Kong’s CLOT label. The shop is actually a temporary store that opens on November 15th and closes for good at the end of December. How much more exclusive can you get? Limited edition clothing for sale in a shop with a time limit! (more…)

I’m almost back to normal after a long week of parties and events, the climax being the third anniversary of CLOT on Friday night. CLOT is the multi-dimensional company formed by the actor and singer Edison Chen with several of his close friends. In three short years, CLOT has made a name for itself collaborating with top international talent in the fields of music, film, clothing, sneakers, and toys. (For more background info on CLOT check out my related entries here.)

Previous CLOT anniversary parties have been my pick for best party of the year, so I attended Friday’s event with great anticipation. A combination of factors make their events consistently excellent: the venues they choose are always interesting; the crowd is a diverse mixture (though heavy on the entertainment side;) the music is provided by top international d.j.s.; and the champagne is plentiful. As far as parties go, their formula is a good one! (more…)

This week’s issue of EAST TOUCH magazine features a special tri-fold cover of the extended CLOT crew. The first third of the magazine, (nearly 40 pages!) is devoted to CLOT’s accomplishments over the last three years and includes a time-line of their projects.

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.

The CLOT third anniversary is swiftly approaching! Rumor has it that the special guest d.j. is one of the hottest global d.j. / producers around. If the info is indeed true, I’m extremely excited since this will be his first time performing in Hong Kong. CLOT’s previous events have historically been my favorite parties of the year, and I expect the third anniversary to be equally amazing!

The past year for CLOT has been a milestone with several huge achievements. In addition to tens of high profile collaborations (such as LEVIS, and EA,) there’s been the Kanye West concert, the wildly successful launch of the CLOT Nike sneakers, and the CLOT clothing line - Alienegra, not to mention all of the action with Soleciety in Shanghai.

Congratulations Edison, Kevin, Pavlos and Billy - here’s to another year of taking giant steps forward! (p.s. I’ll leave the beer-bong home this year!)

Stay tuned for coverage!

Not only is he the pioneer of Japan’s streetwear scene, the founder of visvim, Head Porter, GoodEnough, Base Station and countless crossover collaborations, but Hiroshi Fujiwara plays a mean acoustic guitar!

It all started on Tuesday when I received an invitation in the mail to check out the F.I.L. (Free International Laboratory) store opening. Actually, the invitation was for two events, a reception at the store from six to eight, followed by a live performance at an outdoor venue from eight to eleven.

F.I.L. is the storefront face of the visvim brand. Visvim was founded by Hiroshi Fujiwara, often referred to as the father of Tokyo’s Harajuku streetwear scene. He’s a visionary in the production and marketing of streetwear and is a mentor to such notable figures as Nigo, the creator of A Bathing Ape. Visvim products are highly regarded for placing equal emphasis on comfort, quality, and design. Although sold in select stores outside of Japan, the Hong Kong shop is their first foreign retail venture.

The Hong Kong F.I.L. store is a collaboration with the I.T. Group, one of the top players in H.K.’s upscale clothing market. Collaborations like this, where a foreign brand has a local partner are a common practice here. In particular D-Mop (another high-end retailer,) and I.T. are the local partner for numerous international brands. Silly Thing, more of a specialty retailer (among other things,) has also adopted this approach.

The store with windows covered on the day before the opening:

The F.I.L. store is located in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central neighborhood. Situated on number 18 Wyndham Street, it’s around the corner from D-Mop, Maison Martin Margiela, and a new Diesel shop. The store is also directly next to Sugar and Hei Hei - two mainstream clubs. M-88, the new building that houses Racks M.D.B. is right across the street. As far as foot traffic and exposure go, it’s in an excellent location.

I stopped by the F.I.L. reception at six-thirty. The narrow sidewalk outside the shop was crowded with press and onlookers. Stepping inside, the shop interior featured bare walls with a single rack of clothing on one side and a short shelf along the other wall on which shoes and a backpack were displayed. The checkout counter also housed jeans and several hats. What did it look like? Check out the photos and video! (more…)

Friday night I attended the launch of Levi’s Copper, a line of jeans that uses original-style copper rivets. The party was held at the Star Ferry pier, which seems to be the venue of choice for everyone these days. (Just to name a few, Nike and Diesel as well as high-fashion brands such as Vivienne Westwood have all used the space recently.) The location is good for a number of reasons - it’s directly in Central, (one of Hong Kong Island’s main neighborhoods,) the space is raw (so it can be outfitted in whatever way the client wants,) it’s a scenic location (with a view of both sides of the harbor,) and it’s away from all residential housing, (which means no noise or crowd complaints!)

Arriving at the venue, for a second I thought there was some sort of Flintstone’s theme going on. After passing through the reception, guests entered a faux mine shaft and proceeded through to the main room of the party. The rest of the venue was similarly decorated with fake stone and rock-textured drapes.

DJ Tommy, Hong Kong’s most famous home-grown D.J. started off the night, followed by a performance by the local group FAMA, sort of a Hip Hop / comedy duo. Ever wonder what rapping sounds like in Cantonese? Check out the videos of Clinton Sparks, Joe Budden and Fama performing! (more…)

I finally got around to selecting photos from the over two-hundred I took on the night of Kanye West’s first Hong Kong performance. The concert was a very big deal for the city. H.K. is not considered a first tier stop on the international concert circuit and seldom do artists visit the city for a show at such a peak in their career. (more…)

After checking out the band show on Friday night, I hopped into a taxi and headed up to The Peak, Hong Kong’s most famous scenic spot. The newly renovated Peak Tower was the site for Electronic Art’s event - a launch party for the new EA showroom and store.

CLOT, the multifaceted branding crew were the organizers of the event. EA certainly chose the right partner to handle the party. CLOT has been on a rampage lately, with projects ranging from launching a much sought after shoe with Nike to bringing Kanye West to perform in Hong Kong at the end of the month. The thing I like about CLOT is that they have vision and put their connections to good use. More than that, their events are always fun. It’s a win-win situation, people attending their events go away with a good time and sponsors are happy (well, except for time we were drinking Moet in the beer bong, but that’s another story!)

When I got to the Peak Tower the place was bathed in spot lights with a large marquee set up near the entrance. The building itself is interesting. It’s shaped like a partial elipse.

Over the last year, the place has been completely redone, making room for more new shops, including the EA store. The Peak Tower also houses the terminal for the Peak Tram, a main tourist attraction that takes you straight up the steep hillside. On the large rooftop of the Peak Tower is an observation deck that offers amazing views of the city. I didn’t know it at the time, but the party was located on the newly renovated roof!

After walking into the building, I took several escalators up to the rooftop. On the way up, I passed by the new EA store which was intriguing. Occupying two floors, it has an atrium-like wall of lights and around thirty gaming stations where visitors can sit and try out the latest EA titles. The place is divided into sub-sections which makes it more exciting to walk around and explore.

The renovated rooftop was much better than before. The entire roof is now accessible, as opposed to only half under the old design. Installed around the lengthy space are high-powered binoculars allowing tourists to focus in on the buildings below. For the night, the rooftop was also sprinkled with XBox 360’s outfitted with EA games. The space was divided into two sections, a VIP area and a normal side. Although a little hazy out, the view from the roof was spectacular. Click these thumbnails to see a bigger view.

The night’s decorations weren’t limited to the immediate grounds. Residents of The Peak, Hong Kong’s wealthiest address (and one of the most affluent neighborhoods in the world) were in for a shock as they returned home from dinner to find a huge logo of the branding group CLOT projected onto their mountainside! Actually, the light alternated between the EA logo and the CLOT symbol. One word: impressive!

Hong Kong’s famous D.J. Tommy was the first act of the night, spinning from an elevated platform just above a huge screen showing clips from different EA games. Later in the night N.Y.’s Just Blaze, one of the top producers in Hip Hop music would take over the decks. This would make Just Blaze’s third appearance in Hong Kong in the last year. He’s been here previously for the CLOT anniversary party and for a Diesel event as well.

The party was packed by eleven. Bottles of Moet and Hennessy were everywhere. It was a tough night to not indulge!

Towards the end of the night I went downstairs for a closer look at the EA shop. There were groups of people hanging out playing the games.

The police put an end to music on the rooftop, so the party eventually moved downstairs to the EA store. During the transition I had a chance to talk with Just Blaze about the old days of N.Y. Hip Hop radio - and he actually burned me a CD of a long lost show! I hope I can repay his generosity some day.

The Electronic Arts event was yet another in a string of memorable parties by CLOT. Despite all the planning, the CLOT events wouldn’t be a success without this guy, codename: Cobra, he even smiled for the photo!