A new Japanese aesthetics Wabi-sabi lifestyle is now created in Hong Kong
Wabi-sabi has a long history in Japan and is based on the idea of finding beauty in the transience of nature. It accepts the natural cycle of birth and decay and the irregularities of impermanence and strips away excesses to reveal the simplicity and purity that lies beneath. The aesthetic is often described as the beauty of the incomplete. In parallel with this new design concept, Mr. Cheng, who is ranked among the “ArtReview” Power 100 list as one of the contemporary art world’s most influential figures, has also introduced the Artisanal lifestyle which emphasises the exquisite nature of a hand-crafted way that brings artistry, craftsmanship and rich cultural heritage to the fore.
Exemplifying the new movement is THE PAVILIA HILL, a new, large-scale residential project completed by New World recently. THE PAVILIA HILL is the first ever development in Hong Kong to embrace the Japanese Wabi-sabi design aesthetic, and the first large-scale residential project on Hong Kong Island demonstrates the spirit of The Artisanal Movement, “We Create, we are Artisans”
A Pavilion stands serenely on a lush hillside. A Villa sits grandly amidst a paradise of green. As the project’s chief planner, Mr. Cheng named the project THE PAVILLIA HILL: The Pavilion-like Villa on the Hill, Mr Cheng then joined hands with two internationally renowned designers, Shunmyo Masuno and Koichiro Ikebuchi, to curate this serene pavilia-on-the-hill, beside the city and yet surrounded by nature, to life for the people of Hong Kong.
The transformation from straight lines to curves in the design represents the transition from the rigid constraints of the city to the flowing freedom of nature. The architect designed the garden from the perspective of the user and has incorporated a landscape of undulating hills and green plants to offset the disturbances of the city and create an oasis of quiet serenity for residents on their way home. This is designed deliberately to soothe the soul by embracing the calming beauty of nature. Masuno-san travelled extensively to find just the right stone materials to resonate with the architecture and trigger people’s emotions. Major stone sculptures in the landscape were personally selected and extracted by him from the “Five-sword Mountain” in Japan. The stones each have a unique texture and meaning which through his craftsmanship, will represent the essence of the five elements of nature: San (Mountain), Sui (Water), Ari (Existence), Sei (Purity) and On (Sound)
For more information, please stay tuned with our Spring and Summer issue release on next Week!
THE DOT LAUNCHED NEW COLLECTION WITH AWARD-WINNING ARTIST MISS LED
Hong Kong fashion accessories brand, THE DOT launched its new feminine collection with the award-winning artist, Joanna Henly, aka Miss Led at PMQ Hong Kong last month. THE DOT is always bringing us many colourful, happiness and playful products which collaborated with different talented artists from all over the world and transformed their artworks into a wearable art, like bags, scarves and other accessories.
Thank you THE DOT brought Miss Led to Hong Kong and it’s her first time to Asia in her 8th year’s illustration career. With recognition for ‘Best of British Illustration’ and winner of the Secret Wars Live Art Tournament, Miss Led ‘s illustration can be found across numerous famous brand, like Clinique, BraUn, Loreal, Head and Shoulders, H&M, VANS, Ted Baker, Reebok, Nike and many more. Miss Led loves collecting images from magazine or any kinds of graphics and photos that she likes where her inspirations came from. In her latest creation with THE DOT, ‘Call me baby’ is full of whimsy, flirtation and dreaminess which inspired by the 1970’s glossy shimmery look, fashion photographer- Guy Bourdin and Pantone colours of the year.
At the launch party, Miss Led presented a live painting demonstration and some of her drawings were showcased along with The Dot’s collection at store. Fortunately, Miss Led spent another day in Hong Kong for holding a portraiture workshop during the weekend. Guests were able to explore wide range of techniques - starts from tracing different portraits, mixing colours, experimenting different textures and colouring the final piece. She mentioned holding a workshop is very interesting and important to her. She could obtain a lot of inspirations during her teaching as each person may have different styles and drawings results at the end.
Address: H312, 3/F, Block B, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong.
Tel: +852 2386 6061
Experience “Buono Buonissimo” Afternoon Tea at Feast (Food by EAST) - Inspired by Venchi
Feast (Food by EAST) presents “Buono Buonissimo” afternoon tea inspired by Venchi, a premium Italian chocolatier with a century of history. “Buono Buonissimo” in Italy means “very delicious”. The tea set will be available at Feast from 5 April to 29 May offering sweet enticement for chocolate lovers.
Executive Chef David Parkin and his team have created a set of mouth-watering savoury bites including Seared Tuna Loin, Parmesan Hazelnut Sable baked with natural EAST urban garden pesto and Venchi’s Granella Nocciole, Lobster Caesar Salad, Tea Smoked Salmon Toasted Brioche with Pickled Cucumber and Avocado Butter and Parma Ham, Emmenthal and Truffle Panini. To charge up your palate, enjoy sweet items made with Venchi’s renowned 75% Extra Dark Chocolate, Primifrutti Soft Fruit Candies, Cuba Rhum and Granella Nougatine, featuring Dark Chocolate Mousse, Layered Citrus Gelee, Cuba Rhum Brûlée and Piedmont Hazelnut Cupcake. Guests can enjoy a cup of coffee or tea to enhance their tea experience.
In addition, for those who like to experience more of Venchi, a pop-up store will be set up at the entrance of Feast from 1 April to 18 May. The store offers a ‘Pick and Mix’ purchase, where guests can pick their favourite chocolates to be measured by weight.
“Buono Buonissimo” afternoon tea is priced at HK$288* for two from Monday to Friday and HK$388* on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. Guests will receive a special gift** and VIP membership** from Venchi to enjoy privileges when shopping at their shops. Guests enjoying the afternoon tea set on the weekends will also receive a voucher for the signature mini gelato** at Venchi shops.
*Prices are subject to 10% service charge **All gifts are on a first-come, first-served basis
For reservations: feastreservations@east-hongkong.com / +852 3968 3777
Address: 1/F, EAST, 29 Taikoo Sing Road, Tai Koo, Hong Kong
Touring 90th Years of Excellence with GODIVA Media Tour
Official Chocolatier of Belgian Royal Courts, GODIVA Chocolatier steps into its 90th Anniversary in 2016. To celebrate this momentous occasion, GODIVA exclusively invited 20 selected media to visit their home in Brussels. The meeting was a delicious multi-sensory experience, breathtakingly bringing to life the rich history and craftsmanship, featuring GODIVA’s bold collections from past to present; presenting the sweetly nostalgic and cutting edge chocolate designs to astound guests from all over the globe.
Media Tour Day 1 - To kick-start the tour, guests delved into the brand’s rich heritage on the first day with visits to GODIVA’s most iconic stores, at Grand Plaza and Sablon. After a warm welcome drink of rich hot cocoa at the store, they were also treated to taste a few Belgium-exclusive chocolates. They were then taken to visit only one of two Chocolate and Cocoa museums in Belgium, owned by Mrs. Peggy Draps, granddaughter of GODIVA founder, Pierre Draps. The visit to the museum exhibited the history of chocolate, as well as brought to life the story of GODIVA. Peggy Draps gave an insightful tour of the museum, showing original photos of the birth of GODIVA in 1926, she explained how the young Draps family handmade, discussed and lived chocolate. This depicted the growth of GODIVA, and how it counted heavily on the passion, craftsmanship and innovation, inspiring every guest who attended. In the evening, guests were welcomed with a ‘Greater China Night’ with inspirational embracement of China’s culture, marking it a fabulous end of the first day of Brussels’ Immersion.
Media Tour Day 2 - The day started off with an exclusive GODIVA Factory visit. The GODIVA Factory visit was indeed a special treat, as outsiders would not have access to these exclusive areas. The 20 Media from Greater China were invited to learn about the chocolate making process, all the way from preparing raw ingredients, the design process, and the craftsmanship of each piece of chocolate. The media was blown away by the immaculate dedication to the art. The Signature Lait Café is a prime example, this chocolate was created in 1939 to commemorate the feather on Scarlett’s hat in “Gone With the Wind”. The media witnessed workers who have been working at GODIVA for over 20 years, hand paint the feather on each and every piece of chocolate.
After the tour of the factory, Chef Chocolatiers invited the media to a Special Chocolate Making session at the Atelier. Using a variety of ingredients, the 20 guests were guided to create their own masterpieces. At the end of the session, the Chef arranged the 18 pieces together, allowing the media to discover a fascinating surprise, the unveiling of the brand new packaging for the 90th Anniversary Collection, designed by Oli-B. The guests signed their names on the chocolate packaging, creating a unique memorabilia.
On that evening, 135 guests from all over the world were invited to an unforgettable event. The first layer of the event was the priceless exhibition of GODIVA’s Founder, Pierre Draps notebook and chocolate tools; these very pieces are where GODIVA all came together in the 1930s. Then guests migrated to the second layer, which was the epitome of GODIVA’s multi-sensory experience. Using sensory neuro-science, individual taste experiences were designed to showcase the decades of GODIVA’s collection. It featured five pods, which were each dedicated to telling the story and enhancing the flavour profile. When the right visuals, sounds, scent and texture comes together, it becomes incredibly powerful as it heightens are senses, making our experience much more memorable, engaging us emotionally. The highlight of the evening was the third layer, which represents the future. The Rose and Raspberry Sensory meal holds true to its theme, the multi-sensory dining experience positions GODIVA as true culinary artists, pioneering and in line with the latest gastronomic trends. Michelin-star restaurant, Bon Bon’s executive chef, Chef Christophe and the culinary team at GODIVA prepared the impressive dinner.
At the end of the night, all guests had a wonderful night with a valuable and meaningful gift - GODIVA’s Collection Anniversaire, containing eight of GODIVA’s most precious and iconic chocolates, alongside a brand new fresh, fragrant rose and raspberry-flavoured piece, presented to artfully showcase GODIVA’s tradition and innovative journey of GODIVA’s rich heritage. GODIVA’s CEO, Mohammed Elsarky made a note, “GODIVA have been creating beautiful chocolates for the past 90 years, with an emphasis on its craftsmanship. This is an important milestone for us and the Draps family, we hope to carry this tradition for generations to come, bringing GODIVA’s skills and innovation to chocolate lovers worldwide.”
Le French May x GourMay 2016
Just few days away from the biggest May’s festival - Le French May 2016. It is an annual arts and food festival organized by the Consul General France in Hong Kong & Macau and has become a significant and iconic cultural festival in Hong Kong. Themed “Dreams & Wonders” for the 24th edition of Le French May Arts Festival and the region Alsace as the 8th edition of Le French GourMay Food and wine Festival, will be launched different events across Hong Kong.
• 30 April – 2 May: Le French May * Le French GourMay 2016 Opening Celebrations@ PMQ
• 7 May: Le French GourMay 2016: Le Voyage de Musique et Vin @ HMV Flagship Store
• 14 – 15 May: French Traditional Market @ Stanley Plaza
During the whole month of May this year, up to 200 partners (compared to 130 last year) – Michelin-starred chefs, restaurants, as well as food and wine importers, distributors and retailers in Hong Kong and Macau – will join hands to honour Le French GourMay 2016 by dedicated menus to match with Alsatian wines, and various wine tastings, promotions and workshops. An impressive number of 111 restaurants will transport the local food scene to Alsace! With an increase in casual-dining and fine-dining restaurants, especially those serving Asian cuisines (e.g. Cantonese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, etc.), this year’s festival aims at touching not only Francophiles but a larger public with diverse tastes. From your favorite next door deli to your most convenient stores, find all the best delicacies of Alsace in more than 80 retail locations, and learn how to cook them in a variety of workshops.
Wines in Alsace
The vibrancy and purity of the wines of Alsace are closely linked to their origins: a favorable climate, terroirs of exceptional geological diversity and exacting wine-making expertise.
The uniqueness of Alsace’s terroir lies in its distinguished characteristics of the climate and the geological diversity. Alsace’s viticultural zone is located on the eastern slopes of the Vosges Mountains, which creates a natural barrier to shelter the vineyards. The favorable semi-continental climate – sunny, hot and dry – in Alsace contribute to the development of complex aromas, vivid acidity and rich fruit.
Alsace has also witnessed its geological evolution throughout more than 150 million years. Nowadays, most of the viticultural communes in Alsace are situated on four or five different rock formations, all combining to form a mosaic of soils with an unparalleled richness and diversity. There are in total 13 geological configurations deployed across Alsace’s three structural units: the slopes of the mountains, with very varied, fragmented soil types; the foothills of the Vosges, which feature the most complex range of soil structures; and the plains are characterized by more recent, less developed soil structures.
These entire configurations help to create the exceptional variety of Alsace Wines out of 7 main grape varietals,after which Alsace Wines are named (not named after the villages or vineyards):
• Alsace Pinot Blanc: light-bodied wines with subtle fruit and notes of peach and apple, with floral nuances.
• Alsace Sylvaner: refreshing, light-bodied wines with delicate fruit.
• Alsace Riesling: dry and extremely elegant wines with subtle fruity and floral notes.
• Alsace Muscat: crispy wines notable for their vivacious fruit, their intense aromas and their dryness
• Alsace Pinot Gris: opulent and round wines rich in aromatic complexity of dried fruit, apricot, honey, beeswax and gingerbread.
• Alsace Gewurztraminer: powerful and highly aromatic wines with tropical fruit, flowers, citrus and spices.
• Alsace Pinot Noir: Alsace's only red wine - fresh, light and fruity.
For details: http://2016.frenchmay.com/
Exclusive Interview with Michael Petry - Creative Director, TUMI
M: Merci Editor | MP: Michael Petry
M: Can you tell us more about the coming FW collection and the inspiration behind it? What are the highlights?
MP: Each season we visit a new destination and we incorporate graphic patterns and colors important to that location into the collection. The inspiration for the Fall/Winter 2016 season is contemporary Japan, and a rich color palette rooted in nature is the foundation for this collection. We had a lot of fun infusing strong prints and bold colors into silhouettes that are designed with simplicity and functional purposes, giving personality to each piece.
Some highlights include the ever-popular Tegra-Lite® assortment in new seasonal Indigo Floral and Character Print, the select silhouettes in the Tahoe assortment updated in new Forest Print and some new assortment additions: ultra-premium Landon, made from matte pebbled leather and beautifully refined hardware signature to the collection; and Haydon—a new lightweight assortment of soft, relaxed silhouettes that are both fashion-forward and functional.
M: How have you applied your knowledge and expertise on textile from fashion to design to the new collection?
MP: While this role differs from previous positions I’ve held, I believe it is important to bring your prior experiences to the next job in your career. I’ve learned that in any job, it’s imperative to be immersed in the company culture and I encouraged those I worked with to be as well. “Culture” in this case is referring to how we design—allowing an open forum for everyone to speak his or her mind and pushing creativity. It’s important to make the work environment more open and dynamic, thus making the design process more team-oriented and always collaborative.
M: You grew up in the same era as TUMI did. Is there anything in your generation that means something to both you and TUMI and are you intended to incorporate it/ them to TUMI's collections in the future?
MP: We’ve worked very hard to keep the brand’s DNA in every single product we make while updating the silhouettes, the styling and paying particular attention to every little detail and touch point. The brand continues to evolve every season. At TUMI, we are always looking at ways to elevate our product through material innovation—from various leathers, textiles, trims and hardware details.
M: Why did you move from fashion design to product design?
MP: I’ve always done accessories and I have experience in making outerwear. I have 17 years of footwear experience; I’ve probably made every style of shoe possible. Joining TUMI was a great challenge because I’ve been design and creative director for some great brands throughout my career. This was an opportunity to take on a real American brand that has a fantastic reputation. Everywhere I go, people will say “I own a piece of TUMI,” or “I know someone who owns TUMI,” which is really great to hear. My goal has been about how to make the brand cooler and get people to reach it on a daily basis and not just from a travel standpoint.
M: And your reason choose to join TUMI?
MP: I was attracted to the brand because of its reputation for making luxury goods and being known for its superior quality and durability. TUMI has a great collection of classic silhouettes that never go out of style. Those are all things that great brands are built upon. I have been a fan of the brand for a very long time. Anyone who has traveled the world as extensively as I have definitely is a fan of the brand, the quality, the style and the timeless nature of the products.
M: How will you help TUMI stand out from competitors?
MP: The brand is known for superior product quality and durability, and the classic silhouettes never go out of style. Since beginning my role here at TUMI, the goal has been—and will continue to be—to evolve the brand aesthetic by making cool product as well as to elevate the creative of the product and our global marketing appearance. In my opinion, great brands are successful when they challenge themselves to innovate and create.
We will also continue to grow our consumer base to include younger and trend-focused individuals through more casual and tech-oriented product, while ensuring that the iconic and staple features for which clients look to TUMI are left intact and made better than ever.
About Michael Petry
In June 2015, Michael Petry joined TUMI, the leading global travel lifestyle brand, as Creative Director. In this role, Mr. Petry provides the TUMI brand vision and communications, enhancement of product identity, ensuring alignment of all creative disciplines, and set the strategic creative direction for TUMI to achieve business objectives that advance the brands’ strategy. Additionally Michael provides global leadership to marketing, design, public relations, digital and ecommerce platforms, visual merchandising and store design while ensuring that the brand identity, product aesthetic and quality are consistent with the expectations of TUMI’s target customers worldwide.