Mac Joan she the VIP judge at this
year's Hong Kong young fashion designers
contest is no stranger to Hong Kong 17
years ago a thorough teamo expanded his
asian business beyond Japan through Hong
Kong oh no he called his name emo I
think Hong Kong is a window on the
fashion business it's very important to
realize that once you set up a
successful business in Hong Kong you can
have the support you need to go into
other places like the Chinese mainland
Asura teamo the label reflects Eastern
and Western influences the Japanese
designer adopted having lived in Paris
since 1979 well she wrote scripted in
Hawai I make western-style clothes as
far as the silhouettes I make I'm more
influenced by European aesthetics
however when it comes to materials and
design details I think I'm more
influenced by Japanese or should I say
Asian aesthetics so I mix these things
together and the resulting combination
makes my work a bit different from
European design Hong Kong started to
emerge as a fashion hub in the 1990s so
that's why i chose the city as my first
base outside japan at the time i met a
very good partner and this helped me
make up my mind to set up my business in
Hong Kong that partner was Hong Kong
company side Fame a subsidiary of the
Phoenix group which helped the Japanese
designer introduces a tour teamo and 80
labels to the city i met mr. tama in the
Paris ex everything years ago we opened
our shop in Paris our interprovincial
first and then we were neighbors
therefore we found it oh this Japanese
he has talents and he knows the market
therefore we love the brand they marry
bring them Hong Kong we started only one
shop of adult armor and one shop in 80
at beginning and the reputation was very
good and is great he has creativity and
he know the market five years ago at
hora te ama branched out into the
Chinese mainland market children
two other snare I recall mainland
visitors to Hong Kong including those
involved in the fashion industry would
say they liked my designs they would ask
me why don't you enter the China market
that's when I decided to enter the
mainland market today datura teamo has
six outlets in Hong Kong as well as 25
stores on the mainland either directly
owned or franchise and as the center of
the fashion industry shifts East mr.
Toyama says Hong Kong is playing a key
role listening did i do know uh i think
the world has been changing every 10
years in the 1970s 80s and 90s I think
Tokyo was the heart of the fashion
business but by the year 2000 it was
impossible to neglect the growing power
of china since then it's true the hub
has changed now the center of Asia has
shifted from Tokyo to Hong Kong we have
a Hong Kong style and this continues to
be developed so I think the city really
influences Asia and the rest of the
world we have to think Grove oh and
understand local China is a big big
market but mos'ly foreigner do not
understand China are we ate in Hong Kong
we understand more remember the other
snare in the old days when people
thought about fashion they would divide
things country by country they would say
Japan fashion then Chinese fashion but
nowadays we think in terms of the whole
of Asia so it's not about tokyo fashion
it should be asia fashion so with hong
kong at the center of Asia I think it's
very important for your label to have a
presence in Hong Kong I'm making fashion
for the entire Asia market and that's
why i'll be working hard here in Hong
Kong
you