Shopping Guide: Hong Kong

Although I’ve been a New Yorker for 20 years, I’m still a Hong Konger in tastes and habits. If you can imagine, New York is laid back for me compared with the concrete jungle of Hong Kong. My old boss sometimes joked how learning to bike in a parking lot shaped my psyche. Let’s just say it prepared me for life in the big apple.

Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan Chinese city with hints of British influences from its colonial days. You can see this unique mix of East meets West in HK’s design scene – fashion, architecture, food, furniture etc. If you ever head out East, just be prepared to be overwhelmed.

We, at Shop Latitude, focus on introducing artisan designs from exotic locales … and Hong Kong does not have a shortage of urban artisans. Here are a few indie shopping options in Hong Kong that’ll give you a taste of its burgeoning design scene.  

PMQ
This former police dormitory, in the SOHO neighborhood, now serves as an office / mall space for local crafters and entrepreneurs. The PMQ community calls themselves create-preneurs, and the stunning space is home to architects, designers, bakers, builders alike. In addition to housing stores, restaurants and offices, PMQ hosts a variety of events, workshops & shows to support the creative community in Hong Kong.  
http://www.pmq.org.hk/the-site/our-concept/

Kapok
This lifestyle store curates home and fashion design from local and Chinese makers. They carry brands like Knotti, designed by my friend Denise Ho, a local fashion stylist who spent 1 year teaching low-income women how to knit and create sustainable knitwear.  Un/Fold & The Fabrick Lab are brands that work with artisans in Guizhou, China to produce handwoven batik home accessories. These brands defy the reputation that “Made in China” means cheap factory goods.
http://www.ka-pok.com/webshop/
kapok crafted in hk
g/f, hollywood / hg10 -12
PMQ, 35 aberdeen street, central, hong kong

G.O.D.
G.O.D. in Cantonese means “to live better”. Their products may not be hand-made, but their designs showcase Hong Kong’s unique history, and sends you back to the era of Wong Kar Wai’s “In the Mood for Love”. They sell a fun array of knick-knacks, and are perfect gifts for friends back home.
https://god.com.hk/
G09-G14, G/F Block A, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street
, Central, Hong Kong

Gough Street Boutiques
Ask someone for directions and climb up to this little block in SOHO, it’ll be worth your while. I always advise friends to line-up for the Brisket Noodles at “Kau Kee”, and then work their way down the block to shop local designs from Sidewalk, Opera Opera, The Collectives, etc.
Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong

Island Beverly Center

Beware, this shopping center in Causeway Bay is overwhelming… this is the real, raw, local Hong Kong shopping experience. The shopping mall houses a myriad of little boutiques that sell fashion products from local, Japanese, and Korean designers. There’s also a lot of small stores that import beauty products from Japan and Korea. Its knick-knack heaven, and I always manage to find something unique and different from the myriad of fashion brands that flood the market.

Island Beverly, 1 Great George Street (opposite Sogo), Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

Written by Alisa Ng, CEO & Founder of Shop Latitude