WWDAccessories Section II

STARRY EYES

SUNGLASS SURVEY: WHAT’S IN, OUT, NEXT

HONG KONG’S NEWACCESSORIES HUBCONTEMPORARY’SHANDBAG BOOM

Céline’s acetate sunglasses, Gigi Burris’ hat, Fallon’s necklace and earrings, Portolano’s gloves and

L’Agence’s dress.

Holly Golightly’s wardrobe in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” stole the show, not only for making famous Givenchy’s Little Black Dress, but also for Oliver Goldsmith’s oversize frames, a style that later would become synonymous with Jackie O. Half a century later, the look still rocks. For more sunglasses that made a statement in fi lm, see pages 8 and 9.

PHOTO BY GEORGE CHINSEE; STYLED BY ROXANNE ROBINSON

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SECTION II

2 WWD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

WWDACCESSORIES

HAND IN HANDA Stiebich & Rieth bag is more than the sum of its parts — though the parts are also pretty important for the Hamburg-based designer team.

Detlef Stiebich and Julia Rieth met working for Wolfgang Joop, then opened an accessories design consultancy together, serving brands includ-ing Bogner, Wunderkind and Hanro. They founded Stiebich & Rieth in 2013 with the aim of stepping away from designing by computer, and taking mat-ters in hand.

Their bags are hand-fi n-ished with a two-needle saddle technique from leather too stiff to stitch with machines.

“We love the look, the smell and the aging of this material,” said Stiebich about the leather, which is tanned only with natural ingredients, such as chestnut roots. All production takes place in north-ern Germany.

Excess adornments are eschewed for a love of the pure line. Logos are mini-mal, and hardware is solid brass. This functional-chic aesthetic garnered the pair the Young Designers Award for Accessories given out by trade show Premium in January.

The 10 bags in Stiebich & Rieth’s current collection, the brand’s

second, are vivid and playful, defying the serious design. Colors include blush, or-ange, cobalt blue and light gray. There’s Kit, a zippered pouch with contrast strap, (350 euros or $398); Oblong,

a classic handbag, (2,100 euros or $2,391), and Catch, a clutch with a bold clasp (870 euros, or $990).

Stockists include Khadi & Co. in Paris, Linette in Hamburg, Odeeh in Berlin, and Off & Co. in Munich. Next up, the design-ers are aiming for London, Tokyo and New York.

— SUSAN STONE

MAKING A CASEIn drawing inspiration from Japanese minimal-ism and utility, Building Block, an emerging brand based in Los Angeles, is making a mark in the contemporary leather goods market.

The three-year-old label’s range of sleek, geometric handbags is selling out at hip retail emporiums like Creatures of Comfort and La Garçonne, with sales up about 250 percent in the last year. Between 2014 and 2015, the brand has shipped and sold approximately 6,000 units.

The brainchild of sisters Kimberly and Nancy Wu, both former industrial designers, Building Block is “cut around the ideas of editing down and starting from square one — the name is pretty literal, it kind of em-bodies our whole idea,” Kim said.

The label’s original bag endeavor, its Cable + Outlet bucket style, was de-signed to incorporate pared-down fi nish-ings sourced from Tokyo hardware stores. Sparse in embellishments, the bag’s lin-ear appearance was later spun into a larger narrative that now includes more than 35 styles.

Prices for the bags, which are designed in L.A. but produced in the Wu family’s native Taipei, range from about $350 to $1,100. “We’re trying to edit out all the shiny hardware on the generic pieces you see on mainstream handbags today, but put a humorous twist on it,” Kim added.

That sentiment is evident, particularly in the brand’s play on leatherlike textures, such as using heavy-gauge rubber cording for handles instead of hides — to a utili-tarian, nearly undetectable effect. Ditto for its drawstring cinches, which are constructed of unconventional materi-als like Lucite and wooden blocks.

With bags under its belt, the brand plans to branch out into footwear next, and is in the process of devel-oping small leather goods as well as watches and stationary products for future collections.

Nancy explained of Building Block’s larger picture: “We defi nitely think of ourselves more as like a con-cept or a point of view versus a fash-ion or bag brand.”

— MISTY WHITE SIDELL

KYME TIME“This project was born just for fun,” said Antonello Calderoni of his eyewear label Kyme, launched in July 2013.

The owner of two niche eye-wear stores in the towns of Altamura and Gravina, in the Apulia region of Italy, Calderoni tried his hand at designing when he conceived the Miki model for Kyme: a pair of retro-inspired oval sunglasses produced in the Italian eyewear hub of Cadore that he started selling in his boutiques.

“At a certain point, I realized they were selling more than the pieces of other brands I was car-rying at the store, so I decided to launch a full collection,” he said.

In the span of 18 months, Kyme reached about 500 high-end stores worldwide from Asia and the Middle East, to Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In the U.S., the brand is sold at Neiman Marcus

and Bloomingdale’s doors across the country.

He said bookings for the fi rst three months of this year doubled compared to the same period last year, adding that the company ex-pects to generate revenues of 10 million euros, $11.3 million at cur-rent exchange, within fi ve years.

Kyme eyewear retails from 129 euros, or about $147, to 210 euros, or $239. The range includes 12 styles of sunglasses available in a wide array of color combinations. Among the most popular designs are the Ross rounded metallic frames, as well as the Matti, mix-ing metal and acetate.

“In September at Silmo, we will also launch six styles of optical frames,” said Calderoni, who added that the company also aims to start manufacturing for other labels. Kyme is negotiating a licensing agreement with an undisclosed brand.

— ALESSANDRA TURRA

LIZZY JAGGER MANIALizzy Jagger is putting a new spin on the term “rock royalty.”

The 30-year-old daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall is the face of the 2015 campaign of ManiaMania Fine, the year-old fi ne jewelry spin-off from cult Australian jewelry brand ManiaMania.

Shot in New York by Darren McDonald, the online-only campaign launches March 2 on themaniamania.com.

Designers Tamila Purvis and Melanie Kamsler wanted the campaign to evoke a nostalgic mood with a timeless, yet mod-ern edge and chose Jagger, they said, for the “otherworldly quality of her heritage — the poise and grace of Jerry coupled with Mick’s undone sex appeal.”

The 100-plus unit made-to-order ManiaMania Fine collection includes rings, necklaces, earrings and the brand’s signature bohemian hand brace-lets — a fi ne chain connecting a ring and bracelet — made from confl ict-free dia-monds, aquamarines and semiprecious stones such as dendrite, rutilated and smoky quartz, andalusite and opal.

Prices start at 320 Australian dollars,

or $250 at current exchange, for a gold vermeil or sterling silver Zodiac sym-bol ring with a 1.5-mm. champagne dia-mond, and reach 8,200 Australian dollars ($6,400) for the Ceremonial, a 14-karat white or yellow gold engagement ring with rose- and round-cut champagne or cognac diamonds and white diamonds.

Launched in Sydney in 2009 by Purvis, a stylist, and Kamsler, an art director, ManiaMania quickly garnered a name for its edgy costume jewelry featuring over-size crystals cradled in quasi-medieval molten settings. Sales are between 1 mil-lion and 1.2 million Australian dollars, or about $780,000 and $936,000.

The duo’s latest cool-girl muse, Jagger joins a growing list of high-profi le ManiaMania faces who include Abbey Lee Kershaw, Julia Restoin Roitfeld, Dree Hemingway, Jamie Bochert and Lindsey Wixson.

The main jewelry line is sold at thema-niamania.com, Australia’s David Jones, Zimmermann and The Corner Shop, and New York’s Love Adorned, Catbird and Curve.

— PATTY HUNTINGTON

In the MixWWD.COM

Lizzy Jagger fronts ManiaMania Fine’s 2015 campaign, shot by Darren McDonald.

Kyme’s metallic

Angel style.

The Cable + Outlet bucket style from

Building Block.

The Spacie

bag from Stiebich & Rieth.

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SECTION II WWD.COM

4 WWD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

THE CONTEMPORARY MARKET, now rife with apparel, has set its sights on bags as its next mode of expansion.

Brands from all ends of the contemporary spectrum said they view handbags as a way to better serve consumers at retail — the byproduct, they claim, of a better creative representation on the fl oor. Unlike luxury fi rms, which rely on leather goods as the major revenue generator (up to 75 per-cent, as stock brokerage firm Sterne Agee estimated), contem-porary labels report that they are shooting for more in the 10 to 25 percent zone and anticipate that apparel will continue to reign as their foremost source of sales.

While the bags are not a pri-mary objective for financial growth, brands including A.L.C., Vince, Kensie, Elizabeth and James and others have recently introduced a multitude of styles for less than $1,000, in the hopes of expanding their branding foot-print. Many said launching a bag line is an introspective process, in which core values, aesthet-ics, price points and consumer research are taken into consid-eration — with the objective of accommodating existing clients, as well as drawing new and varied ones in. It’s a tactic that has worked well for their contemporary compatriots in the past: Labels like 3.1 Phillip Lim, Marc by Marc Jacobs and Tory Burch en-joyed larger brand recognition upon the launch of their own handbag lines — ex-pansions that eventually led to successes in other product categories as well.

Karin Gregersen, president and chief creative offi cer of Vince, which is now in its fi rst bag season (styles re-tail for between $295 and $895), said when launching the line, it was im-portant for the “handbag collection to share a similar aesthetic [as our ap-parel]. It’s really leveraging and stay-ing true to our core values throughout the design process.”

Gregersen estimated that bags will ultimately become 10 percent of the la-bel’s overall sales.

Jill Collage, president of Dualstar, which owns contemporary brand Elizabeth and James, concurred, and said the fi rst design objective for the label’s bags was fi guring out what the hardware would look like. “That’s re-

ally what you are talking about in terms of [brand] DNA...We

knew bags were a huge op-portunity and very important to round out the brand.”

Elizabeth and James’ bags ($245 to $645), now in stores for a little more than a year-and-a-half, have “grown by 70 to 80 percent from 2014 to 2015, and are in 140 doors,” Collage noted.

While its original offer-ings were intended to create a “crossover customer,” the brand has varied its fi nishings, leath-er gradients and hardware to appeal to a range of consumers.

“I think bags are a place where you can start creating an identity a little different from your apparel,” Collage said, referring to the firm’s goal of enticing shoppers through its bag line.

Like Elizabeth and James, many brands say they intend to gradually expand their offerings, tailoring designs to consumer preferences along the way. Andrea Lieberman of A.L.C. is one of them, and empha-sized that, for her, slow and steady wins the race when launching a new product category.

“I think if growth happens too quickly it becomes inauthentic,” she said. “We grew ready-to-wear that way, it was the right choice for us, so we’re building our bag busi-ness in the same way.”

Lieberman, whose bag line ($365 to $595) is now in its fourth season at retail, would not disclose finan-cials or projections for the range. She did report, how-ever, that there is a defi nite crossover customer be-tween her apparel and leather business — a fact she partially attributed to her price positioning with-in the market.

“When you get too high [in price] you are too close to the designer bags, and if you get too low, you are too close to some of the true contemporary bags. I think it’s really about fi nding that sweet spot,” she said.

Lieberman added the key to the line’s success is “also about un-derstanding your customer. I understand more times than not, my customer carries a Céline bag. More times that not, it’s not an either-or decision, it’s about what’s going to be the addition to what she al-ready owns — that’s my approach to it.”

This is an observation that multiple contemporary brands have made about their bag consumer. Due to the category’s price point — with most products often hitting less than $1,000 and lower-end bags

even falling below $100 — contem-porary labels claim that consum-

ers see their bags as an easy way to engage with trends and styling, rather than an all-sea-sons investment.

Lani Karls, creative di-rector of Kensie, a brand with a bag line in its sec-ond year, said the label’s price point of $69 to $109 “gives [our customer] the option to change her bag way more often. I think we are in an age when someone doesn’t use a bag until it drops. They want a bag for their out-fi t. It’s truly an accessory now — she’ll accessorize

her outfi t with a bag.”

Karls added, “This is the era of want-ing a different look with every outfi t, and that’s not going to happen at $2,000. The consumer might still have that aspira-tional bag just to have, but then she might pepper in these price points at just under $100 or slightly over, where she can just be a little more playful.”

The brand projects that bags will represent 25 percent of its overall busi-ness as the range develops over the next three to fi ve years.

WWDACCESSORIES

’’

’’Bags are a place

where you can start creating an identity

a little different from your apparel.

— JILL COLLAGE, DUALSTAR

On the Handbag WagonContemporary brands are jumping into the leather-goods fray. By Misty White Sidell

A bag by Vince.

An Elizabeth and James handbag.

An A.L.C. bag.

SECTION II WWD.COM

6 WWD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

MARCOLIN Fabrizio Gamberini, CEO

WHAT’S IN

■ Flash lenses continue to be a trend and apparent in the Tom Ford, Roberto Cavalli and Dsquared2 collections.■ Women’s shields, such as medium-size shields with a soft cat-eye shape, like Tom Ford, Roberto Cavalli and Balenciaga.■ Most of our collections feature polarized models; it’s a clear signal that consumers are more conscious, paying more attention to the technical quality of the lenses and protecting their eyes. Examples include Tom Ford, Ermenegildo Zegna and Montblanc.

WHAT’S OUT

■ Heavy logo applications.

WHAT’S NEXT

■ Textures. Balenciaga has a Gaulchat effect stingray and leather for sun and optical.■ Natural materials, such as horn and wood, as seen in the Ermenegildo Zegna couture collection.■ Brightly colored prints and Seventies-inspired silhouettes, as seen in the new Emilio Pucci eyewear collection.

WESTWARD LEANING Robert Denning, cofounder and creative director

WHAT’S IN

■ Transparent, polished acetates in sophisticated hues that make the frames appear like water or ice that’s been dyed with food coloring. I call them “crystal” or “glacial” acetates — our glacial blue, for example, is new in our Pioneer 11 model. Basically, acetates that look like liquid cough syrup; crystal blue is basically the color of NyQuil.■ Richer, non-primary colors of crystals; champagne instead of taxi-cab yellow, for example.

WHAT’S OUT

■ High-contrast colorblocking of mirrored lenses, especially in black frames. The days of placing the most garish neon lens you could find in a black or white frame are over. Unexpected tints are finally taking mirrored lenses beyond the ski slopes of the Eighties….Our reliance on mirrored today is to add depth and refinement, not shock value or boldness.

WHAT’S NEXT

■ Frame shapes will continue to get even crazier, and more innovative, unique and beautiful. Sunglasses are just emerging from the Wayfarer-based, “Ray-Ban revivalism” that’s dominated the sun category. The frames we’ll launch over the next six months are differentiated by a more avant-garde approach to shape and a more conservative approach to color.

FOSTER GRANTMatthew Coon, director of creative development

WHAT’S IN

■ The newest look is the Kitten frame, a younger, rounder take on the classic cat-eye, ideal for collections targeting juniors and women. Butterflies are growing in importance as the easy-to-wear cousin of the cat. Both the Kitten and the Butterfly are softened with curvier edges that make them more flattering.■ Classic frames continue their march with prominence, [such as] resin styles highlighted by keyhole nose bridges and retro details.

WHAT’S OUT

■ Really round, oversize shapes.■ The rose gold of 2014 is out; this year it will be brushed with antique and matte finishing to give it a new twist.■ Singular color finishes are replaced with multilayered and mixed-surface textures featuring color and pattern.

WHAT’S NEXT

■ The most important finish is the tortoise. These shell finishes range from Eighties references to new multicolored layered resins. Many of the finishes are characterized by a milky fusion to add further richness. This year, there is much more emphasis on the material as a whole rather than additional colored layers, which have been prominent for the past few years.■ Prints are elevated with emphasis put on deep, dark botanicals and tropical prints. In addition, tiny, monochromatic linear and geometric prints add more of a textural feel to different crystal finishes.

SAFILO Vladimiro Baldin, global product creation director, and Alessandro Marcer, creative director, premium licensed brands

WHAT’S IN

■ Baldin: The most interesting eyewear features innovations like interchangeable elements for maximum versatility, innovative technologies mixing fabric elements and [new-tech] materials that can be twisted or bent without breaking.■ Marcer: New eyewear shapes show an architectural construction, metal wires and supershiny surfaces, visible in the outstanding frame-in-frame structures or in the newest hexagonal shapes, which will be the trend for next season, together with the round and square shapes, which are still an important trend.

WHAT’S OUT

■ Marcer: Shields, strong colors, enveloping shapes.

WHAT’S NEXT

■ Baldin: Combinations of acetate and metal for unexpected volumes, natural materials such as horn, mixed with colors, and application of embellishment that changes the silhouette of the frontal for a night and day situation.

SMOKE X MIRRORSDavid Shabtai, cofounder

WHAT’S IN

■ The Sixties are definitely back; classic is classic. Cool, clean silhouettes are going to continue to be a staple in eyewear, frames like the Shout and Uncle Albert are good examples of updated modern classics.■ Punk is something we’ve been drawing on from the onset and you don’t really see it so much in eyewear. [Our] really bold, unisex silhouettes like Atomic and Viva, as well as more understated pieces like Drivers Seat, play in that edgy realm.

WHAT’S OUT

■ Anything that’s flash, “high end” in eyewear has almost been synonymous with something a bit gaudy, big logos — nobody really wants to be a billboard — and glossy impractical detailing, metal nose pads or glued-on brow bars, things that really take away from the quality and comfort of a product you should want to wear on your face.

WHAT’S NEXT

■ Hand-crafted design and construction.■ Combination acetates as well as really unique mixes of materials, especially lightweight metals, is where my head is right now.

LUXOTTICA Holly Rush, president of Wholesale North America

WHAT’S NEXT

■ Mirrored lenses in jewel tones, specifically from Ray-Ban and Michael Kors. Coach and Tory Burch are introducing polarized, gradient lenses in new colors such as purple, violet and blue — a real departure from traditional browns and grays. Lens technology is really exciting this season and making the designer frame investment worth even more.■ We’re looking at a season of exaggerated, vintage-inspired shapes, such as round. Round is versatile and the shape can go from small to large and, really, just a few millimeters can make a big difference in how it looks and appeals to the consumer. While traditional round eyewear is most often associated with men, such as John Lennon or Johnny Depp, we’re seeing the shape evolve nicely in the women’s category from brands such as Michael Kors, Persol, Giorgio Armani and Coach.

WHAT’S OUT

■ One frame to meet all needs.■ Sporty shields.■ Light lenses.

WHAT’S NEXT

■ We see wearables as a growing phenomenon redefining how people

use and interact with information and the world around them. Research shows that comfort is actually the number-one factor when considering a wearable device, since the owner will most likely wear the device almost all the time. Form will be equally as important as function in making wearables a success. We want to help pioneer this change and deliver smart, fashion-forward products that are meaningful to consumers. Our partnerships with Google and Intel will help us get there.

ITALIA INDEPENDENTGiovanni Acconciagioco, cofounder

WHAT’S IN

■ New materials and treatments. Today, all the major players are trying to innovate using new technologies. These are the elements that identify trends, and Italia Independent makes of these ingredients its own DNA. We were recognized last year by the MIT Technology Review Italy for the two innovations we brought to the market: the “velvet-effect” and the I-Thermic.■ The velvet effect comes from the automotive industry and it is called UV Lux.■ I-Thermic also comes from the automotive industry. Eyewear characterized by this kind of treatment changes color upon reaching a temperature of 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

WHAT’S OUT

■ Vintage. In the last 10 years, it has been the dominant characteristic of the eyewear market. Classic shapes like metal aviators — who doesn’t have one of them? The eyewear industry has been anchored to the past for a long time.

WHAT’S NEXT

■ Italia Independent launched EYEYE, a family of products based on HD Digital Printing, which allows us to print any pattern on the frames. The infinite possibilities offered by this technology give us the opportunity to interpret the trends of the moment.

MARCHON Mark Ginsberg, senior vice president of global marketing

WHAT’S IN

■ Bold shapes.■ Gorgeous color combinations. The Valentino Camo butterfly style in green is amazing.■ Sumptuous material. Eighties granite details pop on Salvatore Ferragamo’s vintage styles, while DVF chain details look effortless on the face.

WHAT’S OUT

■ Giant logo treatments.■ “Applied” decorations.

WHAT’S NEXT

■ Wearable technology.■ Stealth branding.■ Integrated hardware.

WWDACCESSORIESFOR MORE, SEE

WWD.com/accessories-news.

The Sunglass SurveyWWD polled top eyewear executives to find what’s in, what’s out and what’s next for sunglasses this year. By Lauren McCarthy

Emilio Pucci

Persol

Fendi

Valentino

WWD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

SECTION II

WWDACCESSORIES

8

FOR MORE IMAGES, SEE

WWD.com/accessories-news.

If there were a movie award for Best Accessories in a Supporting Role, competition would be fi erce among sunglasses. Here, some shades that stole the show and the movies that made them famous.

SCENE STEALERS

The David O. Russell 2013 hit “American Hustle” featured Amy Adams, perfectly portraying late-Seventies con artist Sydney Prosser in this popular ombré oversize style. Chloé’s acetate with metal sunglasses; Jennifer Meyer Jewelry’s hoop earrings; Gucci’s necklace and bag; Jill Stuart’s belt; Casadei’s heels. Theory blouse and skirt.

PHOTOS BY GEORGE CHINSEE; STYLED BY ROXANNE ROBINSON

WWD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2015

WWD.COM

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In the 1962 Stanley Kubrick classic “Lolita,” actress Sue Lyon’s character is forever labeled as a frisky young vixen in her heart-shaped frames. Kate Spade New York’s acetate and metal sunglasses and hat. Betsey Johnson swimsuit.

Madonna’s own style was reflected in 1985’s “Desperately Seeking Susan” — like the thrift-shop look with Ray-Ban-type frames. Westward Leaning’s aluminum sunglasses; Eugenia Kim’s headbands; Fallon’s lariat; Swarovski’s tube necklace, tag pendant and cross necklace; Eddie Borgo’s pearl necklace and silver cross necklace; Alice + Olivia’s belt, and Portolano’s gloves. Markoo jacket; Junk Food Clothing T-shirt.

The 1999 sci-fi flick “The Matrix” starred Carrie-Anne Moss in a futuristic battle between humans and machines. Tod’s acetate and metal sunglasses; Fallon’s choker; Furla’s cuff and ring, and Vince’s bag. Sass & Bide jacket; Michael Michael Kors pants.

Diane Keaton immortalized the “Annie Hall” look in Woody Allen’s 1977 Academy Award winner, making round, preppy frames instant classics. Classic Specs’ Italian acetate sunglasses; Mulberry’s hat, and Gucci’s scarf. Ralph Lauren shirt; Day Birger et Mikkelsen vest.

SECTION II WWD.COM

WWDACCESSORIES

WWD TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 201510

Hong Kong’s New Hub

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HONG KONG’S NEW retail complex and creative center PMQ opened its doors last year. The two six-story blocks overlooking a large courtyard are a former residence for married police offi-cers. They have been completely revamped into one of the city’s trendiest addresses in Soho as part of a government-sponsored revitalization scheme. It is home to more than 130 cafés, res-taurants and stores. The more-established shops such as Found Muji and Vivienne Tam are located on the lower floors, while emerging design talents are on the higher floors.

Here are several accessories players from PMQ worth watching.— KATE WHITEHEAD

CONEY KOConey Ko founded her own fashion label in 2001. As she developed her brand, she traveled regularly to Japan and developed an appreciation for the jewelry she saw there. She also bought materials on her trips, like glass beads and metal chains and closures, and taught herself how to make jewelry.

“It’s always been very easy for me, like a basic instinct. I look at the new mate-rials or the stones and immediately I have an idea,” said Ko, who sold her fashion label in 2009 to focus exclusively on jewelry.

She uses semiprecious stones, making all the pieces by hand in her PMQ store-cum-studio with the help of an assistant.

Ko’s collection includes a range of styles — a classic line using pearls, bold statement pieces with lapis lazuli and colored stones, edgy pieces that weave in coral sticks and crystals, and a petite line that incorporates tiny stones on a delicate chain. An Art Deco-inspired necklace sells for about 2,800 Hong Kong dollars, or $361.

“I enjoy a timeless style, something you can wear for years,” said Ko. “Some of the pieces have the aesthetic of the past, like Art Deco, but it’s not imitating the past — it’s a fashion piece.”

MAGGIE TSE Maggie Tse spent a decade working as designer in Hong Kong for Anteprima and agnès b. In her free time, she made jewelry, creating bracelets and necklaces to give as gifts. When she heard about the chance to open her own store at PMQ, she decided to set up her own brand of hand-made baubles.

“It’s difficult to set up your own shop in Hong Kong because the rent is so high, but at PMQ I pay about [$1,290] a month, which is just about affordable for me,” said Tse. “I design and de-velop all the prototypes and samples here.”

Her experience as a fashion designer is ap-

BENGOGH CHUNGEyewear designer Bengogh Chung said many Hong Kongers don’t realize that their brand-name glasses are actually designed in Hong Kong.

“Hong Kong is number three in the world for the export of eyewear. Fashionable glasses, like sun-glasses, usually come from Italy, but many of the more basic designs are by Hong Kong designers,” said Chung.

He is nostalgic for the Sixties and Seventies, what he refers to as the “golden years” for eyewear in Hong Kong. A longing for this period convinced him to set up Eyepopper Design Ltd. four years ago. The big move followed 11 years in the industry designing glasses for brands like Levi’s, so Chung knew that black was by far the most-popular color for glasses. That’s something he aims to change.

“Acetate is available in 1,000 colors, but when you go into an optical shop, you just see black or brown. We make colorful glasses — blue, red and green — and people seem to like them a lot,” said Chung.

Chung designs retro-inspired glasses with over-size, round frames. He names each style after a street in the PMQ neighborhood. There is Stanley, after Stanley Street, as well as Wellington and Aberdeen. Glasses retail for about 800 Hong Kong dollars, or $103, each.

“We want to set the origin of our brand at PMQ and then expand…out of Hong Kong to the whole world,” said Chung.

CECILIA MAFashion designer Cecilia Ma worked for local and international brands including Vivienne Tam and Hong Kong-based Moiselle for 10 years before taking the plunge and setting up her own brand in 2011. Although Ma initially started out designing apparel — and she still has a cloth-ing line — she has since shifted her brand’s focus to accessories.

“The first week I set up my com-pany, I went to the Paris trade shows and displayed accessories with my fashion,” said Ma. “Buyers kept ask-ing me the price and I said the jew-elry was just for display, but people kept asking and eventually the col-lection got bigger and bigger.”

Today, accessories dominate Ma’s retail space at PMQ. Inspired by tribal cultures, her jewelry is an edgy mix of materials, colors and intricate detailing, like a necklace of neon-colored resin, bright gem-stones and elegant Swarovski crys-tals. Pieces retail for 1,600 Hong Kong dollars, or $206.37, to 2,200 Hong Kong dollars, or $283.71.

Ma has also turned her attention to bags. Her signature pieces in-clude box clutches made from acryl-ic and wood, all hand-painted by her team of six. Her bags retail for about 2,000 Hong Kong dollars, or $258.

“I like to mix different materials in the same item. People never use porcelain or wood in handbags,” said Ma. “My collection is very col-orful, with a lot of materials, a lot of ideas.”

JANKO LAMJanko Lam’s brand Classics Anew focuses on Chinese-inspired bags and clothing with a modern twist. Each piece is crafted in-dividually, so no two are exactly alike. Her clutches with metal fixtures make smart use of material recycled from the cutting-room floor.

“I use the fabric that’s left over from the dress or top to make the bag. I look at the size of the fabric and decide what shape and size bag to make. Nothing is wasted,” said Lam, who found-ed her label in 2012.

Lam’s first job was with local television station TVB as a cos-tume designer. In 2011, she became a freelance brand-design as-

sistant for Dutch brand Gaastra, a position that not only helped her establish good con-tacts with factories in China but also shaped her outlook.

“After two years in mainstream fashion, I decided I didn’t want to be part of the mass-produced fashion world. I wanted to do a more Chinese style,” said Lam, whose bags retail from 480 to 1,000 Hong Kong dol-lars, or $62 to $129.

“I want to promote the Chinese style to more people in Hong Kong,” she said, “and my big dream is to reach out to people around the world.”

parent in the look and feel of her jewelry. Most of it is made of plated brass, and she occasion-ally incorporates crystal or stone. For one piece, Tse painstakingly connected small sections of brass to create a wide, scarflike necklace that can be wound around the neck.

“When I’m designing, I always start thinking about weight and balance and how to place it on the body. I think about how to design it so I don’t need to use a hook — I want it to look as nice on the display as it does on the body,” said Tse.

Necklaces retail from 1,780 to 2,400 Hong Kong dollars, or about $230 to $310.

Bengogh Chung

Cecilia Ma

Coney Ko

Maggie Tse

Janko Lam