"Kevin Poon and I started Social/capital in 2012 with the idea that social networks have value. Both of us have a diverse and wide network globally, and connected people with others, which eventually led to projects in Asia. Most importantly, people trusted us and relied on us to guide them through the intricacies of doing business in Asia.
The latest trend with luxury clients is going back to the basic principles. Since the business environment for retail and luxury is becoming more challenging, especially in China, luxury and fashion brands are changing their mindsets from the previous rush of shop openings to focusing more on existing stores and developing a better product and shopping experience. I think this is a good thing. Consumers are more global and look for quality.
I started my career in management consulting when I lived in New York, but I've been into fashion from a young age. My older brother, film director Alexi, used to be a fashion photographer who shot for magazines such as and . Assisting him on his shoots in the mid-'90s exposed me to the inner workings of fashion. That was a time when photographers such as Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, David Sims, Terry Richardson, Steven Gan, Melanie Ward and Patrick Li, were starting out.
I didn't really start my career in fashion until I moved to Hong Kong in 2001 and worked for photographer Wing Shya. I then worked at Shanghai Tang, but my real break came when I became Asia-Pacific head of marketing at Diesel. Renzo Rosso gave me the chance to be creative and we did some really fun and interesting stuff while I was there. I was part of the team that launched the brand on the mainland, and we did some great projects with Diplo, Steve Aoki, and others. I'd like to think that my seven years at Diesel was my MBA in fashion. I was also fortunate to develop good relationships with Rosso and his sons, Andrea and Stefano, who are both in the business. They are dreamers and visionaries, but also very humble and kind. These experiences were great building blocks that led to my starting Social/Capital with Kevin.
Obviously, the biggest change in the industry has been social media. It has really forced fashion brands to change the way they communicate and do PR. Social media has really opened things up. A relative unknown can become a fashion star almost overnight. I guess you can say that social media has democratised fashion and made it more accessible.
The challenges of setting up and running my own company in Hong Kong? I've never worked harder in my life! But it's definitely also been the most rewarding. You really need to love what you are doing to have your own business. You have to make a lot of sacrifices, and everything sits on your shoulders. My wife and daughter keep me grounded in life. They keep me going and are the main reason why I work so hard."
