ON LAN STREET was once one of Central's quieter lanes, with a few nail salons and maternity wear shops. Now, it's a hip shopping destination with boutiques such as Maison Martin Margiela (MMM) and Ann Demeulemeester.
Free-standing stores dedicated to edgier, more avant-garde labels have opened across Hong Kong since Comme des Garcons and Undercover set up shop in Chai Wan a year ago. And more are coming, with the likes of Belgian label Raf Simons due to open next month. The local fashion scene is very different from what it was 10 years ago, when most brands were on consignment at multi-brand boutiques such as I.T, Lane Crawford and Joyce.
These days, an increasing number of retailers are abandoning shopping malls and branching out on their own to give their customers a new shopping experience. Each new place draws a different shopper, from high-spending tai-tais to young customers yearning for character-defining fashion that isn't Gucci, Prada or Louis Vuitton.
Adele Cheung, a 24-year-old cafe operator, is part of this new generation of shoppers. Since magazines piqued her interest in off-the-radar Belgian brands about a year ago, Cheung says she now spends as much as $2,000 on clothes every month. She's particularly drawn to the deconstructionist approach of MMM.
'I like the fact that MMM is trying to break the rules,' she says. 'They hate trends because they repeat the same concept for years. Even after the details are reconstructed, it still fits your body [despite the fact that] a new form has been created.'
Cheung is one of many women who want fashion that's different. With the increase of such demand, it's only natural that many of these brands should set up shop on their own.
