Brand your ground

Actor Sam Lee Chan-sam's parents used to worry that their son was turning into a fei jai (bad boy): as a skateboard-obsessed teenager, Lee spent a lot of time cruising the streets in the baggy, flashy outfits that became the uniform of the subculture. Now, the 34-year-old has his own line of streetwear, Subcrew, with an annual turnover of several million dollars.

'I never imagined streetwear would become so popular,' says Lee. 'Nowadays, not only is it accepted in the mainstream, but it can get really expensive, too. You can find shirts which cost HK$3,000 or jackets for HK$7,000. I don't know how youths can afford it; maybe money from their parents?'

Evolved from US skateboarding culture in the 1980s, the oversized T-shirts, caps and fancy sneakers that characterise streetwear can now be seen on red carpets and in nightclubs. And although the US and Japan continue to drive most streetwear trends, a handful of local labels are beginning to emerge internationally. That's thanks to a mix of internet buzz, high-profile design collaborations and a little celebrity endorsement, with stars such as Kanye West and John Mayer seen wearing local skater threads.

'Hong Kong has taken a major leap in Asia compared to years ago, when the major players were coming from Japan,' says Jason Chow Wing-fai, CEO of online marketing and design firm Boxset Creative, who is also working on his own line of streetwear. 'Many local brands are making their mark and it will be interesting to see how they continue to expand overseas.'

Eugene Kan Pak-shui, managing editor of Hong Kong-based online fashion magazine, Hypebeast (hypebeast.com), reckons there are cultural underpinnings to some of the overseas interest in Hong Kong streetwear brands. 'There are large Chinese communities everywhere with some sort of root in Hong Kong. By that virtue, the popularity is global.'

Subcrew, which Lee founded with partners Frankie Cheung Chin-pang and Kobe Chan Ho-cheung in 2004, got off to a good start, partly because of the actor's high profile. After making his name in Made in Hong Kong, director Fruit Chan Kuo's 1997 watershed film, Lee carved a niche in youth-oriented action flicks and developed a small underground music following on the mainland, where he occasionally tours as a deejay.