"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 i-D and Harper's Bazaar. 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.