Couples that work out together tend to stay together, and Hong Kong pair are living proof
Victor Chau and Adam Hawkshaw turned their back on partying in Hong Kong three years ago and began a new fitness regime that includes yoga and regular gym sessions; it has got them feeling at their healthiest and happiest
Neither Victor Chau nor Adam Hawkshaw were at their physical best when they began dating in Beijing a decade ago, while working with Lane Crawford.
Chau was practising yoga, but not to the advanced level that he is today as a fully fledged yogi.
“He has an eight-pack now, but Victor didn’t have it when we met,” recalls Hawkshaw, a fashion retail veteran and Australian native.
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“And he was like this shape,” Chau retorts good-naturedly, pointing to a blob-shaped light fixture at Sugar bar in Taikoo Shing, Quarry Bay.
In Beijing the two spent much time drinking and dining out together. A career opportunity in Hong Kong at Celine in 2014 for Hawkshaw (where he is currently the fashion house’s retail director) led the duo to the city where their sybaritic pursuits continued. In a matter of months, Hawkshaw had packed on an extra 10 kilograms.
The couple remember their first hike over The Twins and Violet Hill on Hong Kong Island. “I couldn’t make it past the first peak … I moaned all the way for three hours and said I’m not doing this again,” recalls Hawkshaw. The pivot to a healthy, fitter life together began as Chau’s yoga pursuits intensified. In 2014 he became ambassador for yoga clothing retailer Lululemon.