DJs Eve Speciall and Arthur Bray share their music and fashion tastes

DJs not only have to spin good tunes, they have to look good behind the console. We speak to two of the city's hottest exponents of the craft about their music and fashion inspirations

GLORIA CHAN

Published: 4:45pm, 12 Nov 2014

Why you can trust SCMP

Eve Smith, better known by her stage name Eve Speciall, splits her time between LA and Hong Kong, working as a model and DJ in both cities. The 27-year-old was born and raised in Sydney and arrived in Hong Kong four years ago for a modelling contract. She plays all types of music, as long as it's good. This, to her, means hip hop, new disco, and trap (a slower hip hop electronic mix).

Smith describes her clothing style as "really bipolar". On normal days it's understated monochrome, and for gigs, it's street style pastel. "Image is super important for DJs. I get booked because I'm a model and clients expect me to look good," she says. "Guys can show up in baseball caps but females are expected to look more interesting. It can be exhausting."

Black knitted turtle neck top (HK$2,510) by Helen Lee from Lane Crawford; red & white shirt (HK$2,590), red and grey trousers (HK$5,890), black leather obi belt (HK$2,890), black and red BMX board boots (HK$6,490) all from Marc by Marc Jacobs.

by Tei Shi; by Makonnen (DJ Snake Remix); and by Danny L. Harle.

on the decks at Fly, XXX, W Hotel, and Volar. After work, she likes to go to Korean barbecue with friends.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, with an English father and a Chinese mother, Arthur Bray, 26, is a professional DJ and full-time editor at Hypebeast. He moved to London to study when he was 18 years old and returned to Hong Kong in 2012. Bray describes the style of music he plays as "anything that makes you get up and dance and feel energetic". That means mostly bass-oriented house, hip hop and dance music.

He likes dressing in 1990s sports wear. "Colourful anoraks, oversized T-shirts, skinny jeans, [Nike] Air Max 90. Or, if I'm running late, just black. Black is always good."

And, while Eve Speciall says the pressure is on female DJs to look good, Brays insists style is important for the men as well. "All DJs have to look good," Bray says. "You are at the centre of the room and people look at you."

Light blue quilted jacket (HK$2,300) by Denham from Lane Crawford; black shirt (HK$399) by H&M; blue corduroy trousers (inquiries 2118 3388) by Sacai; dark blue denim bucket hat (HK 1,750) by Dapper from Konzepp; hi-top trainers (HK$899) by Adidas Originals.

by Skepta; by Alina Baraz (Remix); and by ZHU.

W Hotel, XXX, and Fly. He likes drinking beer on IFC's rooftop ("A spectacular and underrated place"), Salon 10, Yardbird, and of course, Club 7-11.

"7-11 is my favourite spot — they have lots of Tsingtao and are everywhere. They're like local bars."

Arthur wears: dark blue denim shirt (HK$299) by H&M; yellow knit sweater (HK$4,990) by Kenzo; black jeans (HK 1,890) by Blackbarrett; white hi-top trainers (HK$899) by Adidas Originals. Eve wears: blue denim quilted bomber jacket (HK$399) by H&M; yellow and black printed turtle neck top (HK180) by Monki; black and white pearl beaded trousers (HK$62,500) by Emporio Armani; blue and black cow print sandals (HK$990) by Pedder Red.

Eve wears: black leather dress (HK$3,390) by DKNY; black leather biker jacket (HK$43,500) by Saint Laurent Paris; black loafers (HK$3,745) by Claudie Pierlot; gold hoop chain earrings (HK 1,800) by Versus. Arthur wears: white shirt (HK$299) by H&M; black leather bomber jacket (HK 1,799) and black leather shorts with attached leggings (HK$899) both by 5cm;black and gold chain print hi-top trainers (HK$4,300) by Versus.

Photography: Ricky Lo
Stylist: Jolene Lin
Hair: Seifert Cheung
Make-up: Marian Woo
Model: Eve Speciall @ Starz People & Arthur Bray
Photography assistants: Ken Leung & Kelvin Sim
Styling assistant: Toto Wong

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Loud and proud

Post