How a Hong Kong swimwear brand Mazu is giving back to endangered pink dolphins that inspired designs
For each of seven swim shorts featuring dolphin designs sold, founder pledges to donate 10 per cent of profits to Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society
The first male swimwear brand founded in Hong Kong is to splash a percentage of its profits helping those it gains inspiration from – the city’s native pink dolphins, whose numbers are dwindling.
Adam Raby, who set up Mazu resortwear in 2014, wanted to create “an Asian brand that people can be proud of”.
For each of the seven swim shorts designs featuring dolphins that is sold, Raby has pledged to donate 10 per cent of the profits to the Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society (HKDCS).
“I have a deep connection to [the pink dolphins] because they’re unique to Hong Kong,” Raby said. So much so they became the official mascot for the territory’s 1997 handover from Britain to China.
“It’s incredible, they’re found nowhere else in the world.”
Although the same species as the Chinese white dolphin found in the Pearl River Delta – also known as the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin – the young grey animals are believed to turn pink in adulthood because of their blood passing through surface blood vessels to cool themselves down in Hong Kong’s warm waters. Another theory goes that as they are the area’s top predators, they do not need to stay a camouflaged grey colour to blend into surroundings and protect themselves.
