Leong Hin Kei: Always Attaching Great Importance to Dreams

10 2017 | Issue 23
Text/Sunny and Jason Che

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He has had access to the fashion industry when he was a child and performed on an international fashion stage when he was just 26 years old. He does not only want to be a Macao people transmitting influence to the world but also wants to bring good resources back to reversely change locals’ imagination about fashion. He is Leong Hin Kei (Inky) and has such many positions as fashion brand founder, fashion stylist and fashion columnist and so on. He had served as image director for many stars and artists, was the first Macao people invited to attend international brand fashion week and event and had been reported on international fashion magazines for many times. Inky believed that “fashion is not just about brands, clothes and accessories but a spirit and a faith which makes life better”. Recently, he has cooperated with the designer Chan Sio Long (Kris) to start the brand I.N.K. representing Macao’s fashion culture. Such brand became the first local fashion brand entering Macao’s large shopping mall and this can be said to create new pages for the fashion circle in Macao.

 

“I.N.K—Inky and Kris” Integrating Fashion Into Life

 

The brand I.N.K. created last year was the abbreviation of the two designers’ English names. It means ink in English and represents the instant moment when ideas were triggered and fashion concepts were expressed after the brand has been affected by culture. I.N.K’s implied meaning is continuous ideas like flowing ink which records every creation moment. Macao is a city integrating Chinese and Portuguese culture, so many Macao elements such as the representative lotus were added into the design of I.N.K. They hoped that Macao can have a men wear brand of its own and also applied Macao’s local music, photographing, make-up, etc. to market the brand I.N.K, creating Macao innovative fashion clothes which are both commercialised and unique. They propagated Macao’s fashion culture to locals and people from other regions through the spirit of the brand.

 

Inky greatly interested in fashion and had started his women wear brand Inky Store before launching I.N.K. Collecting information about latest fashion clothes for many years around the globe increased Inky’s international prospective and knowledge, enabling him to be more mature in management of I.N.K. As a practitioner in the fashion circle, he knew that the current fashion style changes rapidly, so the product styles of the brand I.N.K closely follow the fashion trend. To enhance feeling of freshness of customers, he planned to release new styles. Inky emphasised that “everyone can get his own fashion style”. He analysed the demands in the local market and cooperated with Kris to promote the concept that fashion is part of life and “everyone’s standard about artistry is different and we will not release the design until we have modified it”. They said that they would make the brand famous deep into customers’ heart and must integrate fashion into life.

 

Being Sold in Macao’s Large Shopping Mall to Create Greater Business Opportunities

 

Macao is a small city and there are few selections for entertainment, so many locals chose to go to large shopping malls to see movies or go window-shopping for killing time during weekends and festivals. Besides, there are many travellers from other regions in large shopping malls. Inky also seized the opportunity to become the pioneer of selling local fahsion in Macao’s Galaxy Shopping Center to attract more people to know I.N.K in different ways. Inky frankly said that the rental of course increased with the geological position and he took lots of considerations facing the cost problem; he made the decision after frequent considerations. “Initially he only intended to release new I.N.K series and had no bravery to start a branch store in the large shopping mall and was always afraid of bearing high costs.” Afterwards, they shared the creative ideas with the Macao Cultural Industries Fund and received great support from it. The fund enabled them to advance forwards and facilitated the birth of the POP-UP store of the brand I.N.K. Inky said that the cultural and creative industry in Macao was in the start-up stage and many artists have “heart” and talents but lack experiences and funds. If government’s support can be obtained, it is believed that this would help more artists start their cultural and creative business and make industry development more comprehensive.

 

Continuing to Consolidate Macao Market and Proactively Exploiting Domestic Market

 

I.N.K proactively advanced towards the new target and Inky planned to open branch stores in Shenzhen. Anyway, they both said “Macao is our root” and so a steady development in Macao would be maintained. They also greatly encouraged friends having a will to join the fashion industry to partner with them. Besides, they pointed out that over recent years the government also initiated many support programmes, such as Subsidy Programme for Fashion Design on Sample Making, Macao Fashion Festival, etc. Inky hoped that those artists having “heart” should not conceal their own creativity and be brave to start their own business. Of course, they should prepare a set of measures appropriate for them for operation so that their businesses can be developed for longer term. They hoped that in the near future more fresh artists would join the fashion industry in Macao and be united as one force to drive the synchronous development of other industries in Macao.