Inky Leong

Vice-chairman of the Macao Fashion and Culture Association, president of Start International Project Company Limited, fashion columnist of Macao cultural magazine SD Media, fashion stylists and the founder of Inky Store and I.N.K brand.

Cultural and creative dream

02 2018 | Issue 25

I have not written article for a long time. Before this invitation, it has been almost a year since the last time I wrote for media. In the last few days of the year, I wrote this article, which is more like a diary to summarise my year. 


Ten years ago, when the social platform was not as booming as today, to find a platform for expressing ideas was difficult. Luckily, I had a chance to write and comment something about fashion for a comparatively famous media platform in Hong Kong. A few years later, I coincidentally knew Sophie Lei and Ally Li, founders of Macao magazine Soda and became the fashion blogger of their magazine. 


I still remember the feeling at that time, which is a sense of mission. It feels like an appointed duty and a commitment that finally I could devote myself to fashion. And then, time flies. The dreams created between the lines in ten years are realised one by one in the end. From fashion magazine to fashion shop with my own style, and later, my original brand and speciality store of Macao brands, I witnessed the Macao fashion brands entering into a broaden area and creating more possibilities with every fashion lovers. With these footprints, every fashion lovers in Macao will be surprised, at least I or we believe that. 


When speaking of Macao cultural and creative industry, people around me may talk about the cultural atmosphere or cultural form in Macao. The most frequently discussed might be the way out of the cultural and creative industries in the future? 


In this moment, please forgive me for continuously recalling my memory of the past ten years. 


At that time, I only loved fashion and had no other thoughts but to enter the fashion profession. I was dreaming about doing what I favour and dreaming of my own dreams. What is future? I never worried about. The only thing I was afraid is that I could never realise my dreams. 


Let’s talk about the cultural and creative industry today. With rapid development of society and culture in Macao, we could clearly see that there are more opportunities today than the past few years. At least, if I want to write something about fashion ten years ago, there will definitely no readers. Or if I want to set up a shop selling quirky and weird clothes, I will be laughed. Until today, many international events happened in Macao and Macao’s vision is different from yesterday. This change also happened in the various needs in different walks of life and among those who devoted themselves and worked seriously in cultural and creative industry. But we have to face the challenge from reality. Whether you are going to insist or give up is depended on how much your passion is. 


I know a mother of a famous Macao singer. Every time she talks about her son’s job, she sighs and shows her worries on different things. She wishes her son to give up the dream of becoming a famous star and to get a decent job. I said: “Performing is also a job. Jobs are not limited to those nine-to-five jobs. Willing to sacrifice and eager to have reward, that’s the job worth to do. Do you want your son to be the person who is afraid to sacrifice but eager to have reward?” After hearing that, this mother seems to realise something and smiles. 


I believe that the following words might be heard frequently by those who worked in cultural and creative industry. Our biggest enemies are behaving regularly and steadily. The truth is that you never know what will happen until the end. What I could definitely sure is that today, many designers, art performers and creators are very serious. 


I could say that cultural and creative industry in Macao is a dream for everyone who immerses themselves in wondering how life will be. But it would be better for us to consider seriously what we could do now for achieving a different future for the cultural and creative industry in Macao. 


There are two days left to the end of 2017 when I write this article. I am here to show my respect to all the cultural and creative workers for their efforts in 2017. (Cheers! Let’s smile!)