JOYCE: Live Curiously JOYCE

“This is such a specific point in time - that everything produced now is fascinating and is newsworthy because everyone is experiencing a unique circumstance. It's like when you look at things that were produced during the wars and then subsequently, it's going to be really interesting to look at what happened before and what happened after and how things have shifted.”

“It’s either the end of everything or the party to end all others.” Editor, author, esteemed fashion critic and all-round consulate fashion enthusiast Alexander Fury has spent his career honing into the here and now of fashion and why collections shape up to be what they are at that point in time. What is the true essence of fashion?  How do we view it through the lens of a multi-paced media landscape from print to websites to Instagram?  Who is the audience and how do they come to a certain understanding of fashion?

Together with fellow writer and journalist David Hellqvist, on this episode of JOYCE’s Live Curiously podcast, they discuss the ways we see and view fashion, tracking Fury’s career from cutting his fashion teeth at SHOWstudio, reviewing shows for newspapers like the Independent and Vogue Runway and editing biannuals like Love and AnOther magazine, and dissecting the migration from print to digital.  As the fashion industry goes another seismic shift in the shape of the pandemic, Fury gives his take on what he likens to the changes in fashion post-war, as we stand on the precipice of what feels like a do-or-die moment.

What keeps cultural creators constantly curious? How to parlay ideas into concrete creativity? And how to harness talent into the making of a “star”?

Kam Kwok Leung has been one of the pioneer creators of Hong Kong entertainment since the 70s, donning multiple hats as script writer, director, actor and managing multiple HK TV channels. Together Magazine P’s Creative Director Peter Wong and publisher Ching Siu-Wai, this trio of HK media culture vultures discuss the entertainment world in Hong Kong from the 60s to the present day. Kam talks about borrowing aspects from Western television culture such as live band performance shows or guest stars on sitcoms to boost local productions. He also stresses the importance of nurturing young actors and actresses in order to grow the entertainment industry, whilst avoiding the modern trappings of simply wanting to be famous. Or to borrow a Cantonese phrase - to become 红 (“red”).  

Together they talk about embracing change whether it’s subscription-based content platforms or online to fuel their work and minds and also to encourage a younger generation to be strong in their convictions and to hopefully embark on new paths in their creative trajectories.

"Are you driving the bus? Are you the passenger?" How do you drive creativity forward ? Join the journey across three time zones with DJ and cultural commentator Arthur Bray as he speaks to artist and Saint Mxxxxxx designer Cali Thornhill DeWitt and Nike's “gatekeeper of hype” Fraser Cooke about languishing in a post pandemic state.

DeWitt talks about his symbiotic relationship with Tokyo-based design partner Yuta Hokusawa of Readymade. His metaphor of “filling up the tank” via real life experiences is intuitive to his creative workflow, a practice which he's had to maintain given that he and Yuta work remotely from one another.

Likewise, Cooke muses about the challenges of being a creator in a static setting. “Things that were 3-dimensional have gone to 2-dimensions," says Cooke whose creative compass is reliant on discovery from the fringes of subculture. These multi-hyphenate creatives explore the current state of the arts, discuss topics of social validation and share their own inspirations  at a time when the world is seemingly on pause. 

Whether it’s connecting the dots in the Nike universe for Cooke or DeWitt creating artwork based on a do-as-you-please manner, intuition and business acumen have both played crucial parts in the success of both their careers. 

While the trio may kick off the roundtable conversation in a restless and suspended state, in the end, their unbounded creativity drives them forward in their endeavours. As our own lives become more curated, this conversation reminds us to exercise "disruption" as a way to question the status quo.

“The contact between the audience and an orchestra is hard to describe. It’s a giving and taking of energy.”

Give it up for Maestro Jaap van Zweden. Holding two roles as Music Director of both the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic, he has become a venerable classical music presence across three continents. In particular in Hong Kong, van Zweden is responsible for shaping what is a young orchestra culture.

On the latest JOYCE  Live Curiously podcast episode, van Zweden speaks to the Asian performing arts critic for the Financial Times of London Ken Smith, amidst another lockdown from his hometown of Amsterdam. From drawing similarities of his two home away from homes - New York and Hong Kong to pondering post pandemic performances, van Zweden and Smith are both in agreement. “There is nothing better than a live performance.” Amen to that.

Always read the label. Or never read the label? An icon of our times, Hong Kong singer-songwriter Ivana Wong speaks to Gavin So the JOYCE Head of Creative about music, art and her refusal to conform to mainstream popular culture. The firm friends and fellow creative mavericks share thoughts and insights into just how damaging a stereotype can be.

Labels may be for clothing, but they're not for people. Nor art. Ivana, the week before she opens doors to ‘Pink Room’ - the first chapter in an ongoing multimedia art project ‘The Missing Something’ - openly shares her personal point of view, inviting visitors to question the dominance of labels in the world, influencing and restricting our perceptions, beliefs and behaviour. In a fast paced world of first impressions, we need to take time to explore and appreciate the story behind the image.

“When you find yourself without true ‘art’, you will realise its importance. So preempting this - valuing it before you find yourself missing it - has become the central thought of ‘The Missing Something.”

Genuine article. Designer TinTin Zhang set up shop in a city famous for fashion fakes and bootlegs – and found real inspiration. The NCHS founder tells Karchun Leung about community, local values and design innovation that’s proudly Made In Putian.

TinTin’s avant-garde creativity had classical roots. Her work at Central St Martins and the RCA earned her a prestigious stint in product development at Adidas and an International Talent Support (ITS 2018) OTB Award. With a string of fashion capitals – London, Berlin, Shanghai – and an innovator’s skillset under her belt, the time was right to launch her creative empire on home soil. Neon Cloud Hat System (NCHS) is bringing bold, directional millinery and accessories to China – but as TinTin explains, the local people and culture are her muse as well as her market. Her breakout “Putianciaga” hats repurpose the knock-off sneakers consumers can’t get enough of. Designer fakes are reborn as original co-created street-style.

Thanks to online platforms, a brand like NCHS can stay local and embedded in a community – while reaching a bigger audience and boosting an emerging creative hub like Putian on the world stage. As TinTin sees it, ethical, game-changing fashion can happen far from bright lights and runways. NCHS just asks that we watch this space.