FASHION156 INTERVIEWS – BLOGGER JOEY MA/ 19.11.11
Left: Dress - Moonspoon Saloon. Shorts - Horace. Socks - Vivienne Westwood. Shoes - Banal Chic Barrel. Right: Cage Accessory - Chromat. Top Sweater - Tata Christiane. Tank Top - American Apparel. Shorts - n(n) by Number Nine. Socks - Starstyling. Shoes - Banal Chic Barrel
Left: Jacket - Sadak by Sasa Kovacevic. Leggings - Maiden Britain by Ziad Ghanem. Shoes - Mihara Yasuhiro. Right: Hat - World's End Vivienne Westwood. Shirt - Neil Barrett. Skirt - Comme des Garçons Homme. Socks - Vivienne Westwood. Shoes and Clutch - Givenchy.
Left: Fringe Leather Top - Romina Karamanea. Black Top - Topshop. Shorts - Hyden Yoo. Arm Warmers - Starstyling. Leg Accessories - Euphemia by Millie Cockton. Shoes - The Only Son. Right: Hat - World's End Vivienne Westwood. Shirt - Henrik Vibskov. Socks - World's End Vivienne Westwood. Shoes - Church's.
Left: Top and Pants - KTZ. Hat - Anthony Peto. Shoes - J.W. Anderson. Right: Hat and Dress - World's End Vivienne Westwood. Cape - Comme des Garçons. Socks and shoes - Vivienne Westwood.
World's End, Oki-Ni, Not Just A Label. Below: Ziad Ghanem show.
In the first of a new series, Fashion156 is connecting with bloggers from around the world to find out about emerging designers local to them . Being London based and due to geographical logistics we tend to concentrate on designers we can easily visit for samples and studio visits, but seeing as our audience is global these posts will go some way to address this.
We start with Joey Ma a Hong Kong based blogger and lover of all things exaggerated and cartoon-esque, all mixed up with a humorous edge. Our writer Jasonyao finds out more.
The first time I met Joey Ma, a Hong Kong fashion blogger was at a Vivienne Westwood fashion show in 2010. He caught my attention sitting front row with his wool cape and Vivienne’s classic rocking horse shoes but I didn’t know who he was. I knew his name after a photo shoot he did for Harvey Nichols Hong Kong but I didn’t imagine I would meet him in person when he had his trip in London last year. Joey is really special with his unique style.
You either love the way he dresses or hate it very much. I really admire he keeps breaking the boundary of menswear by his own style and the confidence he has for wearing all those exaggerated clothes. Joey doesn’t work in the fashion industry but he is a totally inspirational person. It’s my pleasure to ask Joey to share his fashion world to the readers of Fashion156.
Could you tell us about your background?
My dad is from Hong Kong, and my mother is from Taiwan. I was born and raised in Hong Kong. I went to the states when I was 18yo, and then moved back to Hong Kong when I was 26yo. I was majored in Economics. For the last few years, I started to grow on fashion, and finally started my blog last year.
How do you describe your style?
My style is spontaneous, fun, exaggerate, and androgynous. I never pay attention to trends; I just wear whatever I think looks good on me. I do love mixing vintage with high end brands.
Where do you usually shop? Which is your favourite store?
I usually shop online. My favorite online shops are notjustalabel.com, luisaviaroma.com, oki-ni.com, and hervia.com. As my favourite store, there are actually a few of them, can’t really pick one haha. Kinq in Hong Kong, Wut/Berlin in Japan, and World’s End in London.
What item is the first thing you think of when you decide your outfit?
This is a very interesting question because it all depends on my mood of the day. Sometimes I would really want to wear this headpiece, then I will work out an outfit in my head with that headpiece. Or sometimes I would really want to wear a certain pair of shoes, then I will start styling my outfit from there.
What is the driving force for your blog now?
Driving force… ummm… I just want to share my outfits with the world. I really hope there can be more open minded people in this world that can accept all kinds of people no matter how they look like or how they dress. Also, for the people who visit my blog constantly and appreciate my style, I just want to say how thankful I am, and that makes me keep on going with my blog.
How do you see Hong Kong as a fashion city?
Hong Kong is a fashion city for high end and famous brand names. The majority of the Hong Kong people don’t really like vintage. I wish there are more vintage stores in Hong Kong. And it seems the local Hong Kong designers are always struggle to survive. I wish the government and the people can support the young fashion designers more.
What do you think of London Style?
I love London Style. The Punk/Grunge London scene is probably my favorite style. I love what Vivienne Westwood did in the 70’s, and so grateful that she keeps World’s End running. The other reason I love London Style is that London has the BEST young, fresh, up and coming fashion designers. Their works always inspire me. And I am so glad to see Fashion156 always support the young London designers with editorial shoots. I wish Hong Kong can have website/company that is willing to support the local fashion scene.
What is the first concern when you buy clothes from a new designer?
My first concern is about the design and the quality. I find that a lot of new designers nowadays are way over pricing on their pieces. The quality of the work doesn’t equal the price. I understand fashion is a part of art, and shouldn’t judge the price at all. But seriously, some new designers’ egos are just too big. I feel sad because the fashion school always just teach them about how to design, but never teach them how the business works in the reality.
Tell us some the new designers you like and tell us your stories.
I like Sadak by Sasa Kovacevic. Sasa is from Serbia and now works and lives in Berlin, Germany. His design is just too good. And he makes all his clothes by himself. I especially love his prints and graphics. And we become good friends which is just amazing, making a meaningful friendship through fashion, how cool is that! I also like Ziad Ghanem’s work. It’s all because of him that how I get into the London fashion scene. I first emailed Ziad back in summer 2009 asking if I could purchase his pieces. Then after I got some pieces from him, he invited me to his show during London Fashion Week in September 2009. And I met with some cool designers and people during that trip. Orschel-Read, Studio 805, Asher Levine are some of my favourite new designers as well. I love Banal Chic Bizarre from Japan. Also Balmung. For Hong Kong based, Plotz is good.
What do you think about the big trend of mens and womenswear next year?
I don’t really follow trend, so I can’t really predict the trend for next year. But I would like to see unisex/androgynous style can keep on growing. Gender is never an issue for me when it comes to clothes.
Styling photos from Joey ma, Ziad Ghanem
Photos from Ziad Ghanem
Store photos from oki-ni, not just a label and Jasonyao
Posted by: Jasonyao
