‘The future is the metaverse’: Hong Kong designer Vivienne Tam looks to NFTs,
Vivienne Tam is what you would call a Hong Kong success story.
Rising from the city’s grass roots to become an international designer who has dressed US first lady Jill Biden, Tam is now looking at the virtual world and beyond to take her label to new heights.
The famed designer returned from the US to live in Hong Kong during the pandemic to be closer to her family.
“I have always loved Hong Kong, it is really my place. [I am] coming home when I come to [mainland] China and Hong Kong. It’s where I grew up,” Tam says in an interview on “Talking Post” with Yonden Lhatoo, the Post’s chief news editor.
“The last two years have been a difficult time. I’ve been given a chance to rethink and re-energise the concept of my designs.
“But I’ve been very fortunate to rediscover the beauty of Hong Kong and spend time with my family, especially my mother.”
The Covid-19 pandemic has completely changed the luxury retail landscape in Hong Kong.
Before the pandemic, prime streets featured a mix of luxury goods tenants, accompanied by sky-high retail rents.
Luxury retail stores in areas such as Queen’s Road Central depended on visitor spending. But after pandemic travel restrictions led to a massive reduction of tourists, many luxury retailers shut down their shops.
Tam’s business was similarly affected, especially her operations in China.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, it has been hard for physical retail spaces, so we are going to open fewer physical stores. My Chinese partner had to close a lot of them. It was a difficult time.
“People went out less during the pandemic and buying fashion became a low priority. A lot of people focused on their health.”
Tam sees a light at the end of the tunnel. “Business is tough in Hong Kong, but it’s improving. We just want to have more visitors.
“With the same people coming to the store while international travel is limited, we had to give them new things all the time.
“We had to do something different. We had to rethink the fashion business. It’s not just about fashion, it’s about lifestyle.
“We must rethink how we communicate with Gen Z and the crypto generation. The pandemic [forced] us to be creative in our thinking. We regrouped as a business and strategised, to think out of the box.”
‘The future is the metaverse’: Hong Kong designer Vivienne Tam looks to NFTs,