"This Is Hong Kong" 2025 Summer Issue

This Issue at a Glance: We are what we wear?! From garments to fashion, traditional Chinese attire to Western suits, bespoke tailoring to ready-to-wear, what cultural traits do clothing choices embody in Hong Kong, and what historical changes do they record? Who decides what we wear, and what "Hong Kong people" wear? How are these choices made? Does everyone have the capacity or awareness to make independent decisions? When putting on one piece of clothing or another, which one is truly "me"? Or, which one do I aspire to be? Let’s Decode the Hong Kong Dress Together! Featured Content in this Issue: REvisit// Threads of Time and Identity Since the mid-19th century, Hong Kong has attracted people from around the globe seeking business opportunities. Alongside Westerners, individuals from various regions and social strata within China also settled here, bringing not only capital and labor but also a vibrant and diverse clothing culture. REprint// Style Guide: A Fashion Compendium Pre-war Shanghai and post-war Hong Kong saw numerous publications that functioned as fashion guides, showcasing contemporary trends through illustrations and photography. Later, serialized comics emerged, becoming indispensable resources for young girls looking to shape their personal style and image. REvive// The Reimagined Cheongsam Before the 1970s and 80s, the cheongsam was a staple in the daily wardrobes of Hong Kong women, even becoming an iconic symbol of Eastern feminine beauty in the eyes of Westerners. After the war, tailors who had relocated from Shanghai to Hong Kong continued the cheongsam craft, further developing a stylish fusion of Eastern and Western tailoring techniques. REmade// The Golden Age of Hong Kong Western Suits The skilled tailors from Shanghai elevated the standards of local Western suit craftsmanship. From the 1960s and 70s onwards, tourists and business travelers to Hong Kong, as well as military personnel arriving with warships, would commission bespoke, affordable, and quickly produced Hong Kong-style Western suits from tailor shops as a form of travel "souvenir." REform// School Uniforms Go Fashionable School uniforms are often the single style of clothing worn for the longest period in a person's life. Hong Kong school uniforms exhibit remarkable diversity, reflecting changes in population and educational systems over more than a century. As school uniforms, traditionally rooted in conservatism and practicality, now embrace fashion trends, what underlying shifts are occurring? REfashion// Sham Shui Po SSP Style Why did Sham Shui Po once serve as the heart of Hong Kong's garment industry? What traces related to apparel and fashion can still be found in Sham Shui Po today? Could Sham Shui Po evolve into a fashion-centric Design Hub in the future, driving the transformation of this old district? REcreate// A New World of Knitwear Knitwear was once a major category of Hong Kong's garment exports. While most local manufacturers shifted production overseas after the 1980s, the Lo's Knitting Studio, established in 2022, extends knitwear craftsmanship into design and artistic creation, collaborating with various sectors to promote local Hong Kong culture. REconnect// People and Garments – Tailors of Time From Fashion Design to Fashion Clinic, designer Toby Crispy Lin, having navigated various stages of the fashion world, acts as a "Tailor of Time." Through his work, he seeks to guide people back to a slower pace, reweaving the connections between individuals and communities, stitch by stitch. Other Features: REcover// Catwalk on the Streets After World War II, Hong Kong became an Asian base for many foreign journalists. They captured the bustling street scenes of various neighborhoods with their cameras, resembling a live fashion show that showcased the daily lives of people caught between Eastern and Western cultures, and between old and new eras. REmember// Fading Splendor, Handmade Moments There was a time when fabric shops, cheongsam boutiques, or Western tailor shops were "just around the corner." Today, they are increasingly rare. While these tailor-made garments cannot compete with the speed of fast fashion, they meticulously record the collective tastes of Hong Kong people in a bygone era. REflect// Making Clothes, Making Oneself In the 1960s, many Hong Kong women entered the manufacturing sector. How did they express themselves once they achieved economic independence? For many young women, making clothes not only allowed them to dress according to their own desires but also represented a form of independent happiness. REthink// Handmade in HK: Embroidering Hong Kong Techniques like drawn thread work, embroidery, and beadwork were once significant industries in Hong Kong, with substantial exports to foreign markets. Behind the exquisite embellishments, the history, characteristics, and evolution of these crafts are deeply intertwined with Hong Kong society. REmode// Fashion Trends From the 1960s, 70s, 80s, 90s, to the 2000s, people in Hong Kong embraced distinct fashion trends each decade. Regardless of stylistic differences, these trends were influenced by societal and economic transformations and were reflected in the emerging media and publications of the time. REimagine// The Costume Designer's Wardrobe Whether it's a glamorous gown or a tattered garment, costume designers and tailors play a crucial role in creating the vibrant world of clothing seen in films. In the fast-paced Hong Kong film industry, how do costume designers establish their aesthetic and collaborate seamlessly with tailors? (Note: "13 Points" comic © 13 Points Limited. All rights reserved.) ISBN: 978-988-74818-7-4 Price: HK$180 Printed and Produced in: Hong Kong Publication Date: Late June Exclusive Offer for Summer Issue via Online Store Order through our online store and receive a complimentary gift:【This Is Hong Kong X Anothermountainman X Lo's Knitting Studio】 "The Present (Past/Future)" Bookmark **Limited quantity, available on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last.** For the 2025 Summer issue of "This Is Hong Kong," themed "Hong Kong Wearables," we've invited Anothermountainman and Lo's Knitting Studio to combine design creativity with half a century of knitting craftsmanship to weave the "The Present (Past/Future)" bookmark. The front represents the future, the back the past, allowing the warmth of paper and the texture of knitwear to accompany you as you read about the present-day Hong Kong.