“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. 

JOYCE: Live Curiously

Live Curiously: Alexander Fury in conversation with David Hellqvist

Kam Kwok Leung 甘國亮 in conversation with Peter Wong 黃源順 and Ching Siu-Wai 程少偉

Kam Kwok Leung 甘國亮 in conversation with Peter Wong 黃源順 and Ching Siu-Wai 程少偉 [CANTO]

"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.

Live Curiously: Cali Thornhill DeWitt (Saint Mxxxxxx) and Fraser Cooke in conversation with Arthur Bray

“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.

Live Connected: Jaap van Zweden in conversation with Ken Smith

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.”

LIVE CONNECTED: Ivana Wong in conversation with Gavin So

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.

LIVE CONNECTED: NCHS in conversation with Karchun Leung

When Christopher John Rogers was in fifth grade, he knew he wanted to be a fashion designer.  He later stumbled on an Alexander McQueen show on YouTube and has since been hooked. Roger’s love of unadulterated and saturated Fashion with a capital F, has seen him rise quickly with his eponymous label, garnering a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund in 2019 and an incredible cohort of CJR wearers such as Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Beyonce. Iridescent fabrics, saturated jewel tones and dramatic volumes that physically take up the space of a room have marked Rogers out in the New York fashion scene.   Jillian Choi, director of global exhibitions at Design Miami and hardcore fashion enthusiast, speaks to Rogers on this episode of the Live Curiously podcast, delving into his journey - from his upbringing in Baton Rouge, where prim church goers and an anything-goes eclecticism have become part of his ongoing reference points, to his time in New York designing for DVF, whilst side hustling with his own brand.  Choi and Rogers also unpack an unprecedented year, in which the young designer has had the luxury of time to be with his thoughts and really think about what his brand really stands for, realising that it’s ok not to be “everything to everyone.”  Rogers’ hopes for fashion’s future?  No grand plans for now, but just pure gratitude for doing him.    “To be able to make clothing that is specific and charged with emotion be able to have a business out of that.  I feel lucky that we’ve found a community that understands that and relate to that and allow us to continue what we’re doing.”

Live Connected: Christopher John Rogers in conversation with Jillian Choi

Long live the Quinn!  Richard Quinn was already a breakout graduate from his Central Saint Martins MA class with his extreme subversions of floral prints but when Her Majesty the Queen made a surprise appearance at his London Fashion Week show in 2018 to present him with the inaugural QEII Award for British Design, that’s when all eyes fell on this young, grounded designer. Quinn has since risen and risen, with surreal moments like the likes of Celine Dion and Cardi B donning a head-to-toe RQ look, as well as putting on spectacular shows that involve both his family and community, like the SS20 show that had a troupe of girls from the local primary school emerging in marabou ensembles standing next to a Cecil Beaton-esque mise-en-scene, with the help of his brother who works in construction. From Quinn’s South Peckham studio and open-access print studio, he spoke to fashion journalist and content creator Susie Lau, just as a second lockdown had begun in London, about navigating an albeit quieter year for everyone and how we will emerge and react to these strange times.  Dress up, up and up is the takeaway! “Those key turning point, red carpet moments aren’t happening right now.  But once this is all gone, it will be more saturated than ever.  Everyone will be just like ‘Let’s go for it!’.  It will be like the 1920s again.  Any occasion will be special.” Keeping things special is precisely why Quinn opted not to show his SS21 collection in September and instead postponed it until February. Being brave enough to pause and wait for a better moment is why Quinn’s shows are such hot tickets. Welcome to the House of Quinn!

Live Connected: Richard Quinn in conversation with Susie Lau

All-night Canto disco. Reunited for part two of their deep-dive in to homegrown creative talent, Arthur Bray and Tedman Lee dissect Hong Kong’s club music scene with resident DJs of MIHN club, the city’s forward-thinking electronic dance club. Mr. Ho (Michael Ho), Jayme (Jimmy Mak), Nanogram (Jason Ng) reminisce and discuss all influences from Italo disco, house, techno, hiphop, dubstep and Leslie Cheung to iconic 80s nightclub Canton, Manchester’s Sankeys, cult Club XXX and the fabled Chungking Mansions. Feel free to be free. The DJs discuss what it means to be creatively free behind the turntable. How does performing to a Hong Kong crowd influence their style? What does it even mean to be a DJ? “A DJ is a curator, a collector and also an entertainer.” Find out how this eclectic group of sound shapers overcome their ‘cool’ demons and put on a “colourful, emotional rollercoaster” of a night at MIHN. Music to your ears? Continue the audio journey and stay connected by listening in to the MIHN playlist for JOYCE SOUNDS.

Live Connected: MIHN Club Resident DJs in conversation with Arthur Bray and Tedman Lee

Qiu launched her label in 2017 and was on the official schedule at New York and then Milan in 2018 and 2019 – all before the ink on her MA diploma was dry. The fast-rising star talks to veteran editor Karchun Leung about influences, inspirations and sheer hard work. For Hangzhou native Qiu, only one fashion education programme in the world would do. Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts rose to prominence in the 80s when it produced a breakout class of designers who took the industry by storm. Among the legendary Antwerp Six, a young Qiu was especially dazzled by Dries Van Noten and Walter Van Beirendonck: when she arrived in Belgium, Van Beirendonck was on the faculty and waiting to teach her. The Academy’s famously intensive approach made it a sink-or-swim experience, she admits. But the aim is to mould disciplined creative mavericks – and Qiu’s output before and after graduation suggest it paid off. It’s early days, and Qiu is still finding her feet in business and experimenting with production models to make her vibrant modern romantic designs as sustainable as possible. But as she reveals to Leung, exploration is now her comfort zone. Following in the footsteps of her idols taught her to go her own way.

Live Connected: Shuting Qiu 裘淑婷 in conversation with Karchun Leung 梁家俊 [CHI]

Brothers in arms. Christopher Raeburn made his name reworking military surplus – and his label’s acclaimed innovation kicked up a gear when Graeme came aboard. The duo talk to David Hellqvist of Document Studios about joint forces, unique strengths, and craft-driven luxury. Closed-loop processes, agility, efficiency: the way the Raeburns describe production at their East London “lab” might sound more at home in an aerospace firm than a fashion atelier. From his early days at the Royal College of Art, Christopher’s RÆMADE aesthetic has been a feat of engineering. It takes vision to reimagine parachute nylon or raft canvas as outerwear – but problem-solving ingenuity to bring it from sketch to street. Drafting in Graeme’s skillset in 2018 just made sense. An RCA grad himself, Graeme started out in performance sportswear at Rapha. While Christopher keeps the creative reins, Graeme focuses on optimising production. They’re reprising childhood roles, they realise, and the balance is working well. RÆBURN is chasing the virtuous circle of a fully sustainable fashion future - without ever short-changing their creative vision or quality control. It’s an adventure that rewards a restless drive to learn and grow. Or, as Christopher puts it: “hard work but good work”.

Live Connected: RÆBURN in conversation with David Hellqvist

Menswear label BODE is known for its slow craft and beguiling narratives from America’s past. Behind the artistry is a bigger story, of community. Founder Emily Bode tells Julie Gilhart about going it alone to build deeply personal collections – while always valuing the collective. Craft is in Bode’s blood: her ancestors were Ohio wagon-makers who built ornate circus carriages for the Ringling Brothers. Bode unravelled that story herself and made it the theme for her first runway show in Paris; human interest inspires all her designs. The antique, deadstock and repro textiles that bring them to life are sourced through a network of collectors and enthusiasts. For handcrafted detailing, BODE’s NYC studio partners with artisans from India to Peru. Growing her gender-inclusive label globally hasn’t lessened the draw of home. Bode is fascinated by the domestic space and the emotional power of everyday heirloom items we associate with family, comfort, love. Staying collaborative and curious even in a time of separation and seclusion – BODE reminds us we can be connected, apart.

Live Connected: Emily Bode in conversation with Julie Gilhart

For this LVMH Prize finalist, adjusting to fame and acclaim is “still a process”. It’s his creative process that has brought the industry to his doorstep. The Dutch designer talks to veteran talent-spotter Julie Gilhart about creative responsibilities, and the exhilarating freedoms of his first collaboration with JOYCE. Lantink upcycled his first garment aged 11: his stepdad’s Diesel jeans became pleated schoolgirl skirts. “That was before Diesel started doing it!”, he swears with a laugh. During his MFA, improvising with the materials at hand became an artistic imperative. While he still struggles with the label “artist”, the world has no trouble applying it for him. His provocative designer mashups are most liberating when he works with mixed-brand inventory like JOYCE’s, he explains – no egos, no singular brand identity to preserve. Just fashion alchemy. Those collage collections aren’t an endpoint, but a beginning. Forging relationships is key to longer garment life-cycles that preserve great design for new generations. Lantink relishes connecting with customers and style-lovers of all stripes  - including SistaazHood, a Cape Town collective of trans sex workers whose salvage style chimes with his own. For the connected, the curious, the relentlessly creative, it’s clear Lantink believes fashion’s future can be bright. 

Live Connected: Duran Lantink in conversation with Julie Gilhart

In its first two seasons, the podcast has welcomed some of the world’s brightest creative talents and cultural commentators – in fashion, design, music and beyond.  Season 3 goes the extra mile to help the global JOYCE community LIVE CONNECTED. Episodes take the listener from Amsterdam to Antwerp; from New York back to Hong Kong – and to Beijing for our first podcast conversation in Mandarin. But while we roam, we turn our perspective inward. Today, rethinking consumer culture has become a global imperative. In search of answers, we delve deeper into the core values JOYCE is built on: CREATIVITY, CRAFT, and CARE.

Live Curiously - Season 3 Trailer

Here’s to the professional drifters. HK media fixture Lawrence Cheng has come a long way over four decades in radio, TV, film and online – and he’s proud to say little of it was planned. He talks to daughter Zaneta, writer and stylist, about the blueprint for a fulfilling creative career. Turns out it may mean tossing the blueprint altogether. As a rookie radio DJ in the 80s, Cheng learned a lot on the graveyard shift – but the lesson that stuck came in a note from a disgruntled listener: “If you don’t like your job, please don’t do it.” Following his inspirations and playing to his strengths have helped Cheng hop between lily pads – from radio success with The Three Fairies and his breakout TV crossover The Yuppie Fantasia – to streaming a Sam Hui concert to a locked-down world on his YouTube channel. The key to longevity? Embracing new platforms and learning from the next generation of creators. One of those is Zaneta, whose journey from poli-sci student to editorial staff on the style and culture beat was partly inspired by her dad’s playful attitude to fashion. Join this happy-go-lucky duo as they discuss comfort vs. courage, and the importance of not allowing setbacks - or successes - dampen your hunger to keep growing.

Live Connected: Lawrence Cheng 鄭丹瑞 [CANTO]

JOYCE Podcast : Live Curiously. Further connecting our worldwide network of like-minded design, fashion & culture fans, we will go head-to-head with the most inspiring talents in the business. The illuminating and intimate conversations series will reach beneath fashion's facade, exploring Creativity, Care and Craftsmanship both locally and globally.

hubhopper

JOYCE: Live Curiously

hubhopper