A bespoke lounge suite, custom-made shoes, handcrafted ring or your own signature stamp. Among the mass-produced mayhem of Hong Kong, some of the best craftspeople in the world will create whatever you want.
The mechanised and computer-operated future defines the present within the shiny new glass-and-steel skyscrapers of Hong Kong’s business districts. Lifts whoosh passengers up 50 storeys in three blinks, neighborhoods connect by a train system that you can set your watch by, shops sell the latest cutting-edge design, fashion and technology.
However, there is a different world within this city of seven million: one of back-alley workshops and made-to-measure goods, exclusive salons and craftspeople hunched over work-tables creating that unique piece. Hong Kong nurtures a retail ecosystem thriving on craftsmanship and personalisation, far from robotic and yet so Hong Kong. Many of the established providers have for decades provided custom-made wares to the elite of the former British colony. Several of the newer enterprises now run small factories across the border in mainland China.
In a town where one can purchase nearly anything from the world’s mega-brands, why seek the painstakingly unique? Because, for many, personalisation remains the ultimate luxury. The beauty of custom-made in Hong Kong is that although it has long been part of the lifestyle of the super-rich, today there is a bespoke purveyor for nearly every budget. And, for the right price, many can ship your unique piece of Hong Kong back home.
Clothing
A-Man Hing Cheong
Mezzanine, Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road.
+852 2522 3336.
Imperial Tailoring
At Shanghai Tang 12 Pedder Street.
+852 2525 7333.
Barney Cheng
12th floor, Worldwide Commercial Building, 34 Wyndham Street.
+852 2530 2829.
Jantzen Tailor
Room 202 & 204, 2nd floor, United Chinese Bank Building, 31-37 Des Voeux Road, Central.
+852 2810 8080.
Shoes
Mayer Shoes
Mezzanine, Mandarin Oriental, 5 Connaught Road.
+852 2524 3317.
LIII LIII Couture Shoes
Shop 75, 1st floor, Tower 2, Admiralty Centre, 18 Harcourt Road.
+852 2865 3989.
Colorful Workshop
Shop 311, 3rd floor, Island Beverly, 1 Great George Street, Causeway Bay.
+852 3586 0478.
Tableware
Wah Tung Ceramic Arts
14th-17th floors, Grand Marine Industrial Building, 3 Yue Fung Street, Tin Wan, Aberdeen.
+852 2873 2272.
Yuet Tung China Works
Unit 1-3, 3rd floor, Kowloon Bay Industrial Centre, 15 Wang Hoi Road, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon.
+852 2796 1125.
Furniture
GQ Interiors
Unit 2608-2610, Horizon Plaza, 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau.
+852 2501 0905.
The Red Cabinet
Shop 5, Chinachem Hollywood Centre, 1-13 Hollywood Road, Central.
+852 2536 0123.
Calypso
25 Elgin Street, Central.
+852 2537 9988.
Jewellery
Mabros Jeweler Co.
10 Pottinger Street, Central.
+852 2810 1700.
Saturn Essentials
51 Wellington Street, Central.
+852 2537 9335.
Wallpaper & embroidery
Anthony Chao
Lower ground floor, Ivy House, 20 Wyndham Street, Central.
+852 2971 0338.
Stationery
Bookworks
12th floor, Unit B/128 Wellington Street.
+852 2536 0175.
Mandarin Chops & Printing
Man Wa Lane, Sheung Wan.
+852 2541 3612.
Source: Qantas The Australian Way September 2008