Revolution often comes from the most unexpected places – even in fashion. As luxury watchers ponder whether or not China will ever produce its own high-end fashion label, thus directing the spending balance away from western brands, some local designers are already making the speculation a reality – though not in women’s wear, as might be expected.
Instead, as Amy Chua was penning Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, a growing number of young Asian men defied family expectations and abandoned white-collar jobs to create a new upmarket segment of the local men’s wear industry. Their ages range from 19 to 30, and they have started bringing hand-made ties, custom-made shoes and bespoke shirts to the Asian market.
Mark Cho, 28-year-old co-founder of The Armoury, a Hong Kong haberdasher popular with the online men’s wear community, left his job at a London bank to start his business in Hong Kong last year. Cornell-educated Justin Chang, 24, the scion of Ascot Chang, a Hong Kong-based company known for its bespoke shirts, also abandoned the world of finance after an internship at a stock brokerage. Meanwhile, 25-year-old Gerald Shen didn’t even bother with banking: armed with a degree in finance and economics, he started working full-time on his Singapore-based tie-making business straight after graduation.