Hong Kong’s local brands hold key to city’s creative future

As a cultural strategist, my work takes me across the region as I explore new markets, mine local insights and connect with new consumers. Most recently I was in Seoul, a city voted for four consecutive years by millennial and Gen Z readers of a US-based travel media outlet as their favourite place to visit.Walking the streets of cool-kid neighbourhoods such as Hannam-dong, Seochon and Seongsu-dong on my usual market visits, I noticed something. Locals and tourists alike were walking around carrying the same five or six shopping bags: Verish, Tamburins, Glowny, Musinsa, Xexymix and Adererror. Then it hit me: these brands that everyone seemed to be buying were all local brands.Back home in Hong Kong, I decided to embark on the same experiment. Prowling trendy neighbourhoods and shopping hotspots, I scanned shoppers’ bags as an indicator for Hong Kong’s cultural cachet. The results were not surprising: for tourists, royal blue Bakehouse bags were a staple. There were a surprising number of Mannings hauls. Locals were buying a good deal of Muji, Uniqlo, Lululemon and Adidas.