Web Design
If you told me five years ago that virtual fashion would have any significant impact beyond gaming, I’d tell you to go back to your hashtags and avatars and leave me to my luxury IRL. Then Dolce & Gabbana went and set a US$6 million record for fashion NFTS last September and we all had to scramble to figure out what on Earth was going on. Digital fashion has achieved what the industry has been threatening to do for ages–marry art and technology–and what a result that turned out to be. The nerds have arrived in the fashion world, and they look fabulous.
We look at both NFT fashion and NFT watches in this issue, and in our cover story, For Real?, we dig deep into what virtual fashion actually is and why brands such as Gucci, Fendi, Balenciaga and Burberry are getting involved. One of my favourite quotes in that story says: “Young people value their physical and digital lives equally. For them, it’s a no-brainer that digital garments exist.” If that didn’t make you feel old, nothing will.
An important point that we touch on in the story is the issue of sustainability. One of the biggest issues the fashion industry has had to face in recent years is that of wastage. Digital fashion appeared to be an ideal solution allowing for both environmental responsibility and the fast fashion mindset of online trendsetters, but is it as green as it seems? This edition is an important one to us, not least because this is the sustainability issue. We had a great time putting together the stories for you, but our passion probably pales in comparison to that of Wilson Cheung. The glaciologist tells us how he wants to inspire people to reconnect with nature, and his plans to become the first Hongkonger to conquer all 82 of the 4,000m peaks in the Alps by June. Another fun read is The Future of Food, an exploration into lab-grown meat and whether it can go from being an acquired taste to a menu staple. Then there’s also this month’s The Weigh-in, which tackles the issue of whether or not travel can truly be eco-friendly; on one side of the debate is our youngest weigh-in candidate yet: 13-year-old activist Lance Lau.
This is a special issue for me because it marks a homecoming of sorts—22 years ago, my mum and I appeared in a Mother’s Day feature in the May 2000 issue of Tatler. The editors asked four Hong Kong mothers and their children about their favourite things about each other, and my mum rose wonderfully to the task: “I’ve admired her since the day she was born—she’s very outspoken”, which is a loving mother’s way of saying that I’m an opinionated pill but she still loves me.
At that moment, probably mouthing off to someone on-set through a mouth full of braces, I would scarcely have thought further ahead than the next month, much less entertain the possibility that more than two decades down the line, I would be working at the same magazine, writing an editor’s note to you. Now, the braces are gone, though not the desire to speak out (hopefully I’ve picked up some tact over the years!), and I’d very much like to end this letter with a note of celebration. To all the mothers and mother figures in our community, here’s to a very Happy Mother’s Day.