So what’s it like working in the land of fame, fashion and friends? Follow me on a fashionista’s journey to Hong Kong and find out!

 So why Hong Kong?

Check your labels on your clothes; they will most likely say ‘Made in Hong Kong’. Hong Kong also has such a unique shopping experiencing that every detail is carefully considered in design and functionality. I can’t wait to show everyone! On the trip I’ll be meeting up with Hong Kong designers and checking out the shops.

DAY 1:

Dear Stardoll,

I’m exhausted from the flight but I’ve got here safely and it’s absolutely beautiful!!  Today, I’m met Grace Yow, fashion designer and owner to the shop Uma Miy.

Uma Miy is a boutique store on the first floor on the very fashionable On Lan Street. The store hosts a collection of brands such as Grace Yow’s own label, Among Strangers as well as Josh Goot, Ohne Titel, Sinha & Stanic, Sue By Sue Elen and Sunshine and Shadow.

The lift opened up straight into the shop where I instantly felt like Blair Waldorf walking into a stunning boutique filled with beautiful garments and vintage knick-knacks including a candlestick telephone, which was the designer’s own and it still worked!

Designer Grace Yow showed me around the shop as we spoke about her label, the store and fashion in Hong Kong. She told me that she didn’t want everyone in Hong Kong to have the same pieces of clothing and that Uma Miy was the answer to individual style.  And individual is exactly what Among Strangers is – keen to keep her clothes true to themselves, she makes everything in her studio instead of manufacturing in a factory.  There are only 2-3 pieces per style, which ensures its unique individuality.

The Among Strangers woman is, “independent, subtle, but in depth”, which I thought sounded like great female heroine. When asked about the name of the label she told she me that whenever she goes on holiday she takes a side a trip by herself to take it all in.

Grace told me that her inspiration comes from art. She gets inspired by a piece of art and then tries to reflect whatever the feeling the artist put into the work, into her clothes. She said that next season’s clothes will be all about surrealism.

My favourite Among Strangers piece was a silvery gray mini dress with structured mini pleats over the pockets (yes, pockets on a dress! Love that.) mimicked angularly at the shoulders.

All the clothes had a real sense of honesty, which Grace Yow described as ‘philosophy’.  Every item of clothing in the store was carefully made, thoughtfully selected and thought provoking for the customer.

 I left the store feeling like I had just finished a Penguin Classic novel in the form of clothes and fashion.