It’s in the jeans

SINGAPORE — I have met the Yohji Yamamoto of Hong Kong, except he’s into denim. I’m kidding, of course. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing George Wong, the “jeansmith” and founder of Bauhaus International (Holdings), an apparel empire based in Hong Kong.

I thought he looked like a young Yohji with the long hair and Oriental features. I was told that he lives in a mansion (a rarity in Hong Kong) and has sent his children to the best schools abroad.

If you’re a frequent shopper in Hong Kong, you may be familiar with some of the stores or brands Wong has set up, beginning with Bauhaus, the jeans store that retails third-party brands such as Levi’s, Miss Sixty, Energie, Killah, Fornarina, Religion and G-Star.

Like me, you may love Salad clothing company for its unusual shapes, artsy prints, the most comfy jeans, and best accessories.

And then you may recall Tough Jeansmith with the red cross logo on military-inspired bags.

Because of the high-quality merchandise and attention to detail, a lot of people have the impression that Tough is a European label when it is actually a Hong Kong-grown brand.

Over fresh orange juice and coffee, George Wong tells me how he began as a retailer selling bags in Hong Kong.

“During that period I learned a lot about making a bag, details of a bag. Since I love DIY (do-it-yourself), sometimes I make the bags and ask the factory to make something I like. Through those years I learned the design process, how to make a bag, so I started the career in this way,” Wong narrates.

In 1991 he opened Bauhaus, which became popular among Hong Kong’s hip set.  Business started out quite well, but two years later he faced difficulties in expansion because of the third-party dealers. “Also the profit margin was not enough, so I wanted to have something I could control.”

In 1994 he started his in-house label Tough with a series of bags, which became quite successful in the market.

From these bags Wong says he built “a solid foundation, gaining a sustainable and substantial spearhead for the development of the company.”

He went on to introduce a small collection of jeans and tops, which also became a hit and got bigger.

Since then, the presence of Tough Jeansmith can be felt in over 20 countries with the newest stores opening last week in Singapore’s hip mall, The Heeren, and on July 7 at the TriNoma mall in the Philippines.

I must say it was quite a treat to visit the Tough Jeansmith store on the third levelof TriNoma, which shares some rack space with its sister company, Salad.

Once inside one might momentarily forget they’re in Manila.

The store looks definitely “imported” with the modern fixtures and sales staff personally visited and trained by Wong and the Hong Kong group.

Japanese-style magazines are laid out for browsing.

Being an accessory lover I have to say the store carries one of the most interesting selections of wallets and accessories in town.

You can see the very high quality of the products with the artsy prints, details, and intricate embroidery the company is known for.

George Wong  shared a little bit more about the jeans and himself.

What makes a good pair of jeans?

I think the cut is more important than anything else. You have to follow the trend. For example, now the skinny cut is hot. Once you wear a pair of skinny jeans, then everybody thinks it’s OK. Then if you wear a loose style, it seems out of trend. Now the low waist is popular. If you wear a high waist, then you think it’s awful.

Who buys Tough jeans?

Quite a wide range, from 16 to 30- or 40-something. All these customers have strong characters. They want to be different from others.

You know most jeans labels sell conventional five-pocket jeans.

But you can see that our designs are quite different from others, with a lot of details. It’s not a pair of simple jeans, with a lot of design, cut and sewn, lots of patchwork, some destroyed or distressed look with a heavy wash.

All those contribute to the unique look of Tough Jeans.

Tell me about one of your best sellers, the Mao jeans. Are you wearing them today?

Ah, yeah. I have to say that Tough jeans comes from the DNA of Chinese elements.

You know the origin of denim comes from the Western world. So I always say why are Western people willing to buy a pair of Chinese jeans? Because they want to buy something unique, something they do not have, like the Chinese elements.

Every day when I wake up I see Chinese elements, like the graphic books from the Cultural Revolution of the ’60s.

So I make a pair of jeans using the Chinese elements to make it different from other labels.

That’s the background of Mao jeans — it is something traditional mixed with something contemporary.

How many pairs of jeans do you own?

Oh, many, many. I think more than 50.

That’s all?

Whenever my closet is stuffed with jeans, then every year I examine those jeans to see what is worthwhile to keep and what is not interesting. Then I give it up. My closet would be stuck with jeans if I did not choose to give up some.

Do you wear jeans every day?

Nearly.

Besides your own, what other labels do you like?

I have lots of jeans like Levi’s, G-star, Lee, Diesel, Energie. I collect products with special design. But I don’t stick to one label. Many labels I like, but I prefer to look at products rather than labels.

What inspires you?

I think looking at people, reading books and magazines. All those inspire my work.

You travel quite a lot. Do you have a favorite city?

Many cities. I think I like the cities in Southeast Asia — Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok.

All those are cities are energetic, dynamic and very active, while European cities are quite artistic, quite mature.

I can’t find that kind of energy, say, in Barcelona. It’s a different feeling. Difficult to say which city I like most.

But Hong Kong is home.

Yes, yes. Every time I go back to Hong Kong I feel comfortable and safe.

I think you look young. What’s your secret?

I’m 50. I think to enjoy life, do what you like.

I don’t worry too much. I seldom use my brain. In the company I delegate a lot of work to my colleagues. Every day I go to the office to “play” with the designers, to work together and enjoy the process of designing products. I think this will keep you young. Do something you like.