10 Minutes With...Hong Kong-Based Menswear Designer Anthony Hill

"All Of Our Focus Goes Into Expert Craftsmanship, Excellent Fabrics And Perfect Fits" Standing at the forefront of Hong Kong's menswear revolution is British designer Anthony Hill, whose eponymous label Hill has injected a shot of sartorial vigor into the city's fashion scene. Creating deftly tailored blazers, chinos and shorts proudly made in Hong Kong, in just over one year Hill has become the go-to designer for classic cuts with a hint of unpredictability, making contemporary style look easy. Recently, Jing Daily spoke to Hill about the Anthony Hill aesthetic, Hong Kong's fast-growing menswear market, and the future of fashion in the fragrant harbor. Jing Daily (JD): What defines the Anthony Hill aesthetic and how does it stand out in the Hong Kong market? Anthony Hill (AH) : Hill's aesthetic is understated modern British elegance, whilst our philosophy is versatility and wearability. Our mission is to build a wardrobe of everyday luxury essentials for the contemporary man. Instead of designing and developing seasonal collections, we design situational clothing, building a wardrobe of pieces that fit together effortlessly and work for the wearer. We stay away from bright colours and gimmicks. All of our focus goes into expert craftsmanship, excellent fabrics and perfect fits, so instead of "standing out" for the wrong reasons, the wearer is noticed for the right reasons. JD: On the marketing front, how is the brand staying competitive in Hong Kong’s intense and highly concentrated market? AH : As I said, we are structured differently from "fashion" brands, in a sense that we offer situational clothing rather than seasonal/trend based clothing. Rather than offering something that is lesser quality and will only last a season or two, we offer great quality clothing that will last you a lifetime. In today's flooded market of fast fashion/low quality this is what people want, especially men. They want to know why they are buying it, where they can wear it, what it will go with and that it will last them a long time. This has set us apart from other brands and has essentially carved us a new part of the market. JD: Have mainland Chinese shoppers shown an interest in your designs? Do you have plans to expand into China? Abroad? Online? AH : Mainland shoppers have shown an interest in the brand and the designs and we have many repeat customers from across the border. The plan is to expand globally. We are talks with stores from all over the world who are interested in stocking Hill. China is a tough market to crack, and it is definitely part of our vision. JD: Do you think bespoke fashion is taking a stronghold in the Hong Kong market? If so, why do you think this is? AH : This is an interesting question. I think the word bespoke is incorrectly far too often. Most of these place that offer "bespoke clothing" merely offer tailored clothing. Most wouldn't know, but there is a difference. In short, bespoke is when a pattern is made from your body's measurements, where as tailored is when a pattern or a block is altered to fit your body's shape. But, getting back to the question, I think bespoke and tailored is taking a stronghold globally. Firstly people want things to fit them properly, and secondly people like to know the clothes they own have been made just for them. JD: Can you tell us a little bit about what you’re working on now and future collections? AH : Our two-button jersey blazer and our chinos have been selling out. We are currently in our third production run of these. Customers have been asking for more colors, so we will be releasing more colors in these products. Alongside these we have developed a few new fabrics and styles that fit in to other parts of a modern man's life. Hill menswear is available online at hill.com.hk.

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10 Minutes With...Hong Kong-Based Menswear Designer Anthony Hill