[Photo: Apple Daily]
The Chinese characters on this t shirt - seized with hundreds during a police raid on a trendy fashion outlet Thursday in Hong Kong - say "14K". That's the second biggest triad, or organised crime gang, in "Asia's world city". Who says Asian marketing and branding isn't innovative or creative enough?
Police swooped on the headquarters of G.O.D. (Goods of Desire), arresting 17 staff including sales people and designers for selling the t shirts. Triads have long been a menace in Hong Kong to the extent that the law prevents anybody from claiming to be a triad or possessing any insignia related to the gangs.
The fashion for ironical statements on t shirts which has been sweeping the globe has clearly been gripping Hong Kong too, shirts bearing cannabis leaves and marijuana leaves are popular. Whether the 14K shirt episode is a step too far or the police have overreacted will be decided in the courts of law and public debate. Already media have suggested freedom of expression extends to the wearing of t shirts. Apple Daily, the local equivalent of a racy tabloid which also advocates democracy, shouted sarcastically about the raid on its front page: "14K t shirts confiscated - police put on big show"
G.O.D. is a great Hong Kong lifestyle, fashion and furniture brand oozing creative flair. It evokes an East-meets-West mood which captures the current zeitgeist. Its handbags are fashion items - featuring pictures of Chinese-language classified newspapers or red, white and blue clutches as a twist on the much larger, plastic bags used by domestic helpers or the elderly to lug goods around, known locally as "amah bags" or "Kowloon Samsonites".
Its "Delay No More" t shirts and fashion line sells incredibly well, given the pronunciation of the English phrase in Cantonese sounds similar to the local insult suggesting something offensive involving your mother.
It has won creative design prizes from local establishment bodies. Asia needs more brands and marketing like this which taps into local tastes while reinforcing high design standards.
However, unless you are an advocate of "any publicity is good PR" methods, G.O.D. could have followed some basic communications protocols in Asia:
Nevertheless, here's to the team at G.O.D. - in the pursuit of innovation and creativity, artists and designers sometimes cross the line. From a communications perspective, the most important thing is to demonstrate a commitment to operating within the law or having the law clarified. In the final analysis, G.O.D. is a business, not an artists' collective.
www.goodsofdesire.com
HONG KONG, November 2 2007