HONG KONG — British designer Nicholas Kirkwood touched down in Hong Kong this week as part of a whirlwind trip to launch his Eighties arcade-inspired anniversary collection in Asia. He mingled with fans at On Pedder before flying out to events at the newly opened Pedder on Scotts store in Singapore and the retailer’s outlet in Plaza Indonesia mall in Jakarta.
The designer touted his Hong Kong client base as forward thinking: “You get a very worldly customer here; also one who really loves fashion and is looking for something new. I think they are as progressive as they have ever been.”
The 10-year anniversary collection features 10 shoe designs — inspired by exuberant childhood memories of Pac-Man games and films like “Back to the Future” — along with small accessories and an iPhone case.
He describes the collection as a “passion project” and said it spawned an Instagram frenzy after debuting at Le Bon Marché in Paris and Selfridges in London. “The product is really bold and graphic. I want them to be almost collectors’ items,” he explained. “It’s something that I think the Asian customer can hopefully relate to….We do really well here with that kind of product that makes a real fashion statement.”
Asked what’s next, he said the brand is eyeing locations in the Middle East. “Both the Middle East and Far East have been expanding markets for us,” he said. “They just love shoes and every height of shoes. It could be flats to big heels.”
He expects to be traveling to Asia more often. “There’s going to be no rest,” said the bleary-eyed designer. “I’m flying back to London on Monday morning and going to straight back into [the next season].”