Fashion Destination: Hong Kong

Every major city has its one shop that every visiting disciple of cult fashion must visit.

In Los Angeles it's Maxfields.

In San Francisco it's The Archive.
In Paris it's L'Eclaireur.

In Milan it's Daad Dantone (you thought we were going to say 10 Corso Como- didn't you?!).

In New York it's Barneys Atelier.  

And, while most think of Hong Kong as a place for cheap silk shirts and a knock-off Rolex, it too has perhaps one of the best retail destinations of all - Joyce.  Named for Hong Kong's first lady of fashion, Mrs. Joyce Ma (馬郭志清), the company was established when Armani still had a head of dark hair.  Joyce was the first to bring top-end international designers to Hong Kong and is now the place for cutting edge and hard-to-find women's and men's fashion and accessories. With a fabulous beauty section that looks like a rococo pharmacy that is resplendent with mirrored-covered etageres and seashell-covered walls, the two-story flagship on Queen's Road on Hong Kong Island is a masterpiece of funky luxury.

 
Contributing Writer: Blake Kuwahara

Designer Profile: Dieter Rams

Dieter Rams (born: May 20, 1932) is one of Germany's most noted industrial designers.  He is most famously recognized for his 34 year contribution to the consumer products company Braun.

While studying architecture and carpentry at the Werkkunstschule Wiesbaden from 1943 - 1957, he worked for Otto Apel (from 1953-1955) and rose through the ranks at Bruan and became Chief Designer (from 1961-1995).

Holding true to his design philosophy of "Less, but better," his contribution to consumer products - such as record players, razors, film projectors, calculators, coffee makers, as well as office products (to name only a few) can be seen at their permanent home inside numerous museums around the world.

His book, entitled "Less but better" 

In an Icon Magazine profile, Dieter Rams was noted as saying this about eliminating the "unnecessary":

"As designers we have a great responsibility. I believe designers should eliminate the unnecessary. That means eliminating everything that is modish because this kind of thing is only short-lived."

Even today, it seems his influence on Apple's Jonathan Ive can be seen with the lines and profile of the iMac.

Dieter Rams Speakers

Apple iMac

Dieter Rams Top Ten Principles of Good Design:

Good design is innovative.
Good design makes a product useful.
Good design is aesthetic.
Good design helps us to understand a product.
Good design is unobtrusive.
Good design is honest.
Good design is durable.
Good design is consequent to the last detail.
Good design is concerned with the environment.
Good design is as little design as possible.

Dieter Rams: Coming Soon to the Design Museum London