Naughty by nurture
Published on May 26, 2012
Buy SPH photosFounded by Douglas Young, Goods of Desire adds a twist to its products, such as emblazoning xi, the Chinese word for happiness, on crockery (above). -- PHOTOS: GOODS OF DESIRE
Goods of Desire uses Hong Kong icons in its products, such as the city's apartment facades on wallets and newspapers in a seat (above). -- PHOTOS: GOODS OF DESIRE
Founded by Douglas Young (above), Goods of Desire adds a twist to its products, such as emblazoning xi, the Chinese word for happiness, on crockery. -- PHOTOS: GOODS OF DESIRE
By Natasha Ann Zachariah
Creator and co-founder of Hong Kong lifestyle label Goods of Desire, Douglas Young, likes putting a naughty spin on his products.
He has emblazoned a range of goods from books to underwear with the slogan, Delay No More, which sounds like a Cantonese profanity, and come up with bum-shaped mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival there.
So do not expect Young, 46, to hold back on the cheekiness when he launches the brand's first overseas flagship store here at the end of next month.
To be located at Central in Clarke Quay, the outlet here will span more than 6,000 sq ft and carry a broad range of Goods of Desire's signature fashion, gift ideas, homeware and furniture collections.
The creative director of the brand, who opened his first store in 1996 in a warehouse in Ap Lei Chau in Hong Kong with business partner Benjamin Lau, who declined to reveal his age, says that it is all done with 'taste and humour'.
Speaking to Life! over the telephone from Hong Kong, he says: 'It's what you make of it. Sometimes we push boundaries and tease but I am never vulgar. I have my standards.'
Since launching in 1996, Goods of Desire has garnered fans around the world. It is also sold at lifestyle stores in cities such as London and Frankfurt.
Some of the products were previously sold here at Anthropology, a homeware- lifestyle store in Holland Village.
Much of its appeal lies in how it uses unlikely Hong Kong icons such as woven plastic bags, old mailboxes and crumbling apartment facades as motifs, or how they are given a modern twist.
'My inspiration comes very much from the Asian lifestyle and its traditions. I walk the old streets of Hong Kong to see how people live. I want to reinvent these traditions, which are at risk of being forgotten, and present them in a new way,' says Young, who studied in London for more than 15 years and is a graduate of the Architectural Association there.
Rather than lay down his roots in England, the Hong Kong-born Young decided to return home.
He started out running an interior design and architecture firm but could not find aesthetically pleasing yet affordable furniture for his clients.
He decided to start his own range and named it Ju Hou Di (Cantonese for 'to live better'), which sounded like 'g-o-d' in English, hence the name Goods Of Desire.
Singapore, he says, is a perfect location to start his first overseas store because of its similarities with Hong Kong.
'They both have an East-meets-West history with their colonial background. Plus, I come here all the time, it's close to Hong Kong and I have a lot of friends here. So, Singapore should make a fun location.'
Young says that with the Singapore outlet, he hopes to evolve the brand into something less Hong Kong-centric and more representative of Asia.
As such, the outlet here will carry products that show off the culture of the city. He is already drawing inspiration from his travels here, having been to Geylang for durians and explored the Clarke Quay neighbourhood.
He has created a limited- edition T-shirt, bearing the tagline 'Delay No More Lah', which was given away in a contest on the brand's Singapore Facebook page.
'The brand remains the same but we try to replicate the experience with Singaporean touches. It is inevitable that we'll be influenced by the new development.'
He is not worried that Singaporeans will be offended by the tongue-in-cheek slogans. And going by the 1,900 likes the brand's Singapore Facebook page has garnered since it was set up last month, it seems like he has nothing to worry about.
'The way I see it, Singaporeans are highly educated and quite avant garde in their taste. They are so in touch with the rest of the world, so I don't think they are prudish.'
But the straight-talking bad boy of design admits people either love it or hate it.
'It's not a brand for everybody. It's something niche and that's the cool factor. I'd rather we have an attitude than be mass market.'
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