The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion
The Star Online: Lifestyle: Arts & Fashion |
| Posted: 09 Oct 2011 01:52 AM PDT ROSALIE Lin, who owns a three-year-old corgi named Coco, instantly fell in love with a mousepad at a local gift shop, as it featured a picture of a corgi. Without a second thought, Lin bought it so she would "get to see my dog every day!" she laughs. Lin is a marketing director of DCR Marketing Sdn Bhd, a marketing and loyalty programme company in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. During a meeting with a corporate client, she accidentally pulled out that mousepad along with her laptop – and the client liked it so much, he asked Lin if more such items could be supplied. Lin contacted the mousepad's manufacturers, Henry Cats & Friends (HCF), in Taiwan and subsequently brought in some of its products for her client to use as rewards in the company's loyalty programme. When DCR Marketing realised how popular these products were, it saw an opportunity and decided to become the sole distributor of HCF giftware for Malaysia and Brunei. The fact that the brand had entered the Russian market and was doing well there bolstered the decision: "Within six months of launching, the Russian distributor opened more than 10 outlets," says an impressed Lin. Apart from Taiwanese artist Henry Lee's whimsical creatures painted onto art stones, HCF has an extensive range of over 500 other items. Bestsellers include tote bags for women with images of animals and nature – the "Cherry Blossoms" PVC bags in particular are extremely popular always sell out. "A Fun Shop Day"-themed products also sell like hot cakes. Earlier this year, the country's first Henry Cats & Friends outlet opened in Bangsar Village 1, Kuala Lumpur. The products are also available at Kinokuniya Bookstores in Suria KLCC as well as from a kiosk in Mid Valley Megamall, KL. Purchases can also be made online at henryfriends.com. HCF gifts are appreciated by those who love being surrounded by peaceful animals when working or relaxing, says Lin, adding that "Nobody who has seen Henry Cats & Friends products has had anything bad to say about them. In fact, they are so cute that one client had sleepless nights thinking about them!" ■ DCR Marketing Sdn Bhd is looking for distributors for the Henry Cats & Friends brand. For enquiries, call 03-7710 8103. Related Stories: |
| Posted: 08 Oct 2011 04:43 PM PDT Chasing a dream, an artist changes careers to painstakingly paint stones. HIS work moved a friend to tears when he presented it as a gift. So it was only natural that Taiwanese artist Henry Lee began sharing his art with the rest of the world. In 2000, Lee presented a German director friend of his with a pair of hand-painted "art stone" cats. "He burst into tears without saying a word when he opened the gift box," relates Lee, 49, in an e-mail interview. Lee had scoured many gift shops without finding the right present. Frustrated, he went for a walk on a beach on Taiwan's idyllic east coast and noticed some beautiful stones. Fascinated by their texture and natural beauty, he decided to draw on them. Slowly, animal images began to take shape ... and the cats emerged to make the perfect personalised gift. Touched by his friend's reaction, Lee decided to look into sharing more of his work and moved gradually from being an accomplished animation director to fully immersing himself in the giftware business with his hand-painted stones. Now, Henry Cats & Friends giftware has become a big business not only in Taiwan but also in more than 15 countries, and over 25,000 art stone animals have been sold. There are 45 staff including artists, product designers and staff involved in product development, sales and marketing and the company also owns 15 retail shops in tourist spots, department stores and shopping malls in Taiwan and China. Changing gears Lee worked for 20 years (1982 to 2000) in animation background design; for 15 of those years, he was director for animation background at Wang Film Productions Co Ltd. He was also the background design leader for Walt Disney TV Animation and was involved in productions such as Aladdin, Beauty And The Beast, Duck Tales, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and The Rescuers Down Under. In 1997, he was chief art director for the Taiwanese animated feature, Grandma And Her Ghosts, (Mofa Ama) which was nominated for best animation film at the 44th Asia-Pacific Film Festival in Bangkok, Thailand. He set up his own background design studio, Henry Lee's BG (Background) Studio, in 1995 and alongside it, he later established his gift shop, Henry House. As he gradually transitioned from one career to another, he also changed lifestyles somewhat, moving into a Mediterranean-style studio cum gift shop nestled in the misty hilltop community of Jioufen, Taiwan, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It was an aptly arty location indeed, as it had become popular for inspiring the fantasy village in the 2001 anime hit movie, Spirited Away, by the great Hayao Miyazaki. According to Lee, "The town is very small, cozy and very quiet at night. It's the perfect place for artists and, incidentally, there are many artists and studios in the vicinity." There, Lee delved into developing images on stones he collected; initially, he sold only limited numbers of the works in his gift shop, which also imports leather goods and souvenirs. Then, Mentor International Corporation, a trading company, saw the commercial potential of Lee's works and, in 2001, entered into a joint venture with Lee to start Henry Design & Associates. In 2005, the brand Henry Cats & Friends was launched. Since then, the brand has added to the art stone cats with other gifts ranging from life-sized cat- and dog-shaped pillows and cushions, doorstoppers, porcelain mugs and magnets, tote bags, purses, kitchen items and paperweights. Finding the right one Stones, Lee says, are the most natural of materials for art: "They are nature's most refined works. Each stone has its unique texture, burnished after tens of thousands of years." Lee studies each stone carefully before giving it a new lease of life: "I visualise how to give the stones ears, fluffy bodies and tails and, most importantly, crystal clear eyes," he explains. The eyes are the soul of his works, and "they're the most challenging to paint," he adds. In selecting a stone to work on, Lee looks for colour, shape and texture so that when he paints it, every brush stroke will blend into the stone's natural lines and patterns. The stone is prepared for painting by polishing to smoothen it. Lee then uses a pencil to sketch an outline of his image before wielding his paint brush. The artist experimented with watercolours and oil paints, and then many special paint pigments before striking on the right formula: "I carefully apply seven layers of acrylic paint to get those crystal-clear eyes," he reveals, adding that acrylic paints work best with the stones in terms of the right tone and lasting colours. Lee's associate partner, Mary Su, and several junior artists make up the company's creative team and are behind the artistic concepts. "We have brainstorming meetings to come up with concepts and ideas for each season. When the artwork is finished, the design team will take over to work on product development and make our ideas materialise into what you see in stores," explains Lee. Apart from the most recognisable products of Henry Cats & Friends, the lovely art stones, many of the shaped items are also among its bestsellers, especially Bella the cat, Denny the dog, and Robbie the rabbit. "The shaped pillows are really popular," says Lee. "We were very surprised and excited to learn they sell well not only in Asia but also in Scandinavia and Russia." A life's philosophy on a stone All the original, 100% handpainted stones are actually not for sale, says Lee. They are for a stone museum he plans to set up in his studio. Hand-painting the stone is a laborious process that does not lend itself to mass production. You have to first find just the right stone, then create a unique character and, thousands of brush strokes later, you have a work of art. This process takes a week or more, so originals can only be created at the rate of three a month, and a new family of products, after three months. And Lee is adamant about maintaining this quality level for all his stones. Hence, to mass produce them and go global, the company uses art stone: Cold cast resin is mixed with stone powder and used to reproduce the original stones and these are then painted to match. "Each stone is decal-aided with additional hand-painted details, such as the crystal-like eyes." When an art stone is completed by one of the 10 artists who work on them, it is packed in a handmade gift box with a personalised card and display cushion. The very first batch of art stone works were of cats. A few years later, Lee's friends encouraged him to expand his range. The menagerie now includes rabbits, owls, pigs, pandas, raccoons, polar bears and seals. Lee bases his drawings of these animals on his friends' pets or on photos in wildlife magazines. Whether painted on the original stone or re-created on art stone, Lee's works reflect his philosophy of life. His creatures seem to emanate his dream of a world of child-like innocence, peace and harmony, one that is devoid of violence and wars. The world's future is of great concern to Lee, as he is married and has three children: a daughter and two younger twin sons. His children see all his artworks firsthand while he is creating them, and they are partial to Simba, it seems. "Simba is one of the more whimsical characters in our range. Simba has tusks to resemble a vampire, and a wicked smile. He looks a little scary but is very smart and naughty and has a very strong personality." Does Lee regret giving up his solid success in the animation background design field to spend all his time creating such whimsical characters? Not at all, he says, because to him, "life is always filled with choices and decisions". "I enjoy my venture, which is also a dream. I'm chasing it with my own team of workers. Even though it may be very different from my design career, it is very meaningful and full of challenge. "In the animation studio, we have to work very closely with foreign animation companies and all the artworks have to comply with their thoughts and comments," he says. "Now, when we create our own brand of products, we follow our own artworks and designs. We get the chance to explore all possibilities and express our ideas freely. It gives us a real sense of fulfilment." Related Stories: |
| Struggling couturiers get help Posted: 05 Oct 2011 05:05 PM PDT Struggling fashion designers get help from an industry expert in a new TV series. ARMED with his little black book of industry insiders and fashion powerhouse friends, Joe Zee is the man you'd want as an ally. Especially if you're a fashion designer who wants a shot at success. Zee, 42, is an American stylist and creative director of Elle magazine. He appears on Li's new TV series All On The Line in which he dispenses advice to struggling couturiers. Renowned as one of fashion's friendliest ambassadors, Zee – who was a recurring character on reality series The City – has earned an impressive number of accolades. He has been described in a New York Times profile as a leader in the mass market and digital transformation of fashion: "A chatty and approachable ambassador of fashion who has aggressively thrust himself in front of hoi polloi using Twitter, blogs and – most visibly – television." With an illustrious list of celebrity clients and trendsetting transformations – he is responsible for Justin Timberlake's makeover which elevated him from an awkward boyband member to a sharp-suited, sexy solo star, prompting the Frank Sinatra-style comeback – and high-profile collaborations with photographers such as Annie Leibovitz and Mario Testino, Zee is regarded as one of the world's top stylists. Zee was born in Hong Kong but his family moved to Toronto when he was just a year old. He stepped into the world of fashion in 1990 at the age of 22 and ended up moving to New York to enrol at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Zee wears several hats at once – equal parts style guru, therapist, fabric sourcer, counsellor and business manager – to provide a practical, market-savvy perspective that both allows the designer's aesthetic ambitions to flourish while ringing up the revenue. In All On The Line, Zee helps talented designers rescue their businesses from the brink of bankruptcy, completely redesign their lacklustre lines and present their revitalised collections to leading retailers. But as expected, when passionate personalities go head-to-head with real risks at stake, fashion bootcamp can get fiery. Real life also comes with the caveat of no guaranteed happy endings – if designers abandon Zee's advice and fail to adopt an approach that combines the best of art and commerce, there can be rocky results. Can Zee help designers create lines that buyers will love? Can he show them how to sell their creations without selling out? "Some designers completely made it, but some completely lost it," says Zee. "And I can tell you: you need a thick skin to survive. Yes, I was expecting drama – but I wasn't expecting the drama I saw!" In an e-mail interview, Zee touches on his nice-guy reputation and reveals juicy titbits about the show. You've been touted as "fashion's friendliest ambassador", proving that nice guys don't finish last! How do you manage to dole out honest fashion advice while preserving the peace with the designers on your show? And where do you get the patience to deal with flare-ups from the very people you're trying to help? I think my goal with doing All On The Line has always been to be "me". I have never tried to play a character but really bring out the best in every designer. I won't appease you just to be kind. I think that does a disservice. These designers need me to be as honest as possible and if I'm tough, it's because I know their potential is far greater than what they're showing me. On an episode of All On The Line, you told Kara Janx (a previous contestant on Project Runway) that "this isn't Project Runway." How different is All On The Line from other designer-focused shows? All On The Line is not a competition or game show. It's about real life, real businesses, real problems. These designers have invested everything they have in order to make their businesses work and somewhere along the way, they've hit a roadblock. I do my best to help them overcome that by working with them on their problems and their product, and hopefully by the end, I can have a major retailer buy their collection. There is no grand prize. The ultimate prize is the success of their business. They say that one should never believe their own hype. What are some of the warning signs of a failing line, and how do designers prevent a further downward spiral? I think first of all, every designer needs to have a look at their collection from an objective point of view. You can't live in the bubble of what you do and not be conscious of everything else happening in the world of fashion. Are you relevant? Does your collection make sense in the grand scheme of things? I think that's what I provide for many of the designers – that objective third party point of view. How do designers truly access their level of success, from both a commercial and creative perspective? I think that ultimate success for any designer is financial stability and being able to sell their collection. If a major store chooses to buy your collection, it's real validation that what you are doing is relevant. What advice would you give to designers who want to create stylish, sellable clothing without selling out on their design aesthetic? Always have a strong point of view. Being commercial doesn't mean being boring, and you can see how it worked for one but not the other. Many times designers think "commercial" is a dirty word but how dirty can success be? You juggle many roles – creative director at Elle, a helping hand for struggling designers, fashion's man about town. What drives your distinct dedication to the fashion industry and all things stylish? I love the fashion industry because it changes constantly and that's what keeps it exciting. What other industry can say that? If you could feature any Asian designers from these countries on your show, whose brands would you like to bring to the next level? I am not very familiar with too many Asian brands but I would love to work with them on All On The Line! Maybe we will do an Asia special! Your philosophy isn't just about the clothes on the shoot, but how all the elements – the hair and make-up, the model, the idea – have to come together to make it great. Can you tell us the basic cornerstones that everyone needs to pull together their own great looks? I think style is about a total package. It isn't just about clothes. Clothes should be part of the canvas of style, with hair, make-up and attitude, and personality should play a major role. Fashion and personal style should tell a story. Your first fashion job started with a Club Monaco store in Toronto. What tips do you have for anyone trying to break into the fast, furious, and sometimes fickle, fashion scene? Perseverence. I think I have been very lucky with all my opportunities but at the same time, I have worked very hard. Stick with it, even when it seems difficult, in order to tap into your best potential. You've worked with an endless list of luminaries – Mario Testino, Annie Leibovitz, Patrick Demarchelier, to name a few. Do you have any favourites that you'd love to collaborate with more in the future? I love working with every photographer because they bring completely different points of view to what we are doing. My first job was with Richard Avedon which is beyond incredible, but Carter Smith is someone who's been a close friend for the past 20 years and we've collaborated in so many different ways. A typical day sees you doing a million things all at once. What do you do in your spare time to unwind and relax? I love pop culture. So I love reading, going to the movies, even checking out the latest art exhibitions. I'm also a big fan of dance and you can often find me in dance classes, and finally, I love cooking big dinner parties for all my friends. You are very social media-friendly. What is the most memorable thing that a fan or follower has ever tweeted you? A sweet girl from Georgia that I met on the street in Savannah, wrote me a rap and recorded it and put it up on YouTube. And she's just 14! You're always sharply suited. Do you have any personal style icons? Personal style icons for me are people that are stylish, break boundaries, dictate ideas but without trying, like John F. Kennedy Jr, Kurt Cobain or even Kate Middleton. What are your thoughts on the Asian style scene? Do you read any street style blogs or fashion chronicles from the region? I am obsessed with the Asian style scene. I was in Asia a few times last year, and I love Tokyo and Hong Kong, where the styles are so metropolitan but mixed up in a very unique way. If you could style any famous figure from the past, who would it be and why? I would love to style Marilyn Monroe. How amazing would that be to lay claim to that? Plus she is such an inspiration for so many of my style images. As a pop culture junkie, who do you feel most defines the current look of today? Is there any particular fashionista whose different looks you look forward to every time? Kate Moss has been incredibly definitive of today's times. She's always unpredictable but incredibly chic in everything she wears – from her own wedding dress to something at the Glastonbury Music Festival. With the Asian region possessing some of the most exciting style scenes today – such as Jakarta's vibrancy – would you consider expanding the reach of All On The Line to include revamping designer lines from the region? I would Love to do All On The Line: Hong Kong! I was born there and it would be great to go back and work with design talent. Let's make it happen! All On The Line premieres this Sunday at 10pm on Li (Astro B.yond channel 706). Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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