KAREN CHAN

Under the notion of “No Music No Life” with her enduring love of Cantopop, Karen took inspiration from cassette tapes, hugely popular during the 80s and 90s, for her design. Karen became so fond of Cantopop ever since she received a cassette Walkman from her father when she was still in primary school. She loves Cantopop so much as it triggers her childhood and teenage memories. Through this design, Karen wishes to pay tribute to Cantopop and the Hong Kong music scene, which accompanied and nurtured the growth of generations of Hongkongers.

Iron mailboxes frequently found in tong laus (shophouses) are the inspiration for this design series. With the use of vivid colours, rows of iron mailboxes have been redefined. These adorable iron boxes with thousands of stories are evidence of trust and communications between people, recreating Hong Kong lives of the old days.

Born and raised in Hong Kong and having studied in the United States for 15 years, SPARKLE brand founder and cheongsam designer Karen Chan is fully familiar with both Chinese and Western cultures, and loves incorporating East-meets-West elements into her designs, with special emphasis on the inheritance of cultural and creative industries, especially modernizing traditional craftsmanship.

[Nostalgic Hong Kong Store Series]
Toys, sweet treats and the intricate metal gates from old HK neighborhood stores are transformed into funky and colorful patterns that warm our hearts and bring a smile to our face.

[Hong Kong Classic]
This season, SPARKLE pays homage to historical HK by reinventing classic everyday items we see on the streets in HK in the past century into modern funky pop-art style designs in bright neon colors.

Inspired by the classic Hong Kong movie "In the Mood for Love", Karen’s Modern Cheongsam Collection uses SPARKLE patented digital printing technology to create original silk fabric designs, then handcrafted into a series of exquisite and subtle-glamourous Chinese chic modern cheongsams.