Diary of a Fashion Expat

Part 5 - The Hong Kong Years

By Laura Flanagan

In this multi-part series, British Designer turned Buyer, Laura Flanagan, documents her journey through the Fashion Industry and working as an expat around the world. Her story began with a chronicle of some of the challenges she faced finding the right fashion program at University, navigating her final year while interning in Paris, followed by graduation year and beginning her design career in London.

In Part 5, Laura talks about her adventures as an expat in Hong Kong!

(Stay tuned for future installments including the difficulties of landing a career overseas and life in Australia)

Continued from “Part 4: The London Years”…

I landed with a firm bump on the tarmac of Hong Kong’s airport nearly 6,000 miles from home, completely disoriented after twelve hours of flying and not much sleep. As soon as I stepped off the plane, the intense humidity hit me in the face only to be contrasted by the strong air conditioning of the airport building seconds later. I had one suitcase, one piece of hand luggage, and far too many layers of clothing for the climate.

It was early Friday morning, and I had arranged apartment viewings for later that day. I was to start my new job on Monday, barely allowing time to get over the jet lag. I got the train from the airport and then the MTR to the AirBnb I had booked temporarily. I had a rough idea of where I was going from my previous visit to Hong Kong, but dragging my luggage around in the high level of humidity was exhausting after a long haul flight. When I got to my AirBnb apartment on Hong Kong Island, I let my jet lag take over and fell into a deep nap.

“I knew I wanted to move in when the first guy opened the door hungover, swigging from a can of beer. This was going to be a fun place to live. ”

I later woke up to my alarm, and it took me a few minutes to remind myself of where I was, and why I was there - for a new job and a new life. I was worried I wasn't going to appear my best to potential flatmates at these viewings, exhausted and overwhelmed. But I didn't have much time, I needed somewhere to live pronto.

My first viewing was in an area called Causeway Bay, also on Hong Kong Island, an apartment with two guys who were also expats. I knew I wanted to move in when the first guy opened the door hungover, swigging from a can of beer. This was going to be a fun place to live, and I ended up paying the deposit and collecting the key the next day. 
The crazy thing about Hong Kong accommodation is that even though it’s some of the world's most expensive real estate, the quality is pretty low. Most options involve small spaces, damp walls, unequipped kitchens, grim hallways and crazy tall high rises. I even saw rats on occasion! You have to lower your standards pretty quickly to survive there. Yet, what the city lacks in terms of accommodation, it makes up for in so many other ways, as I was going to find out over the next few years.

I started my new job bright and early on Monday. I was already familiar with the company because I had spent some time at their London office before flying out to Hong Kong, and I’d got a good vibe. The company had a friendly feel, warm and caring. My visa had been quite simple to obtain. The paper work Hong Kong required wasn't lengthy and the visa was approved quickly, I was granted two initial years straight away. 

I arrived at the office of my new company, which was in the New Territories area of Hong Kong. I remember being shown to my desk and couldn't believe the beautiful view that was framed by the window. We were on the 30th floor (which in Hong Kong isn't even high) and the views of the mountains, high rises, and windy roads were breathtaking. The sun shone brightly, but what I wasn't prepared for was how strong the air con was in the office. My carefully selected ‘summer office’ look wasn't serving much purpose, I was freezing. I soon learnt that although Hong Kong has nearly year round high temperatures and stifling humidity, it’s freezing everywhere indoors - Hong Kongers love air con. I quickly adapted my wardrobe to suit this with a few emergency trips to the first stores I recognised - H&M and Zara, but that method of dressing took some getting used to.

“Weekends would consist of champagne brunches, boat parties, weekends away in countries like Thailand or Vietnam, or wild nights out in the infamous Lan Kwai Fong party district”.

It all ready felt very different to London, and despite the reputation of Hong Kong being a fast paced concrete jungle, where everybody works till midnight, it felt a lot calmer. There were many aspects that made me feel more relaxed here. To start with, the manner of most Hong Kongnese is very gentle, they are soft spoken and polite. Even though I got public transport to work, people would queue in an orderly manner for the carriages, in stark contrast to London’s tube. Once you were on the train, it was spotlessly clean. Salaries are also generally a lot higher in Hong Kong compared to Europe and you get taxed a lot less, so instantly your financial worries are taken away. I also felt very looked after by the company I worked for, perhaps they were more attentive to me as I was one of the very few expats in the company but there was never a day I felt alone or anxious during my time there. The family that ran the company were great people and so were the staff that worked there. I always had inspiring expat managers and sometimes an expat colleague, but the rest of the office were from Hong Kong or mainland China and it was a great way to learn about a different culture. 

To me, some of the cultural elements seemed strange and some seemed wonderful, but I was always grateful for the opportunity to experience it. Sunday night blues were a thing of the past, I looked forward to going to the office, and that's why I ended up staying with that company and in Hong Kong for three and a half years.

“Many don't know this side of Hong Kong, but it has hundreds of hiking trails and beautiful nature parks within easy reach of all the urban areas”.

Outside of work, Hong Kong was a lot of fun. Weekends would consist of champagne brunches, boat parties, weekends away in countries like Thailand or Vietnam, or wild nights out in the infamous Lan Kwai Fong party district. The expat community was very social, and it wasn't hard to make friends. A few nights out and you’d have a small friendship circle started. I loved how open everyone was, when you met somebody at a party or at a brunch and you suggested you should meet for a beer or a coffee, it would actually happen. Whilst in London it would be followed with some luke-warm Whatsapp interaction, dreading the hours travel on the tube to meet this possible new acquaintance. 

For my first year in Hong Kong I was in a true honeymoon period, I loved being there, loved my job and loved all the travel that was available to me through work and spontaneous weekends away. I also adored the hiking scene in Hong Kong. Many don't know this side of Hong Kong, but it has hundreds of hiking trails and beautiful nature parks within easy reach of all the urban areas. I loved nothing more than on a Saturday afternoon, sweating out a hangover on a hike, then hitting the beach before heading out again on the Saturday night. 

The city can feel claustrophobic sometimes with the sheer amount of people and high rises that block the sun from the pavements but the hikes provide relief from all of that.

“Getting the chance to go see where your product is made, by who, and all the limitations & opportunities involved will make you a better designer overnight”.

While I was always looking forward to each weekend and the adventures that awaited, unusually I was really enjoying the working weekdays too, thoroughly immersing myself in a role I loved. The company was set up by an incredible Hong Kongese lady in 1993, and as she started to take more of a back seat in the company her two lovely daughters started to lead the company. It was amazing to be part of a close family business. 

My role meant I would travel regularly to the factory in China, which I think is such important exposure to any designer. Getting the chance to go see where your product is made, by who, and all the limitations & opportunities involved will make you a better designer overnight.

 I was also lucky enough to be sent on global shopping trips and attend overseas trade shows, the usual destinations would be New York, London and Paris. I found career development in Hong Kong to be much more organic than in London. Your goals are achievable and after two years at the company I was promoted to Senior Designer. These were the moments when the hard times in fashion felt worth it, they got you here. 

When I wasn't travelling, being able to explore Hong Kong for any length of time was time well spent. Weeknights consisted of night hikes (you never tire of the view from the top of Victoria Peak), dinner at the latest restaurant or drinks on the steep streets of Soho. Everything I have described will always remain as incredible memories to me, and Hong Kong will always have a special place in my heart, as it will to most of those who have been lucky enough to live there.

You might be thinking why did I ever leave this magical set up? 

There were times when I thought I would never leave, but there were times I missed things about home I didn't even know I could miss. On a bad day the size of my studio would feel claustrophobic (my bathroom was so small my shower was over my toilet, to give you some context). The bin bags on the street would smell putrid as the blazing sun shone down on them, the humidity and pollution would sit heavily on your skin giving you spots. The crowded streets meant it was a struggle to get anywhere. The over priced supermarkets smelt of sour dairy and the array of low quality meat actually turned me into a pescatarian. 

The nightlife offers you the same commercial music with the same expat crowd you have been seeing out for years, and the same guys you have already dated, then you wake up with the same horrendous hangover every weekend. 

You crave space, you crave a nice home, a quality supermarket and some normality. These are all little things, and Hong Kong is a wonderful place I would recommend to anyone. But when it isn't your home country, you are more inclined to start thinking about where to go next. Expat life is addictive, it's always fun to think of the next adventure. So when I knew I was ready, I thought I would let the job prospects lead the way from me. Lingerie Design is so niche, that's the way it has to be, you go where the jobs are, I just had no idea where that would be next….

Find out where Laura goes next in Part 6 of Diary of a Fashion Expat due out next month.

Incase you missed them, Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 and Part 4 are still available on the website. See below for more details!

Edited by Emma Golley

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