Vogue China editor Angelica Cheung says Hong Kong can launch mainland designers onto the world fashion stage

Hong Kong's status as the fashion capital of Asia provided a ladder of opportunity for Angelica Cheung, editorial director of Vogue China. The lifestyle magazine was launched recently in China and over 300,000 copies were sold in the first 14 days.  

After starting her journalism career in Hong Kong 1992, Ms Cheung had within a decade secured one of the top jobs in the world of fashion publishing. She attributes this rapid rise to Hong Kong's can-do spirit.

"The Hong Kong work environment and the opportunities I was able to follow are the main reasons for where I am today," said Ms Cheung, who moved to Hong Kong after graduating from Beijing University with a degree in law and English. "Hong Kong is such a pragmatic place where ability and enthusiasm are admired and encouraged, and the will to succeed is only limited by your own ambition." Ms Cheung, boosted by the Hong Kong work ethic, went on to study for her MBA in Hong Kong.

Starting on the bottom rung, Ms Cheung's first job in journalism was as editorial assistant at the English language Eastern Express before becoming a feature writer. She later moved to the Hong Kong Standard as the magazine's features editor, joined fashion magazine B International as editor, and became editor of the Chinese language version of Elle before joining Vogue, prior to its mainland launch.

Although based in Shanghai these days, Ms Cheung often travels to Milan, Paris, London and New York to attend fashion shows. She also spends a lot of time in Hong Kong, where Vogue China went on sale in October. Vogue has also recently set up its regional head office in Hong Kong, manned by regional director James Woolhouse.

Hub for luxury brands

The inaugural issue of Vogue China which sold over 300,000 copies in 14 days

"As the fashion capital of Asia, Hong Kong is where many of the leading fashion brands have their regional headquarters and make decisions relating to advertising and promotions," Ms Cheung said. "Hong Kong is also an important location for high quality fashion shoots because of photographers, set designers and stylists' international outlook and detailed knowledge of the fashion industry." Hong Kong fashion designers and movie stars also play an important role in shaping the mainland and regional fashion industry, she said.

"Compared to Hong Kong female fashion sophistication and the ability to make personal interpretations of fashion trends, mainland females are not quite at the same stage yet so inspiration is very important," she said. Hong Kong and other international fashion centres help young mainland women find an entry point and discover their own fashion feel-good.

Hong Kong journalists also form a key part of Ms Cheung's Vogue editorial team. "The experience and knowledge Hong Kong's fashion journalists bring to the team complements the concept of fashion, culture and art we are trying to promote to our readers," she said.

Ms Cheung sees Hong Kong playing a key role in the development of the mainland fashion industry through helping young mainland designers reach a global audience. "Hong Kong's business ability to market and promote new ideas and products is well developed, and this could be key to mainland designers gaining recognition and making their mark on the fashion world," she added.

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