Flora: The inspiration to start the brand came when I served as a buyer and owner of a vintage fashion accessory store for 6 years, when I was 22. I have seen and studied thousands and thousands of fashion accessory designs, as I also worked as a freelance art director at advertising agencies. Then, I quit my job, and attended the London College of Fashion for my second degree. During my study in the UK, I got everything ready to create my own label. The insight I found is that, universal designs, with basic shapes and colours, outlast the fickle ups and downs of the fashion market. So  I decided to come back to Hong Kong, and start my own brand. Determined to make unique and innovative designs, I first developed the label in 2012, for my graduate show at London College of Fashion.

Flora: Geometric shapes and bright colours have fascinated me since my teens. The philosophy of the ‘Memphis’ movement aims to challenge the idea that products have to follow conventional shapes, colours & textures. In contrast, the ‘Memphis’ movement uses the bright, colourful & shocking pieces, which make the products look remarkable and fun. My creative process is very intuitive; it’s similar to playing with everything around you, as everything has a very interesting underlying structure of primary shapes. I like to pick a random objects and then follow my instincts to build something really special funny that I have never seen. The only rule towards designing, was to make something fun, remarkable but remain elegant. It’s very enjoyable to create something bold, witty & playful and colourful, which makes people feel energetic.

Flora: I am very grateful with the digital media nowadays, as I am quite lucky that the brand has been covered by international press  Our buyers and distributors heard about us because of what they have seen about our products on social platforms. I guess our products are quite specific, which is not true not for all brands, but I understand our position, and I love to keep it small scale, unique and not over-distributed.

Flora: Matter Matters is a very small scale brand with only 2.5 staff members; I am the designer , there is a part time marketing manager and my sales assistant. So I usually need to work 7 days a week and have holiday only when I am traveling for shows.

My usual day starts with a good coffee, then checking emails, after lunch, I start what I need to accomplish on the design part.

I almost do everything from research to idea brand storming & product developments to factory briefs, still shots photo shoots and editing , as well as also managing my select shop in Hong Kong (as I am also the buyer of my shop importing over 30 brands).

I usually am off at 12-1 am everyday, but I go to the gym twice or three times a week.

Flora: I am not a fashion person myself  (haha). My ‘must-have’ closet essential is a comfortable long dresses and sunglasses. I don’t like to spend much time on what I need to wear everyday. My favourite fall piece is my yellow bomber jacket.

Flora: Small start-up fashion labels can often be self-indulgent; create a unique selling point that allows them to stand out from the crowd. It sounds easy but the hard part is to meet the market needs and be distinctive at the same time. With so much competition it can be hard to find a good balance between the two sides.

As a small brand, being unique and creative is the only way to succeed. People need to recognize and remember the brand.