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Urban Explorer Series: Interview with Arnault Castel

Urban Explorer Series: Interview with Arnault Castel

Editorial by - Tim Fung

“To me, an urban explorer is someone who isn’t afraid of getting lost. They are open-minded and really go behind the surface to see what the city is about. Hong Kong is not such an easy place to discover, so it takes time to pull back the layers of the city than simply what you see on the exterior.”

 

 

 

Arnault Castel

Founder of Kapok

 

 

 

Our Urban Explorer

 

Could you please introduce yourself to our guests?

I am Arnault Castel, and I have been living in Hong Kong for 24 years. I am born and raised in France and moved to Hong Kong in 1996 for work. I am the Founder of Kapok, and I opened it 14 years ago. It is a select shop that covers all categories, from fashion, accessories and gifts to home and beauty. We focus on small emerging brands coming from Europe, as I have a lot of links to that part of the world, as well as local brands in Hong Kong. We have stores in three prime locations: Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui and Central. In the Wan Chai Star Street area, we have a total of three shops that comprises of a space dedicated to Kapok’s flagship and another one for pop-up, and one store for O.N.S. Clothing, a menswear brand that we represent and we started working with them a year ago. We also have a store in Tsim Sha Tsui’s K11 Musea shopping mall that is within walking distance of Page148. Within the Central district, we have a store at PMQ (Police Married Quarters) and we will soon be opening another Kapok store and O.N.S. Clothing boutique in the basement of Landmark. Aside from our retail shops, we also have our ka-pok.com online store to serve our customers as well.

 

 

When did you move to Hong Kong? What inspired you to move?

When I was young, I did not have many chances to travel, I only went around Europe and the US, but never to Asia. At the time, when I just graduated, it was compulsory to join the army. At the time, I found out there was a program that allowed me to go overseas to work, which meant I did not need to join the army so I hopped at the opportunity to see the world. I had my final interview with the company I wanted to work for and literally the day before I coincidentally went to go see Wong Kar Wai’s “Chungking Express”. The film really inspired me and made me feel that life would be really exciting there, so in my interview the company asked me where I wanted to go and I told them I really wanted to live in Hong Kong. A few weeks later, I received a letter in the mail from the company I interviewed for and I was offered the opportunity to go to Hong Kong. That was how it all started for me!

 

What was your first impression of the city when you moved and what are your impressions now?

When I first arrived into Hong Kong, I felt very free. It’s much more dense and hotter here, and the pace of the city is so much faster but you really feed off of its energy with people everywhere. Coming from the country side of France, the difference is huge but I like that in Hong Kong, it is very easy to meet people. I think if I was back in France, I would not have started my own company and would have probably lived a more conventional life. Everyone around me here is so active, starting their own businesses and trying new things, so it definitely gave me confidence to start something on my own.

 

What traits or characteristics do you think makes someone a real Hongkonger? And do you consider yourself one having lived here for 24 years?

I would consider myself a real Hongkonger, except for my fluency in Cantonese! Every year I tell myself that I am going to perfect the language and because of work and all the things going on in my life, it ends up taking a backseat! I think a real Hongkonger is very adaptive, pragmatic and resilient, especially with all that has gone on in the past year. People here continue to find ways to strive and survive, and this adaptation power is a very good thing in our city. Even though it is such a big city and so diverse in culture and people, the community feeling here is still quite strong. Here, you can live the life that you want, whether it is more Hong Kong style, more European or a good mix of both.

 

 

You were initially in Investment Banking, but what made you decide to move into the realm of fashion and entrepreneurship? Was this something you always knew you wanted to do?

The bank I interviewed for made me an offer and even though it was not my targeted field, it was still very interesting to me because it allowed me to work across so many different countries and I learned a lot on the job. After a few years of working in this sector, I just knew that it would not be a lifelong career for me so I thought of other career opportunities that I could embark on. At the time, I was playing music at a bar every Saturday and it just so happened that on one of the weekends, a friend of mine brought the owner of the Austrian camera brand Lomography to the bar and they were thinking of opening an office in Hong Kong. With my Finance background, they asked me to start the company in Hong Kong and then I ended up taking care of the whole business, so it was sort of my way out of the banking world. With a very independent mindset and having worked for Lomography for some time, I decided to do something on my own. I would think up different business ideas with a friend of mine in Japan, and many of them led to a dead-end. However, when I went to Europe, the Moleskin brand caught my eye and so we contacted them and told them that we knew how to build a distribution business in Hong Kong, so we started working with them from my home. At the time, they just started to gain some traction so it was such a great partnership that lasted for nearly 10 years. One day, I was looking for a new office space for Moleskin, and found this huge office space in Tin Hau but it was too large for just the Moleskin Hong Kong office so I thought I could use part of the space as a side project for myself. I was traveling a lot between Paris and Tokyo then and was always fascinated by the different brands elsewhere, and so I thought what a great idea it would be to bring these brands into Hong Kong. And that is how the Kapok story began!

 

What does ”Urban Explorer” mean to you and how do you think you fit into this term?

To me, an urban explorer is someone who isn’t afraid of getting lost. They are open- minded and really go behind the surface to see what the city is about. Hong Kong is not such an easy place to discover, so it takes time to pull back the layers of the city than simply what you see on the exterior. If you don’t spend time or make an effort to go exploring different areas of the city and the rich layers it composes, I can see how some people may find it boring.

 

The Stylish French Gentleman

 

What does fashion mean to you?

Firstly, fashion is having your own style and dressing for yourself. It is a way of expressing who you are without having to speak, and it should always make you feel confident and comfortable. Even choosing something minimal, like wearing a simple t-shirt and a pair of jeans that express who you are. It takes time to develop your own style and you really can’t care about what others say. I respect people that like to wear black, conveying a sense of cool, refinement and elegance, but for me, I find there are so many choices, colors and prints so I tend to opt for that style. Even if you choose not to care about the way you dress, that in and of itself really speaks about your own style preference. Another thing I do not understand is where some people have stylists dress them. It is so personal and in the end , you have to decide what to wear yourself. If not, they can always come to Kapok and we can help them!

 

How would you describe your own style?

My style is all about comfort and relaxation. I am always running around and going to meetings so I need something light and that I can feel comfortable in for the entire day. To complete the look, I will add a pop of colour or a touch of detail that is not too flashy. I also like to wear sneakers that don’t look like I have just been to the gym; it can still be stylish and cool.

 

 

You have brought so many beloved brands like Maison Kitsune, ONS Clothing, and Astier de Villatte into Hong Kong. How do you know which brands will be well-received in Hong Kong and which ones just simply won’t work?

Our team has a lot of young, stylish and energetic people which I always enjoy hearing what they think is cool and on-trend. It’s not always just my choice as to what products go on our shelves; I have an entire team behind me. That said, it is still very personal because I choose things that I like and that I think our customers will like too. Each person has their own preference and our job is to make everyone happy. When it comes to sourcing new products, it really is a balancing act between looking at what our shoppers wear in their daily lives and also products that really fit our style. When brands come to us, we already have an idea of what is the “Kapok style”, in terms of its design and aesthetics. Another thing we look at, of course, are the numbers, especially now that we have more data as to what people click on when they shop on our site. It can never be solely data that we rely on because there are always other companies that are going to do it better. We try to add our own human touch to the products we select and introduce new products to our customers to push them a little so their style can always continue evolving with us.  

 

What do you find so fascinating about bringing new brands into a city for the very first time?

The great thing is that people continually change, so we love to always try new things and go into different directions to excite our customers, bringing them something new and refreshing. For instance, in the very beginning, our stores focused more on fashion and accessories, but now we have introduced more home living items as well, especially with the current situation where more people are spending time at home. They are willing to spend more on making their place of rest comfortable and stylish. 

 

Kapok also has its own clothing and accessories brand for women, Future Classics. Could you tell us more about that and what our readers can expect?

Future Classics focus more on our women’s clientele, which we created apparel reflective of the climate for women in this part of the world. We wanted to create a line that could provide more options that fit in with our demographic here, while still exuding the Kapok style. Putting together a full collection is a lot of work and very time-consuming and we did not want to create a brand that was out there already, so we decided to create capsule collections every few months for Future Classics that would expand outside of fashion and focus on lifestyle as well. We want to create the best product for our customers and something that is unique, so we feel that creating these capsule collections and seasonal products is the right way forward.

 

How involved are you in the creative process of Future Classics?

I work with our buying team, where everything is decided by us. We will work with some freelance designers as well as our womenswear buyer that I completely trust. At the end of the day, we want to create a brand that is cohesive with our other brands instore, so people that don’t know that Future Classics is designed by Kapok will still think it is cool and up to the standards of our store.

 

What do you think is the future outlook for fashion retail and how will you adapt to the changes?

In-store shopping is a great way to discover new brands, where you can touch and feel the products. For the future of retail, I believe that the physical store will be a place to have a good time, with great music, fun shopping and a time to disconnect from your screen. Inside our stores, we want to create a space that is relaxed, tactile, and unplugged where our clientele can enjoy the one-on-one experience with our staff and have more brand interaction. For something more convenient, our online stores are still available. We have actually just launched same-day delivery for our customers who prefer to shop at our online store.

 

 

Being an entrepreneur has numerous ups and downs. What kind of helpful advice could you give other aspiring entrepreneurs out there?

Firstly, it is important to identify how your brand can stand out from other brands in the market. You should not follow trends so closely and if everyone is doing the same thing, consider stepping outside of the box and do something completely different. Secondly, one thing I learned early on in my career is that nothing is perfect. You cannot wait for an idea to be perfect to begin; you just need to do it. If you try to be perfect, you are going to waste a lot of time or end up not following through with it. When you put your product out there, you will expect it to continue evolving because what your consumers like now may not be what they like in 6 months’ time. Also, do not compromise your ideas too much because you might end up losing the authenticity of your brand so when you believe in your idea, you need to be patient and consistent in pushing out your brand.

 

What kind of lifestyle or fashion trends do you foresee in the next year?

I think the sustainable, conscious and clean brand is long-term and here to stay. It’s not just a gimmick; it is something that people will look for in a brand and will want brands to be more transparent about. There are some brands that may not be so sincere, so called “greenwashing”, that pretend to be eco-friendly to convey a healthy image, which will not work. Some of the fast fashion is quite harmful to the world so I think some brands will stop to re-evaluate their way of production. I have also noticed that today, consumers care more about healthy living and fitness and want to look good while working out, so the merging of fashion and athletic wear will continue to move forward. In terms of sizes, I can foresee that brands will continue to expand their sizing to provide more comprehensive offerings for its clientele.

 

Who has been your biggest inspiration in life?

I would that say that one of my biggest inspirations in life is Sarah Andelman, the Co-founder and former Creative Director of Colette, a fashion concept store in Paris.  When I first started Kapok, people would make references to it as the “Colette of Hong Kong” but we are very different. I found her very inspiring as she was one of the first people to start her own store, choosing every product that reflected her own style and aesthetic. Even though Colette is no longer in business, she has really nurtured numerous brands and help put them on the radar of many customers. I have seen her work, and she was always very hardworking, going to tradeshows and curious about different brands. She’s built something very iconic and that, to me, is very inspirational. 

 

Travel Inspiration

 

Given the existing circumstances, what do you do to explore now that traveling is not permitted?

A lot of my time is actually spent traveling to meet with the brands that we work with and also scouting out new brands. Normally, I would be in Paris Fashion Week now but given the current situation, that is not happening. I would be traveling to new cities all the time to seek out new products and meet with new networks and take notes of where I go. Then when I come back, I would contact them and see how we can bring their products over to Hong Kong. Now, I have had to change the way I work. Instead, I will add brands on Instagram and see what kind of products they are releasing and if it is something that I consistently like, I will contact them. It’s not ideal that we cannot travel at this time, but the positive thing is that you can meet up with people more easily. So now, I have much more conversations with people and friends to get in touch with what’s going on in the city.

 

What other destinations are on your bucket list?

There are so many places I would like to visit. I have heard some great things about Beirut, South Africa, Iceland and Finland. Going forward, I think we will do less work travel, given the current circumstances that show we can work remotely, and focus more on personal travel and exploration. Once things get better, I think my first trip will be back to France to visit my family and friends. I have seen a lot of Hong Kong these past few months so I think I am ready to explore some more places!

 

 

What do you enjoy most about the city? Are there certain elements or characteristics that is visibly Hong Kong?

I like that Hong Kong is a big metropolis but we are still very close to nature. For instance, I was just out with some friends on Saturday and we went to the beach for the day and also had dinner on the beach. It feels like I am on holiday in Europe. You can do a lot of hiking and cycling, and just behind my home in Wan Chai, I’ll walk 15 minutes and be in the midst of a jungle. Here, it takes us 20 minutes to get to a hiking trail or beach. That is truly a spectacular thing.

 

In 3 words, how would you describe Hong Kong?

Intense, Complicated, Surprising

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