red thread magazine

Follow the path to a greener future.

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5

EDITOR'S LETTERTHERE IS BEAUTY IN SIMPLICITYDress in 'green'ROCK THIS MASK TYPOHOLIC A TO ZSOMeTHING NEW, SOMETHING OLD.

Dear

all,

A fe

w y

ears

bac

k, I

wen

t to

a g

reen

wed

ding

. It

was

fre

sh, n

ew a

nd c

hic.

It w

as t

he b

est

wed

ding

I ha

d ev

er s

een.

Lov

e, is

som

ethi

ng

real

ly im

port

ant

in o

ur li

fe. W

e ca

n’t

live

with

out

love

as

love

giv

es u

s co

urag

e an

d st

reng

th. L

ove

your

par

ents

? Yo

ur fr

iend

s?

Your

boy

frie

nd g

irlf

rien

d? H

ow a

bout

yo

ur c

ity,

the

env

iron

men

t yo

u liv

e?

Red

Thre

ad,

ever

y As

ian

know

s it

is

a lo

ve s

tory

abo

ut g

od li

nks

a co

uple

to

geth

er if

the

y ar

e tr

ue lo

ve. T

o m

e,

Red

Thre

ad i

s a

linka

ge,

betw

een

you

and

me,

bet

wee

n hu

man

and

en

viro

nmen

t. T

his

mag

azin

e is

all

abou

t “g

reen

” w

ith

cont

empo

rary

an

d cr

eativ

e id

eas.

Won

’t b

e bo

red.

I

prom

ise!

It

give

s yo

u so

met

hing

ne

w a

nd f

un a

bout

the

eco

iss

ue.

This

is

the

po

int

of

Re

d T

hre

ad

mag

azin

e–to

bet

ter

conn

ect

ever

yone

an

d th

e en

viro

nmen

t. T

o m

ake

sure

tha

t yo

u’re

aw

are

of a

ll th

e fa

ntas

tic t

hing

s go

ing

on in

Hon

g Ko

ng,

don’

t m

iss

any

chan

ces

to g

et u

pdat

ed a

bout

our

gre

en n

ews.

I ho

pe y

ou e

njoy

the

mag

azin

e an

d u

se i

t to

dis

cove

r so

me

on

e o

r so

met

hing

new

in

your

lif

e. E

njoy

!

Chlo

e La

w

7

Dear

all,

A fe

w y

ears

bac

k, I

wen

t to

a g

reen

wed

ding

. It

was

fre

sh, n

ew a

nd c

hic.

It w

as t

he b

est

wed

ding

I ha

d ev

er s

een.

Lov

e, is

som

ethi

ng

real

ly im

port

ant

in o

ur li

fe. W

e ca

n’t

live

with

out

love

as

love

giv

es u

s co

urag

e an

d st

reng

th. L

ove

your

par

ents

? Yo

ur fr

iend

s?

Your

boy

frie

nd g

irlf

rien

d? H

ow a

bout

yo

ur c

ity,

the

env

iron

men

t yo

u liv

e?

Red

Thre

ad,

ever

y As

ian

know

s it

is

a lo

ve s

tory

abo

ut g

od li

nks

a co

uple

to

geth

er if

the

y ar

e tr

ue lo

ve. T

o m

e,

Red

Thre

ad i

s a

linka

ge,

betw

een

you

and

me,

bet

wee

n hu

man

and

en

viro

nmen

t. T

his

mag

azin

e is

all

abou

t “g

reen

” w

ith

cont

empo

rary

an

d cr

eativ

e id

eas.

Won

’t b

e bo

red.

I

prom

ise!

It

give

s yo

u so

met

hing

ne

w a

nd f

un a

bout

the

eco

iss

ue.

This

is

the

po

int

of

Re

d T

hre

ad

mag

azin

e–to

bet

ter

conn

ect

ever

yone

an

d th

e en

viro

nmen

t. T

o m

ake

sure

tha

t yo

u’re

aw

are

of a

ll th

e fa

ntas

tic t

hing

s go

ing

on in

Hon

g Ko

ng,

don’

t m

iss

any

chan

ces

to g

et u

pdat

ed a

bout

our

gre

en n

ews.

I ho

pe y

ou e

njoy

the

mag

azin

e an

d u

se i

t to

dis

cove

r so

me

on

e o

r so

met

hing

new

in

your

lif

e. E

njoy

!

Chlo

e La

w

illustration & design / Photograhy / Article: chloe law

RED THREAD / GREEN WEDDING

11

colour your world

working mode

13

happy hour


falling leaves

15

vegetarian


brainstorming

17

spring look


19

model: thang phan & sharon tan / photography & styling: chloe Law / paper accessories: chloe law

23

Okaie, the original concept is derived from ancient Chinese mythology- the romantic story of Chinese Cupid, Yue Lao, is the intermediary of every marriage on earth. He is the guy who practices matchmaking through the use of red thread. (This may not sound convincing or make much sense, but neither does the Greek mythology.) A divine tool that performs miraculous seduction with a heavenly impact on the designated spouses. Hmm, now you may hesitate to carry on reading, thinking this is getting too fairytale, or simply you are just not the type of girl who believes in rainbows and butterflies. But patience is required for the sake of your happy ending, so go on, keep reading!

Red thread also symbolizes the fate of every earthily couple, as a transmission to link the two minds subtly and delicately. Therefore, with the invisible red thread, they can search each other ultimately. Most importantly, a potent witness for the unbreakable love; a ceaseless vow for the ongoing re lat ionship.

To think outside the box, the Chinese motif would be rejuvenated by

both the stylish, dynamic and m o d e r n n e w l o o k o f t h e

collection. The fulfillment of social responsibility is

no exception; the design w o u l d b e p r o d u c e d t h r o u g h a r a n g e o f environmental design specifications, including u s e o f r e c y c l a b l e , r e u s a b l e m a t e r i a l s and the digital prints to raise awareness of a n i m a l s e x t i n c t i o n .


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Under the Chinese Green Wedding collection, there are ranges of presentations for the concept. As mentioned earlier, they are made of recycled and reusable materials, such as newspaper. They can be divided into three c a t e g o r i e s : A l m a n a c , R e d envelope, and the Shark fashion. An almanac? Some of you may be confused by this word. Actually it is the Chinese lunar calendar. I t st i l l remains popular wi th most of the families in ethnic Chinese; as a divine book to look up and foresee fortune, including detailed indication of important d ate s a n d C h i n e s e fe st i va l s .


The Light bulb time Almanac is therefore transformed into fashion accessories to bring up paring flower banquets, bracelets and brooches for both the bride and groom at their wedding. As you can see from the demonstration, the Chinese theme is continually reinforced by the humble and Chinese calligraphy print on


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the wedding accessories outwardly. On the other hand, the modern and stylish concept is re-addressed by the young dynamic couple, dressed as they are with westernized wedding dress and suite. In the photographs, they are jumping and looking cheerful together. Alone with the connection of red thread, it implements the agenda successfully.

31

model: vivien ng / photography & styling: chloe law / red envelope dress design: chloe law


I am pretty sure you have all heard of the lucky red, but just a little uncertain as to what exactly it is or what it means. To make it simple, you can learn that from our design concept, as it is named, the theme colour of the Red envelope is red, it contains iconic meanings of Chinese fortune, passion, alongside evoking female seduction. As you can see from the photographs, the unconventional wedding dresses are made of Red pockets; a traditional Chinese gift to the young generation from elderly

during the lunar year; a symbolic meaning of fortune and blessings. As for the styles, the cuttings have an exotic taste on their appearance, such as the foxy cut-up top for bust and sheer covered skirt, have modernized them with both western and the Chinese motifs. Another exemplary would be the coquettish low- highball gown, an elegant translation of new modern Chinese wedding dress with the drapery dragon tailed; a Basque design with a closely fitted bodice and extended below the waistline.


model: sharon tan / photography & styling: chloe law / shark head design: chloe law

NO


Shark Fins

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NO

39


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S o w h a t d o y o u h a v e i n m i n d ? Wo u l d yo u a g re e t h a t t h e d e s i g n c o n c e p t h a s significantly reinvented the general perception of Ch inese cu l ture? That would be your freewill to decide. But one thing is sure, your oriental wedding wil l def initely blow the mind of your guests. How exciting is that?


RED THREAD / cULTURE preservation

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photography: chloe law / location: newcastle upon tyne / mask design: chloe law

The inspiration is derived from the traditional Chinese dramas, which have been a prominent art form since the Yuan dynasty. It was popular with officials and aristocrats in the royal court; it functioned as family entertainment or social occasion in public. The masks themselves were extravagantly made, and the user needed to apply beautiful make-up to match the elaborate costumes and beautifully staged design in the performances. In addition, the various colours on the Chinese masks actually represent different traits of each playing role:

1. Red used on masks indicates a positive character. Red can also signify prosperity, loyalty, courage and heroism. Red shows intelligence and bravery.

2 . P u r p l e i s s o m e t i m e s u s e d a s a s u b s t i t u te f o r r e d . I n i t s o w n r i g h t , p u r p l e c a n r e p r e s e n t j u s t i c e a n d s o p h i s t i c a t i o n .

3 . B lack means that the character i s neutra l . B lack a lso indicates impart ia l i ty and integr ity.

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4 . B l u e f a c e s a r e a l s o a n i n d i c a t i o n o f n e u t r a l i t y . I n a d d i t i o n , b l u e c a n s h o w st u b b o r n n e s s , a st u te n e s s a n d f i e rc e n e s s .

5 . G r e e n s h o w s t h a t t h e c h a r a c t e r i s v i o l e n t , i m p u l s i v e a n d l a c k s r e s t r a i n t .

6 . Ye l l o w t e l l s t h e a u d i e n c e t h a t t h e c h a ra c t e r i s c r u e l . Ye l l o w c a n a l s o m e a n e v i l , h y p o c r i t i c a l , a m b i t i o u s o r s l y .

7 . W h i t e f a c e s i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e c h a r a c t e r i s e v i l a n d h y p o c r i t i c a l .

8 . G o l d a n d s i l v e r s h o w t h e a u d i e n c e t h a t t h e c h a ra c t e r i s a g o d o r a d e m o n . T h e c h a r a c t e r a l s o m a y b e a g h o s t o r a sp i r i t . Go ld and s i l ver symbol i ze myster y.

( C u l t u r e C h i n a - F o l k H a n d c r a f t s 2 0 1 3 )


Thus, in the photographs, different people are wearing different types of Chinese masks in various of locations. They represent the beauty of Chinese tradition which is worth being preserved; this also can be done in another cultural context, just as these talented, young dynamic and retro people are in England, wearing these Chinese masks. It is a very refreshing and interesting experience for both themselves and the observers; together they make striking photographs.

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Besides the historical context, the idea of a mask is rather personal and expressive a social phenomenon; a dogma of not being yourself genuinely but rather disguised as your real behavior compromises for what is being appreciated in the society. By no means should we not receiving education or not learn knowledge and morality? It is the question that we seem to live for society rather than ourselves. For instance, a good life means looking good and having good, a general

perception of whoever is materialistically affluent than the others then is a successful of life. Is that really what you want? Have you ever felt the same way that you are working relentlessly for something that is not important to you at all? And no, it has nothing to do with your passion, and yes, “I do that because everyone thinks it is a good job and merely following a step that is simply what my mummy and daddy told me.” We seem no more than a product of society.


55

Sorry to sound dramatic, regardless of the passive elements in the concept, I am afraid that there may be some fact in it. You can either mock or agree with this idea, however I am here to express what I truly believe, because I believe that we should at least have the power to decide and express our own thoughts, well and genuinely. We may not always have freewill, but we can voice out our opinion. Just as I am doing now, expressing to you my feelings about this pretentious society through the platform of this artistic expression, though my work of “Chinese opera mask”.


hong kong culture alphabet designed by chloe law


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63


65


67Photography: chloe law / Location: hong kong

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old building- Wing Lee Street

RED THREAD / cULTURE preservationRED THREAD / cULTURE preservation


hong kong nightview- shot from lion rock


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hong kong dayview- kowloon

ffiishing vessel- victoria harbour


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ffiishing vessels- tai o

antique- hollywood road in hong kong island


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antique- hollywood road in hong kong island

man mo temple- Sheung Wan


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man mo temple- Sheung Wan

duck and egg mixed with ginger and onion noodles- Hoi On Cafe


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Hoi On Cafe- Sheung Wan

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keep those heritage moments.

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