Anything with Karl Lagerfeld's name attached is considered golden in this town. That's why even those with little interest in fine porcelain houseware turned up for a photo exhibit at Exclusivites in Duddell Street last Thursday.
To unveil Rosenthal's new Ego collection of vases, sculptures and fancy plates, the German company invited Lagerfeld to create a photo campaign, and the results were displayed at the decor shop's first two floors, especially its new and expanded Rosenthal corner.
'We knew [the display] was in Germany and we wanted something like this to happen in Hong Kong too,' Exclusivities' managing director Thomas Lee Siu-kit (below) said. 'This is not a commercial exhibition, it's more an arts exhibit.'
Well, we're not sure about that statement since Rosenthal products are featured prominently in the pictures along with a male model's pensive posing. But to give the cocktail event a more classy elegance, the dress code was specified as black and white, 'because there's too much grey around already', Lee joked.
Like everyone else, his high-end businesses in Shiamas Limited, which includes Exclusivites, has been hit by the economic downturn, despite recently expanding its consigned Rosenthal section. 'We've been carrying them for four or five years and we just decided to enlarge the corner, making it more prominent. We have suffered a bit especially after Christmas but, you know, things will get better.'
That's looking at the porcelain vase half full instead of half empty.
