Matchesfashion Hong Kong Christmas pop-up store designers on the clear division of labour that guides the pair’s work on everything from mall toilets to a mahjong set

Editecture’s founders perform distinct roles – Jacqueline Chak’s is spatial design and Genevieve Chew product curation – both at work and in their home lives

Their projects are varied, from the revamp of 20 washrooms in a high-end shopping centre to designing Matchesfashion’s pop-up space in Hong Kong’s Landmark

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Jacqueline Chak (left) and Genevieve Chew, founders of Editecture, at the opening of a pop-up store designed and curated by them for Matchesfashion at Belowground, Landmark, Hong Kong. Photo: Alex Maeland

Published: 12:45pm, 7 Dec 2021Updated: 6:18pm, 7 Dec 2021

It was in London some 13 years ago that Editecture’s Genevieve Chew and Jacqueline Chak became fast friends. One a chartered accountant with stacks of Vogue hidden in her office desk, the other an architecture student with a penchant for experiential details, they bonded over shopping.

“We clicked over design, design theory – and shopping,” says Chak. “Although I don’t shop as much as she does, I like the experience of going to a store and seeing how people curate a brand, curate a space. A lot of different concept stores have different vibes, and I really like looking into the space, while Genevieve loves products, merchandise.”

“In terms of values and the way we see life in general, we just clicked, and became best friends from the get-go,” adds Chew. “We’d shop together, but separately. When we go into a store, Jacq would be looking at the details, looking at the counter, taking pictures of a random sculpture, whereas I would stick to the product.”

And so, just over a decade ago, Chew and Chak decided to launch a business together. What started as a succinct concept store that combined edgy fashion brands they loved with a street-level frozen-yogurt stand has grown into a multidisciplinary design agency encompassing fashion, product design, architecture, sustainability and even a children’s platform that champions creativity.

Chak and Chew (right) at their studio in Hong Kong. “She dresses for function, and I for form,” says Chew. Photo: Luke Casey.

Their projects are varied – recent ones range from the head-to-toe rebrand of Hong Kong vegan store and eatery Green Common this year, starting with branding identity and including restaurant and store design; to the revamp of 20 washrooms in high-end Hong Kong shopping centre Hysan Place in Causeway Bay; to the creation of the world’s first sustainable mahjong set incorporating upcycled fabric.