Profile | Design Anthology’s co-founder Suzy Annetta on 10 years of showcasing Asian talent, ahead of Singapore Design Week
Annetta chose to launch in print just as publishers around the world were scrambling to go digital, and bucked the prevailing trend with her magazine’s focus on designers and architects from Asia
“I spent my best years there,” Suzy Annetta says five minutes into the interview. How many? “Fifteen,” comes the swift reply. “And I’m not really sure that I could have done it in any other city.”
The city in question is Hong Kong, and the “it” Annetta refers to is, of course, Design Anthology, the design magazine she co-founded with her ex-husband, Philip, 10 years ago.
The noughties had seen the rise of the internet and the debut of Facebook, and by the 2010s, an irreversible shift to a digital culture had begun. It was a time when publishers around the globe were scrambling to make the switch to a brave new world of blogs, social media and instant culture. Design Anthology was an anomaly – in its commitment to the traditional print format, with beautifully shot images carefully laid out and printed on thick, smooth wood-free paper à la coffee table books. It was tactile and experiential, and not quite what the doctor ordered in the digital age.
“Everyone thought we wouldn’t make it!” Annetta gamely admits. But Design Anthology filled a gap. At the time, the design conversation was dominated by the West, led by the likes of Wallpaper*, Architectural Digest and Dwell. Design Anthology, born and bred in Hong Kong, shone the spotlight on Asian designers instead. From its earliest issues, it focused the conversation on Asia – Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Singapore, Bali, Manila and more – and turned its attention to Asian designers and architects like Wang Shu (China), André Fu (Hong Kong) and Duangrit Bunnag (Thailand), as well as up-and-coming talents. And in no time at all, Design Anthology staked its turf – and held on to it.
“I honestly think Hong Kong had a lot to do with its success,” Annetta says, pondering over the remarkable journey she embarked on all those years ago. In the early days, she was the sole full-time employee and worked out of her flat, juggling responsibilities from writing stories to canvassing for advertising.
