Mirror’s Keung To on his new fashion brand To Zero: Hong Kong’s beloved Cantopop star talks about the subtraction concept, his streetwear wardrobe staples … and teases a food brand – interview

Apr 28 , 2023

Keung To has launched his own fashion brand To Zero, so here’s everything we know about it. Photo: Handout

Mirror’s Keung To just launched his first fashion brand To Zero, inspired by the art of subtraction, with the first series starts from 99 and counting down until 01

The number 99 is significant for the kidult star: he was born in 1999 and was candidate number 99 on ViuTV’s Good Night Show – King Maker – now the hot pot-lover has plans to expand into food too

With one million followers on Instagram watching his every move, Keung To has become no stranger to the luxury fashion scene. In the half-decade since he debuted as one-twelfth of traffic-stopping Cantopop boy group Mirror, Keung has been tapped to serve as a darling ambassador for a long list of brands – and duly appears everywhere sporting them. Indeed, for a Hongkonger, whether you are making your daily commute or surfing the internet at home, it’s difficult not to encounter the 23-year-old’s beaming likeness staring back at you.

Keung To launched his own fashion brand To Zero in April 2023. Photo: To Zero

“Since entering showbiz, I have had more opportunities to get in touch with fashion, and I eventually discovered the interesting side of it,” the 23-year-old told Style at a sit down interview earlier this week. “Establishing a fashion brand was never my teenage dream, however, as many Mirror members have launched their own brands one after another, I think this is a very cool thing. I have always emphasised that I like to ‘speak through works’. Music is certainly one way, but now, I am trying to express my thoughts and feelings through another medium – fashion.”

For Keung, who dreamed of becoming a dancing singer since he was young, the establishment of a fashion brand is not to satisfy an entrepreneurial dream, apparently, but to convey many of his own life philosophies in life through clothing.

The art of subtraction

Keung To thinks that life is a subtraction journey. Photo: To Zero

Keung officially launched his personal fashion brand To Zero on Thursday. The name “To Zero” not only contains Keung’s given name “To”, but also symbolises “returning to basics”, which is Keung’s own outlook on life.

“Some people think that life requires a lot of pursuit of fame and fortune, but in fact, I think life should be a kind of subtraction. You don’t need to take on too much, you should keep letting go instead, so that you will be happier,” said Keung. This outlook on life became the driving force behind forming To Zero.

Riffing on the subtraction concept, the label’s first series starts numbered as 99, and each subsequent release takes a lower figure. After counting down to 01, the brand comes to an end. “I often say that I want to retire soon, and in fact, going to zero does not mean the end, the end can also be another beginning.” Keung beamed.

The label’s first series was named “to be kind to someone in need”. But why is it 99? Not only was the Mirror star born in 1999, but he was also numbered 99 in the local broadcaster ViuTV’s reality talent contest Good Night Show – King Maker back in 2018 – the final contestant picked to compete in the show that would make him a member Mirror. Today he’s taken that coincidence to claim the double digit as uniquely meaningful number, transforming it into a concept of 99 things that must be accomplished in life.