Fashion designer Steven Tai shows his favourite places to go shopping in Macau
- Tai, who was born in the city, moved back after studying and working overseas to focus on growing his family’s manufacturing business
- He likes to explore the St Lazarus District, a historic neighbourhood that has become home to hip shops offering clothing, jewellery, books and more
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Macau-born fashion designer Steven Tai explores his city's coolest boutiques and shops
In many famous cities, you can always find iconic landmarks and happening hotspots, but there are also cool neighbourhoods waiting to be explored. These are areas where up-and-coming artists, trendmakers and young entrepreneurs – attracted by affordable spaces and urban vibes befitting their style – run shops and offer experiences that blend cosmopolitanism with local culture.
In Tokyo, moody cafes characterise Tomigaya in the Shibuya district. In London, an artsy and diverse crowd is gathering in Peckham. In New York, Fort Greene in the borough of Brooklyn is famed for its great lunch spots, wine bars and eclectic shops.
And in Macau, a mere 15-minute walk from the hustle and bustle around the Ruins of St Paul’s will bring you to the historic St Lazarus District. Here, time seems to move more slowly amid the southern European buildings, cobblestone streets and quiet alleyways. In recent years, quaint cafes and hip boutiques have emerged to become neighbours with the area’s decades-old businesses.
If you come here, you might run into fashion designer Steven Tai, a Macau native who hails from a family that ran a garment factory in the city. He moved to Canada at the age of nine and completed his schooling there before going to London at age 23 to study fashion design at the renowned arts college Central Saint Martins.
Shortly after graduation, Tai won a fashion competition in France at which the legendary Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto was a guest judge. The award propelled Tai’s career – he launched his own label in 2012, and has shown at fashion weeks in cities such as London, Berlin and Shanghai.
He also brought the family business into his work. “My mother was thinking of closing the factory and retiring. But I suggested downsizing it, keeping a team and having it make clothes for my label exclusively,” he explains.
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