ESCAPING URBAN CHAOS in the
SERENE & INTIMATE WOOL STORE
Vivian Hung, founder of WOOL, chats about Scandinavian designs and brands, the importance of retail, and tips on creating a stylish, contemporary home.
Words by Alison Choi
Photography by New Norm Magazine
In this interview, Vivian Hung, the founder of WOOL, chats with us about Scandinavian designs and brands, the importance of retail, and tips on creating a stylish, contemporary home.
Photography Credit:
Natalie Lam
WOOL (an honest, durable, natural material commonly found in furniture, and wù : meaning object in Chinese) is an interior sales agency warmly representing up-and-coming nordic brands — MENU, FRAMA, TEKLA, ST LEO, and KRISTINA DAM STUDIO in Hong Kong, China, and Southeast Asia for their retail and interior project markets, with a studio store located in Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong and a new online store built by Alex Hunting Studio (Kinfolk’s Design Director) coming soon next year.
Living with Nature
“Scandinavian design is well known for their minimal, straightforward, timeless designs and I think that echoes with my personal belief a lot - to ‘buy less but better’, where I like to invest in quiet, classic design pieces that transcends time and trends.”
What is the story behind WOOL? Why Scandinavian brands?
Vivian: I was doing buying for lifestyle category at Kapok previously and was lucky to get in touch with a wonderful Scandinavian brand selection that they have, such as HAY (when they first entered the Hong Kong market), MENU and made some Danish friends along the way. One thing led to another, and eventually I started my own company WOOL, acting as the sales representative for up-and-coming Scandinavian interior brands in Hong Kong, China, and Taiwan to introduce and develop the brands in Hong Kong for retail and project markets.
Also, I was sold on their holistic lifestyle - slow-living with great work life balance following my first trip to Copenhagen and I believe this is something that we need in a busy city like Hong Kong. It opened my eyes on how good design was deeply embedded in their daily lives, and much attention was paid down to the smallest details - stools in cafes, tableware in restaurants, their amazing lighting for good ambience (because of their long dark winters), in contrast to our Hong Kong ‘efficiency’ that we often tend to forgo quality in all these things in exchange for convenience or lower cost.
And of course, the main perk for working with Scandinavian brands would be to spend a lot of time there for my work and leisure-fused trips!
Read the full interview in
New Norm Magazine Issue 03
In this issue we unfold a thread of personal thoughts and memories, streams of consciousness that influence their identities and narratives.
Featured interviews include Agnes Jonas, Barber & Osgerby, Instrmnt Applied Design, Gris, Klara Leidl, Koto Design, homework, WatchHouse, Ziu I. A , Onoko.
In Issue 03, we explore the dreamy landscapes of Jordan, the coastal fortress of La Muralla Roja, a serene and nurturing retreat into the mountains of Hong Kong, and wayfinding in a liveable city, Copenhagen. This issue not only contains some of our own travel stories, but we also focused on the dialogues that we had with various artists, designers, architects, business owners, etc., from all around the world. Apart from sharing some of their inspiring work, we also had the opportunity to learn more about their perspective on the city in which they live in and their future plans post COVID. We spoke to Kamaro’an of Taiwan, NIMU of Italy, YOHAK DESIGN STUDIO of Japan, Le Labo of the United States, AOIRO of Germany, LAAB and WOOL of Hong Kong, Atelier Cph and Birgitte Due Madsen of Denmark. During this period of the pandemic, we tried to unite our community, to inspire, and grow with one another from this new context.
The publication is 171 pages, and measures 210x270mm.
DIGITAL EDITION// By purchasing the digital edition, you will receive a PDF version of Issue 03
In Issue 03, we explore the dreamy landscapes of Jordan, the coastal fortress of La Muralla Roja, a serene and nurturing retreat into the mountains of Hong Kong, and wayfinding in a liveable city, Copenhagen. This issue not only contains some of our own travel stories, but we also focused on the dialogues that we had with various artists, designers, architects, business owners, etc., from all around the world. Apart from sharing some of their inspiring work, we also had the opportunity to learn more about their perspective on the city in which they live in and their future plans post COVID. We spoke to Kamaro’an of Taiwan, NIMU of Italy, YOHAK DESIGN STUDIO of Japan, Le Labo of the United States, AOIRO of Germany, LAAB and WOOL of Hong Kong, Atelier Cph and Birgitte Due Madsen of Denmark. During this period of the pandemic, we tried to unite our community, to inspire, and grow with one another from this new context.
The publication is 171 pages, and measures 210x270mm.
More from Issue 03
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