Riding in cars with strangers

courtesy WHOSTHAT

yesterday started off pretty ordinarily: emails, tweets, sprinting down queen's road to grab lunch while wearing hello kitty boxer shorts, praying that nobody i knew would recognize me on the street. all went as planned, until a designer i was supposed to meet on friday sms'd. "in the area, can u meet me in twenty?" yes, if it saves me an hour plus commute to fotan, obvi! i threw on real clothes, popped in my earbuds (azealia banks - 212 / dj - madeon remix on repeat, soo addictive) and dashed out to central. within five minutes of explaining the ZAOZAO concept to her, her face lit up and the next thing i knew, we were filling her gas tank up before lion rock tunnel, zooming towards mainland china. 

i had only met meiyi for a few minutes, but could instantly tell she was super sharp. mostly i enjoyed keeping up with her light-speed way of jumping from one thought to another, unfaltering. right off the bat she was quick to react and even quicker to challenge. questions fired at me from every direction, coupled with feedback and suggestions. definitely my kind of lady. 

it was my second visit to an industrial building in the middle of nowhere in less than a week, setting a personal record. we ventured into the rolling hills of the new territories, where skies are blue and the air is actually breathable. the above left is meiyi's view from her studio. hard to believe it's still hong kong right? she proceeded to let me try on designs from her WHOSTHAT line, pieces best classified as "wearable art". some of the pieces waxed Gaga-esque, suitable only for the performance artist. others, like the beautiful silk bustier dress were totally manageable and lightweight to boot! that dress is part of a unique collaborative meiyi partakes in, partnering with artists to create pieces inspired by paintings. for example, take a look at japanese artist tomoaki tarutani's work below. can you spot the resemblance? 

courtesy karinwebgallery

other items prob belonged better situated in an art gallery to be admired, like this pink number held together entirely by screws, no stitching involved!

courtesy WHOSTHAT

shortly after my impromptu excursion to m-o-f-nowhere i rejoined my partner in crime back in central. we concluded the day by attending an intimate gathering of fashionistas and debriefing on our progress. to end this entry, i leave you all with a snap of the zao team with the illustrious wanderlister, a premier voice in fashion/design/all things artsy.

the zao team with the wanderlister+