INTERVIEW: GOODS OF DESIRE'S DOUGLAS YOUNG

Celebrants of Asian culture and all its quirks, Douglas Young and Benjamin Lau, founders of Goods of Desire, have planted its flag in Singapore with the opening of its new lifestyle store at The Central. But looking beyond just retail, the duo are on a mission to encourage Asia's youth to celebrate and reinvent local culture for the next generation. CATALOG spoke to its man of many hats, Douglas, co-founder, CEO, and creative director about the brand, about the message that Goods of Desire hopes to propagate to one and all. TEXT BY NATASHA HONG AND WAYNE CHEONG.

Why has Goods of Desire decided to open a store in Singapore now?

While Goods of Desire certainly prides itself on being quintessentially Hong Kong, our broader brand mission has always been about celebrating Asian culture as a whole. This is through the marriage of creative and clever design with uniquely Asian influences. We believe this concept is one that will resonate well with the Singapore audience. Having said that, as eager as we were to take our brand outside of Hong Kong, we wanted to ensure that we didn’t rush ourselves and inadvertently dilute the essence of what truly defines Goods of Desire.

Nevertheless, I’m extremely glad that we have finally taken this step, and it was a perfectly logical step for me to pick Singapore. I’m a big fan of the country and I love the food. In fact, I come here all the time, and have many friends here. I think Singaporeans have a great sense of humour. It has been my dream and ambition to open up a store in Singapore. 

Do you feel that largely Hong Kong influence in your pieces will resonate well in Singapore? 

Goods of Desire is more than just being about Hong Kong actually. Throughout Asia, there is a need for a brand that is about us, and helping us to feel good about ourselves. We hope to be able to do some good for Asia, we're all Asians after all. And Singaporeans, we'd love to work with you. We want to do something for locals that would really show people the real Singapore, not the one for tourists. We actually hope to reach out to young people, and artists here: let's collaborate. We want Goods of Desire to be about Singapore as well. 

Has anything in Singapore inspired you? 

Yes! I love Singaporean shophouses. It's terrible that in Hong Kong they've destroyed so many to laos, but you've kept them and at the same time made them trendy and funky. Shophouses are very interesting to us and they'll certainly feature next season. You can also expect more Singaporean flavours and elements in our store soon!

Do you have your sights on any other place to open the next Goods of Desire store?

At this point in time, we want to concentrate our efforts on properly developing the flagship store at Central. However, we are definitely keen to explore the possibility of opening more stores here in the future.

You said that there was a "lack of definition of what constitutes as a Hong Konger". How does identity play into what you're doing?

Goods of Desire was first created to celebrate and preserve Hong Kong heritage, which was fading with new developments springing up all over the country and on the brink of being forgotten by locals. Guided by creativity and design, we strive to remind Hong Kongers about their identity and their roots.

You're proud of your Hong Kong heritage but what do you wish would change in your society? Why?

Although I am proud of my heritage, I believe I am only the minority. Pride in our identity needs to be much more celebrated in our society. Ultimately, it is about respect, if we want respect from others, we first need to respect ourselves.

As a designer, what to you is considered "good design" and why? What are you tired of seeing, design-wise?

Good design is everywhere, what I'm looking for is more than that which meets functional, economical, and aesthetic demands. I'm looking for things that inspire and provoke thought. It could be design, art, architecture music, literature, dance; anything really, because I believe to be creative is to pass on thought to the next person and to create social change.

You've delved into fashion, furniture and home furnishings; will you try your hand at the food and beverage market?

We have already established quite a presence and made some noise with our food products in Hong Kong. We’ve partnered established confections for our Full Moon mooncakes and mahjong cookies, which were well received by customers in Hong Kong.

Are there any particular works of yours that you liked but were unable to use? Why?

There are too many to name! Especially work for external clients. It is mainly due to my proposals being deemed either too provocative or too untried (and tested) and my clients refusing to take the risks. I am convinced that design training is not just for designers but for clients too!

What collaborations can we expect to see with Goods of Desire here?

While there are no concrete plans to do so in Singapore just yet, I’m definitely keen to explore potential collaborations with local artists. In addition to working with artists, Goods of Desire has always endeavored to address the needs of and positively impact the communities in which we operate. To that end, we will also seek to partner with various organizations in Singapore as we strive to further our brand’s message of living better.

Goods of Desire has been around for 16 years. Is the fatigue getting to you? When it comes down to it, will you pass the torch to someone else?

I still have a lot of energy to create, either for Goods of Desire or as myself. There are many things that I have not done, but feel ready for. If someone wants to take over carrying the Goods of Desire flag, they’re welcome to try.