A while back my friend Grace posted on instagram the lookbook of this new designer that I instantly went mad about. I had immediately fallen in love with Jourden, the new label from local Hong Kong designer Mak Chun Ting (also goes by the name Anais). Anais had humble beginnings working at City Magazine in HK and was discovered by the Rem Koolhaas family through a pair of home-crafted heels that she made and was then offered an internship at footwear label United Nude. Whilst studying at the prestigious Studio Berçot in Paris, Anais created a small collection using rare leathers that sold exclusively at HK “it” store Liger but after returning back to Paris in 2013, Anais decided to launch a new line under the label JOURDEN.
Jourden’s debut AW13 collection started out with the first-investment basics for a modern girl: good-boy-inspired classics and skirts with strong feminine silhouettes, EXACTLY what I love. The contradiction of a super girly a-line skirt paired with an oversized boxy boyish jacket over a simple shirt is exactly the look that I aspire to. The basic-in-construction pieces come in luxe fabrics like cashmere wool, custom-quilted fabric with woven frills and weighted shimmering double-sided wool fabrics and elevate the collection to a whole other level. From her profile, Anais mentions that “the woman with girlish envies is half a boy at heart, and unapologetically tough like a man at times. She possesses masculine qualities but she is not afraid to be frenetic and provocative like a woman. / ‘Being bad and young is almost vulgar, I want to be good and mature. I hope aspiring women-to-be could provoke curves in volumes, cool-moms could replace neon studs with crafted hoodies, the proper and timid could approve fashion’s unknown pleasures in colors & textures done old-school, and the maximalist could appreciate flamboyance in simmer.’
I was lucky enough to visit the very timid and so precious Anais at her studio in Hong Kong to pull some pieces for my shoot with Lauren. The collection in person is absolutely breathtaking and although it was 35 degrees outside, I wanted to wear all the wooly cashmere jackets and skirts right away. There’s nothing quite like seeing a beautifully crafted piece in real life and getting to feel the textures and structure of the piece. I’m also really into matching sets lately so pairing the jackets and skirts together made so much sense. Make sure to check out the lookbook and collection below.
Liger: 1F, No.11 Pak Sha Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
EDIT: GF, 67 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong
Above photos by Lauren Engel
