It’s hard to believe that in the ten short months since 27-year-old Michael Leung established his Studio Leung (a museum-esque tong lau in Yau Ma Tei that doubles as his home), he’s been able to make such an incredible impact on the design world in Hong Kong. Born and raised in the UK, he made the move here in 2009 to complete his master’s degree at Hong Kong Poly University’s School of Design. Since then he launched HK Honey, a collaborative affair that aims to convey the benefits of locally produced honey and bees through exhibitions and marketable products. Leung’s myriad visions caught the eyes of industry professionals such as Douglas Young of G.O.D., who claims that Leung is “good enough to put me out of business,” and Arnault Castel, owner of Kapok, who was “impressed by his design style that combines simplicity, inventiveness and playfulness.” Andrea Yu visited Studio Leung to see why this young designer is causing such a stir and why honey isn’t just deliciously sweet.
 

You were born and raised in the UK. Why did you move to Hong Kong?
Previously I was worked for Motorola for three years and I started to get bored. I felt like there were a lot of constraints on me as a designer. In my second year there I decided to open my own studio and that’s where I started to work on low-technology objects, like objects for the home.

Do you feel like being a product designer in Hong Kong is a way to make a living?
I think it’s possible, but it depends on what type of work you do and how you go about doing it. The work that I do is for a market of people that need to think a bit longer about whether to buy the product or not. So they need to connect with it in a way that touches them, so they might understand why I’ve done this or why this material was used or why it has this form.

How does the Hong Kong design industry compare to that of the UK and Europe?
I think the Hong Kong design industry feels very small and closed. When I go to design shops here it’s very rare that you see something by a Chinese or Hong Kong designer in there.

Tell us more about the jar you designed for the HK Honey project.
I wanted to approach this from a zero-waste packaging direction. The glass is made from a normal drinking glass. The idea is when you finish the honey you can use the glass. The lid is made from wax. When you’re finished eating the honey you can use the lid as a candle. In a way, there’s very little waste because normal honey packaging uses plastic or glass, so you’re required to reuse or recycle it. A lot of energy is used to process the recycling. I wanted to approach it with a more sustainable approach to packaging.

What in particular inspires your work?
I try to collect a lot of the objects that inspire me. They’re pretty random but I’ve kept them because of the form or the material. A lot of the time I’m also inspired by human behavior and how people use the objects or the perception of objects. In the case of the lampshade, it’s very much in the background although it’s a very unique part of HK culture. People will photograph it, tourists will recognise it but they would not make the association with the domestic environment. I get inspired by landscape and buildings and people and how Chinese people reuse objects. I like the way the green minibus stops reuse the wheel rim.

You did a Masters at HK Poly U and now you’re going back to help teach the Bachelor’s program. Why?
I think being here and having a Western background allows me to add something new. I felt that education is something good for the industry and the creative culture here. It’s a way to give something back as well as take. At the moment I’m just taking from Hong Kong, just being here. As a designer, you’re always naturally curious so you’re always learning. It’s something that’s built into the profession.

Any big aspirations as a designer?
I’m interested in working with non-design industries like agriculture, working with people who know nothing about design, and working with local craftsman. I am more interested in collaborating with new industries as opposed to designing something new. By working with a beekeeper or a furniture maker or someone who makes Chinese name chops, inevitably you’ll have something new working with this different industry but you come out with something even more fresh and creative and cultural. It’s these types of new cultural products that I’m more interested in.

Read the stories of the other up-and-coming stars in their respective fields

Annette Chu, interior designer

Cary Lau, architect

Hung Lam, graphic designer