Hong Kong’s Retail Renegade Arnault Castel

HONG KONG — In this city, home to some of the globe’s most fearsome retail rents, not many small independent shops manage to survive, and what few there are typically head for the safety of the malls. But Arnault Castel, who founded Kapok, has been an outlier from the start. The Frenchman started his shop in 2006, which has since evolved into a concept with four different locations in Hong Kong and Singapore. His locally much-beloved boutiques carry a quirky selection of well-made brands such as Maison Kitsune, Common Projects, Margaret Howell, sustainable sneaker brand Veja, and lifestyle items like candles from Astier de Villatte. Open up a travel guide for Hong Kong and it’s very likely you’ll see Kapok recommended as one of the must visit shopping destinations. At the start of May, Castel ticked off a major milestone for his company: upgrading one of his stores on Sun Street in Wan Chai to a larger flagship located just next door. “I was always running out of space,” Castel said. “I liked the assortment, I like the branding of Kapok but the experience is not so great because it’s just too small.” When the bigger, 3,000-square-foot space next to his original Sun Street

Follow WWD on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Read More...

from WWDWWD http://bit.ly/2W5pi4X