Few people can lay
claim to having as much of an influence on contemporary style as Hypebeast Managing Editor Eugene Kan.
Seen as the benchmark
of style and taste, pretty much anything that appears on Hypebeast gains
instant cred and kudos (which is why I’m always incredibly stoked to see my
work appear on the site), so needless to say Eug is rightfully considered one
of the most influential peeps around.
Eugene was kind enough
to spare some time to answer some Q’s in my latest ‘In Their Shoes’ interview
where he talks football, Hong Kong style and why you should never go head to head with him at table tennis.
IDYSM: Hey Eug.
So, let’s go back to the beginning. Tell us a bit about where are you from, and
how your interest in style and culture began.
Eugene: I grew up in a small town outside of Edmonton, Alberta
called Fort Saskatchewan. I used to play soccer in Edmonton and oddly enough a
lot of kids that I played with had an affinity or interest in style. It wasn't
necessarily good style in retrospect but it was a general consideration for
caring what you wore and brands in general. I also was fortunate enough to hit
up Hong Kong every so often with my family for the Christmas holidays.
IDYSM: But you
moved to HK to play soccer? What happened.
Eugene: I spent a lot of time playing soccer as a kid and when I hit
university it just went to a whole new level playing virtually every day. This
was something that not many had the opportunity to do at all age groups as
there wasn't a same level of structure as you see in other and more established
soccer countries. Ultimately after barely making it through university, I went
to HK to play. I certainly wasn't the best player but I usually worked among
the hardest so I guess I have that to thank.
IDYSM: You spent a
lot some time writing/blogging for Kix-Files. How did this start, and how
important was this to where you’re at now.
Eugene: When you're afforded so much free time, you really need to
find some way to use it. It's not like I was making a lot of money playing
haha, so no opportunities to go and gamble it away. So I parleyed a general
interest in writing into sneaker hookups from Kix-Files. It's cool to see they're
still around and if I never had the opportunity there, I might have never been
able to make the jump to Hypebeast.
IDYSM: Are you
much of a collector, how rampant is your love for sneakers?
Eugene: I don't really collect shoes, although recently I have
started amassing some soccer boots (since they don't wear as quickly) but I
don't really want to own a pair of shoes that I wouldn't ever wear. I would
prefer to wear all my shoes but sometimes I need to think twice as to whether
that's appropriate given sometimes in the past I would wear a pair once or
twice and never wear them again. I have a lot of friends and family that could
benefit from all the things I'm fortunate to receive.
IDYSM: With HB
you’re across all facets and areas of style, design and culture – what areas
excite you the most?
Eugene: I am genuinely interested in seeing how people can go out
and enhance somebody's life through design or creativity. For example in
fashion, I enjoy more technically-minded pieces that can provide both
functionality and aesthetics. Food is another interesting topic for me given
its ability to influence much larger demographics. You can go into a restaurant
and see so many people from different walks of life whereas fashion is probably
a bit more segmented.
IDYSM: How
important are sneakers now in contemporary style?
Eugene: I think it's a huge part, technical elements in design are
being seen across the board and when done correctly they offer a lot of value
in terms of (as I mentioned) both functionality and aesthetics. That's not to
say there are some pieces designed solely with aesthetics in mind but in
general, the sportswear approach is obviously very popular.
IDYSM: Where is
the shoe game at right now, is this a defining era?
Eugene: I think it is in a way. It has become a time where there's a
ton of choice and of course the interest is reflected in the market prices.
However, I would say in general, the barriers to entry in footwear are still
quite high (in regards to tooling and production), so there's still room to
grow. There may be brands popping up, but they aren't really providing a
comprehensive package and utilising a lot of pre-existing pieces when creating
their brand.
IDYSM: You’re
based in Hong Kong now, how influential is this as a style hub on a global
scale?
Eugene: I don't think Hong Kong is very influential. It's a market
that is built on consumption more so than creation but that's due mostly in
part to the lack of real estate and ability to create. I harbour no ill
feelings haha, but it is what it is.
IDYSM: Did you
ever imagine Hypebeast would become this influential?
Eugene: Nah never, being in HK is good sometimes as we're a bit
sheltered. We keep it humble and we try to do the best possible given some of
our limitations. The fact it's influential is a great power, and you try to
create a product that has value and people find interesting or at least the
relevant stories should be told.
IDYSM: What does
an average day have in store for you?
Eugene: Wake up, hit the gym, check RSS, get to work, check emails,
start working on projects for the day, smash some people at table tennis and
then work some more... go home, make dinner with the wife @thatfoodcray and do
some more work... boring I know.
IDYSM: What’s been
your proudest achievement so far?
Eugene: I used to never really care for accepting achievement, but
as of late, I think I feel most proud of helping build Hypebeast with Kevin (Kevin
Ma, the founder) into something that I personally love doing as well as support
a team of awesome people that I work alongside.
IDYSM: What does
the future hold for you and for HB?
Eugene: Not sure, probably try to start doing larger scale projects
but it's sometimes tough 12 ahead, on a different continent.
IDYSM: I know a
lot of people will be interested to hear the answer to this, my final question;
what’s on your feet right now?
Eugene: The 24th
straight day of my Maison Martin Margiela x Converse 1970s Chuck Taylors.
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