By all counts, the buzzy new brand on the block, Alainpaul, is a classic Hong Kong success story: the brainchild of a Hong Kong-born designer with international roots, ambitious dreams and a global footprint. Now, the brand has finally come full circle, making its long-awaited debut in the city at Hong Kong-based retailer Joyce. “We came here 10 years ago with this idea already,” says designer and co-founder Alain, who keeps his last name under wraps.

He shows me a picture from that fateful trip. “We went to Joyce and we dreamed to be in here one day. The fact that they bought [our] first collection was really a big deal for us.

” Movement has always been part of Alain’s life. Born to a French father and Danish-Brazilian mother in Hong Kong, he moved with his family at the age of eight to France, where he first pursued studies in dance before turning to fashion. He built up an impressive CV, cutting his teeth under Demna at Vetements and Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton, even helping to complete the latter’s final menswear collections for the house following his untimely death.

It was in France where he met his partner in both life and now business, Luis Philippe, with whom he launched his eponymous brand in 2023. “We decided to do this seven years ago, when I left Vetements and Luis left Colette,” says Alain. “He had an amazing vision of retail, so we decided to do it together one day.

We wanted to work a bit longer and also be independent.” Philippe adds, �.