Features

Douglas Young

1 Jan 2009 by intern11
Douglas Young, founder of Goods of Desire (G.O.D), a quirky lifestyle store in Hongkong, is not your average CEO. He has been arrested for printing T-shirts sporting the name of a notorious triad group and sold mooncakes the shape of rear ends. As he reflects on a definitely colourful career, Peter Rajendran took notes.

How do people react when you tell them you’re the founder of G.O.D?

I seldom do because I like to hang out at the shop and listen to customers’ reactions or comments about my work. I like to do that. People tell me they know the founder and ask if they can get a discount, that sort of thing.

So you engage with customers at your shop?

I surreptitiously listen in on their conversation, yeah. I eavesdrop on them (laughs). I don’t really engage as such unless they’re in trouble, then I often help.

Your concepts and designs are very focused on Hongkong culture, would you consider yourself an ambassador of the city?

I don’t think I am; I think my products can be. A lot of mementos that you buy from Hongkong are not necessarily things that are particularly useful. I would like to sell things from Hongkong that has the Hongkong spirit but are functional as well.

How did you cultivate your drive for design?

I’ve always had the passion for design. I think Hongkong and the whole of China is a really vibrant place to find inspiration from this part of the world. I have no trouble pushing myself at all.

Would you say you stepped beyond creative boundaries and into controversy when you launched T-shirts bearing similar names to triads, and also the “Delay No More” brand, which sounds similar to an expletive in Cantonese?

Yeah, maybe. But I think it’s the role of the designer or artist to challenge boundaries and break taboos because there are a lot of old-fashioned things about society, which become sort of irrelevant as time goes on.

I think creative people should push the envelope and make society question or think about certain restrictions and limitations and ask, are they still relevant?

You once said in an interview, after being compared to famous English designer Terence Conran by Elle Decoration UK, that “designers are best being themselves”. Can you elaborate?

Everybody’s personalities are different. I think you shouldn’t pretend, because people can tell that you’re pretending to be something you’re not. I’m Chinese, I’m from Hongkong, and there’s no point pretending to be Peruvian, Australian or from anywhere else but from Hongkong. Because people would be able to tell you’re not authentic.

When you follow a particular designer too closely, some might tend to mimic or copy some of their concepts?

People do it all the time. I think it’s best to bury all your idols and not follow in somebody’s footsteps. I don’t like actually being compared to Terence Conran. It’s flattering, but not flattering for him though (laughs).

Describe how your own house looks.

It’s very much like my shop. Very East meets West. I got a lot of old things from my family. I used to live with my grandparents, so after they passed away, I inherited a lot of stuff from them.

They’re not necessarily wonderful designs, but for sentimental reasons I’ve kept them. It’s very eclectic – nothing seems to match but it’s unified by a certain personality.

What would you say has been the ultimate prize so far in your career?

I suppose being able to make a living out of my hobby is great. It’s not many people who can say that they can make a lot of money out of what interests them. I can do that, so I consider myself very lucky.

How do you unwind after a gruelling week of work?

With a cigar. I’ve been doing a lot of travel writing lately.

What do you always take with you on your travels?

An open mind; a sense of exploration. You should go and just absorb yourself in another culture. By seeing how other people live can you appreciate how you live from an objective angle.

Tell us, is there any particular leisure destination you like to frequent or keep returning to?

London – I used to live there. I still find it a very inspiring place.

What do you like or dislike about flying?

I dislike the queues to the toilets.

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