With her signature voluminous hairdo, boldly lined eyes and red lips—greatly inspired by hip-hop culture—content creator Nicole Law is hard to miss; a lot of people get an up-close-and-personal interaction too because she runs around “fit-checking” people who catch her eye.
Law previously worked at Warner Music Asia and media platform Complex Chinese, where she realised her natural affinity for content creation. “I realised I never thought of it as work—I just really enjoy the process from start to finish,” says Law. “It’s more about capturing the essence of real life and presenting it to the online world. I like interacting with people and shining a light on their content through my voice and energy.”
Law also recently painted Hong Kong’s own “Brat Wall” (Singer Charli XCX’s promotion of her album which has become a cultural phenomenon). On the set of her Tatler Asia’s Most Stylish shoot, the content creator takes us back to the beginning of her creative career and shares insights about Hong Kong audience.
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Nicole Law wears Bonbom blazer from Lane Crawford; Law’s own T-shirt; Chanel necklace(Photo: Tatler Hong Kong/Zed Leets)
Tell us about your journey as a content creator.I studied advertising and communication for my bachelor’s degree and wanted to work at 4As agency. Right after graduation, I got offered a junior planner position at Ogilvy, but I turned it down to work for WeWork HK, where I focused more on operation and hospitality. After four years, I wanted to go back to the creative industry, so I ended up at Warner Music Asia’s content and creative team. The main mission was to amplify international artists and songs in Asia. Later, I went to media (Complex Chinese) because I wanted to explore music and the whole pop culture scene, including fashion and lifestyle. I became a content creator because I found it might be hard to fully express and address different opinions if I were working for a corporate. But I love to express different opinions in different ways whether it’s making videos, making necklaces or drawing.
What was the definitive moment that fuelled you to transition from behind the scenes to being on the camera?After I left my job last year and went on a trip to Europe, I thought why not keep doing what I’ve been doing—editing and filming all by myself—it was just for fun in the beginning. My friend was holding the camera, and we were filming the content that we are truly passionate about like vintage shopping and asking people about their outfits, especially at music festivals.
That trip was a huge inspiration and made me realise I really enjoy editing videos—even when my friends were sleeping, I would wake up early and edit the videos. It made me realise I never thought of it as work, instead, I just really enjoy the process from start to finish. I think it’s more about capturing the essence of real life and presenting it to the online world. I like to interact with people and shine a light on their content through my voice and energy.
How are audiences receiving this type of content?The format I was doing was still quite new for the Hong Kong audience, there weren’t many content creators doing this format. I didn’t invent the concept of “fit-check”, there is a lot of this in the US, but I didn’t see a Cantonese version of it. That’s why I hope to bring this to Hong Kong and do a local version.
There are also many differences when you start to execute this concept in Hong Kong—you’ll notice people are more shy. For fit-checks, I started with friends I’d see at fashion events, later I went on the streets to spot normal people. I remember the first person I approached on the street, it was right after a black rainstorm in Hong Kong. I bumped into him at Mee&Gee, that was my first fit-check.
Many people like it, but Hong Kong is still conservative about expressing yourself through what you wear. I got backlash with negative comments saying the interviewees were eccentric and didn’t fit into the acceptable standards. But now I’ve seen a change in that there are more platforms doing the “outfit-check” concept and street snaps have incorporated videos. I hope [my platform] has had some positive influence.
Where can we spot the stylish people in Hong Kong?I used to think there were cooler people on the Hong Kong Island side, that’s why I was hunting for those a lot in Central and Causeway Bay. But I found if you are looking for expressive or alternative styles, you should go to the Kowloon side like Mong Kok, Y2K is trending there. Or I would go to the [design] schools like Design Institute or HKICC Lee Shau Kee School of Creativity.
Speaking of trends, the younger generation put some thought into their outfits, as you can see from their accessories and layering.
Nicole Law wears a YanYan Knits dress; Adidas sneakers; Gentle Monster sunglasses; Fierce necklace (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong/Zed Leets)
As an observer of style, what are you looking for when approaching a potential interviewee? The whole fit check concept, I didn’t want to put the focus on “beauty” which is a very subjective thing in all art forms. To me, if I want to spot and “fit-check” someone, I expect to see the thoughts and efforts they put into what they wear on that day. Sometimes people assume that style needs to be eccentric to stand out … but what I look for is [people] whose personality is reflected in their outfit, whether they’re rocking designer pieces or wearing head-to-toe thrifted clothes. As a result, the people being featured are diverse.
Any upcoming plans to share?For my platform, I will continue to do more content. I want to do something offline for the community, I’m planning on a monthly event with Eaton in which you need to put down the phone, go offline for two to three hours and just get together and be creative such as drawing, drinking and reading. I want everyone to experience a phone-free life.
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