Before we left Hong Kong, we rounded up a German dinner with our local friends Eugene (Hypebeast),Camie and Season. The conversation quickly steered from industry news to discussion on world issues, specifically those concerning the rise of China as the new world power. China is the most populous state on Earth, totaling in at 1.3 Billion inhabitants. That means 1 out of 5 people lives here. And the wealth abounding in this region is staggering. I heard a statistic a few years back that 1 million millionaires are made every year in China. The cash is so voluminous and so fresh that the material consumption makes Rodeo Dr. look like Skid Row. China eats 12% of luxury goods worldwide, rich mainland residents flood Hong Kong and Tokyo retail year-round.. it accounts for Bape’s massive surge in popularity amongst the Chinese, and according to Season, how the main Louis Vuitton store here makes an average of $6 Million U.S. a day. The coveted apartments here go for $9,000 U.S. a square foot!

And so we digressed long after finishing our frothy beers and peppered sausages. How does communism play into that economic shift, and how does it explain the poverty? How is the rest of the world’s culture being affected by China’s sizable influence? And how can an independent American brand like The Hundreds play a part? It’s an exciting time for China, we are literally watching history being made here, the ramifications which are felt everywhere. Eugene noted that not a day goes by where The New York Times doesn’t have some kind of front-and-center editorial on a Chinese matter. Anyways, if you wanna see where everything’s headed, don’t look further than this.

by bobbyhundreds