I.TXX 20th Anniversary Interview | Collection

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Possessing a roster of brands seeing few equals in the world, Hong Kong retailer I.T turns the big 2-0 this year. From humble beginnings as a small retailer known as Green Peace, the retailer has grown to include licenses and accounts for a wide range of fashion styles from Neighborhood, Visvim, Bape, WTAPS and BBC | Ice Cream to Maison Martin Margiela and COMME des GARCONS (and its sub-lines), which is literally just the tip of the iceberg. In celebrating its 20th anniversary, the retailer has produced collaboration of epic proportions with many of the brands coming on board to participate in a number of different items. To get an idea of the project at hand, we had a chance to interview three of I.T’s big players with additional looks at the products being offered.

Wallace Kwok – Creative Director

Please Introduce yourself and your role at I.T?

Hello everybody, I’m Wallace, creative director at I.T. My job includes overseeing brands such as Fingercroxx and Choocolate in addition to other brands.

What does I.T 20th Anniversary mean to you?

I.T is how I started my career in fashion. Formerly known as Green Peace, I.T was known for its provision of many Western labels such as Levi’s and lots of British brands like Dr. Martens. Pursuing a further education, I enrolled in a fashion design program which led to a job at I.T. It has been an exhilarating 8 years here watching a small store like Green Peace develop into the massive company that I.T now represents.

How did you approach this campaign? Was it difficult to co-operate with so many brands?

In such a short period, it was hard to collaborate with so many brands. A great thing was that the design was quite liberal and we didn’t have many restraints to the designers which resulted in a quick turnaround.

Among the numerous 20th Anniversary collobration products, which is your favorite piece?

Each of the collaboration items were extremely well done in my eyes and it’s difficult to choose one. However the products that really stood out for me were Ann Demeulemeester, N. Hoolywood and new brand Damir Doma. However the best product is the Fingercroxx skate deck chair. I personally had a hand in its design, creation, and direction. I’ve wanted to do something like this for so long and feels that it totally fits with the 20th anniversary collection.

I.TXX SOPHNET. Tee ($999 HKD)

I.TXX SOPHNET. Tee ($999 HKD)

I.TXX FRED PERRY Tee ($399 HKD)

I.TXX BEAMS T Tee ($299 HKD)

I.TXX MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA Tee ($699 HKD)

I.TXX COMME DES GARCONS Tee ($599 HKD)

I.TXX JIL SANDER Tee ($699 HKD)

Dicky Ng – Marketing

Please Introduce yourself and your role at I.T?

I’m Dicky Ng and my role at I.T is to oversee all of the menswear for I.T. This includes both advertising and PR for the respective brands under I.T’s comprehensive menswear labels.

What does I.T 20th Anniversary mean to you?

20th anniversary to me is something I feel is similar to a new beginning and a reflection on the past 20 years. I look forward to being a part of I.T’s next 20 years as well.

How did you approach this campaign? Was it difficult to co-operate with so many brands?

The most important aspect of this project was efficient time management. Due to the international scope of this project, lots of sleepless nights were required to match up with our international counterparts to discuss and plan for each respective collaboration. However in the end we’re more then satisfied with the final result.

During the promotion of this project, did you encounter any difficulties or problems?

We didn’t really encounter any big problems. In reality the brevity of the whole event (4 days), is in itself an easy to promote aspect of the project. It was by no means an easy feat to get everything done on time, but by getting it done in the allotted time period, it has garnered much respect and positive feedback.

Among the numerous 20th Anniversary collaboration products, which is your favorite piece?

My favorite item for the anniversary collection is the Fingercroxx skateboard bench. Just a timeless piece of design which will be popular for years to come.

I.TXX CARHARTT Tee ($399 HKD)

I.TXX NEIGHBORHOOD Tee ($799 HKD)

I.TXX N.HOOLYWOOD Tee ($999 HKD)

I.TXX BAPE Tee ($799 HKD)

I.TXX WTAPS Tee ($799 HKD)

I.TXX BEAMS BOY x PORTER ($1999 HKD)

I.TXX BEAMS BOY x PORTER ($399 HKD)

I.TXX BEAMS BOY x PORTER ($559 HKD)

I.TXX BEAMS BOY x PORTER ($799 HKD)

James Chan – Visual Manager

Please Introduce yourself and your role at I.T?

My name is James Chan, my role at I.T is to manage and direct various visual displays for brands such as 5cm, Izzue and Choocolate.

What does I.T 20th Anniversary mean to you?

It really puts my age in perspective haha. As a youngster, I remember hitting up Green Peace to buy Dr. Martens boots. With this marking my 10th year at I.T, it really put everything in perspective. In addition, I’m happy to have the ability to develop, grow and innovate with local Hong Kong brands that I oversee.

Was there a visual theme for this campaign? Or did you allow each theme to keep its respective theme?

There wasn’t a particular special theme to this project. However we did try to ensure that many of the collaboration items featured the logo designed M/M Paris. Each brand was given full creative control to really keep consistent with the aesthetics and styles of each brand which has allowed them to develop some strong local followings.

What is the most memorable part thus far for this 20th Anniversary Project?

My chance to participate is already a great honor. The whole event has created an international buzz and really generated a lot of positive comments regarding I.T. Nevertheless, being a part of the project is a great and memorable reward.

Among the numerous 20th Anniversary collaboration products, which is your favorite piece?

I’ll be honest, all the local in-house I.T brands are my favorite!

I.TXX COMME DES GARCONS MAN EAU DE TOILETTE ($950 HKD)