You would expect that a brand like Abercrombie & Fitch would already have a flagship presence in a city like Hong Kong.

What with most (if not all) of the global super-brand already here:

Louis Vuiton is here.

D&G is here.

Ermenegildo Zegna is here.

Prada is here.

(I can go on and on.)

Howzit-HongKong has it that “The Moose” will be opening in a prime location in Central, complete with a multi-million dollar a month rent, possibly in the Pedder Building.

Here at Howzit-HongKong.com, we’ve been moerse (very) impressed at the effort put in by the South African Consulate in Hong Kong in promoting our country’s honour of hosting the world for the FIFA Football World Cup in June 2010. 

Local Hong Kong businesses have joined the party and added their own events to the groundswell in anticipation of the world’s biggest sports event back home.

It is more than clear that world-wide, South Africa, and in a wider scale… Africa, is currently the flavour of the month.

I regularly visit the new K11 Mall near my apartment and have been impressed at the levels the promotions department of Hong Kong (and the world’s) only Art Mall have gone to in promoting Africa and South Africa.  In late March, K11 hosted a South African dance troupe to kick-off their Africa focus.  All over the Mall, exhibits and fotographs featuring Africa can be seen while their frontline promotions staff are all kitted out in African-print uniforms. 

Last week, I popped in to the Jason’s Grocery Store at K11 for my weekly provisions and took the following pictures:

The K11 frontline staff are dressed in African-style uniforms:

Well done K11 Mall!  You are playing your part in focussing local attention on South Africa in 2010!

This kind off African/South African-promotional initiative is but one of the un-recorded spin-offs of the FIFA 2010 World Cup that often go un-noticed.  Howzit-HongKong.com can only hope that local events like this will in the future help to welcome more Hong Kongers, Mainland Chinese and other Asians to South Africa.

That, for us, will be the REAL benefit and legacy of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Ke Nako. It’s our time.

Mike Jansen

K11 is a high-rise building located in Hanoi Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon developed by New World Developments.  Underground it can be accessed via the pedestrian walkway from the Tsim Sha Tsui MTR towards Tsim Sha Tsui East MTR.  The building features a 340 000 square-foot, 6-storey shopping centre beneath the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong.

Sometimes getting slightly lost can be a good thing.  After attending the Invictus Gala Charity Premiere at the Grand Cinema at the Elements Mall in Kowloon West, around 600 guests all rushed to the many exits around the Mall.  Some went straight for the parking levels while some went to the MTR station to catch a train to Hong Kong Island.  Most of us went in search of a taxi to take us home; which is where the problem came in if you’re not familiar with Elements. 

Around midnight on a Thursday evening the Mall was all but shut down save for some cleaners and workers removing Christmas decorations.  Normally when a mall is packed with shoppers it’s easy to find your way around because there will be concierge services all around and even if you just follow the crowd, you should get to an exit quite comfortably.

I took me around 20 minutes to find my way to the exit where I could catch a cab to Hung Hom Bay.  But not before I noticed that Elements is indeed a Mecca for the high-end shopper.

Some of many international brand-names I noticed are:

Alain Figaret, Alfred Dunhill, Calvin Klein Underwear, CANALI, Guess, IWC, Montblanc, BVLGARI, Cartier, ECCO, Fendi, GUCCI, HERMES, Jimmy Choo, Loewe, LOUIS VUITTON, Piaget, PRADA, Pringle of Scotland, Salvatore Ferragamo, Shanghai Tang, Tiffany & Co, TODS, Valentino, Versace, etc.

All in one venue.

As the name suggests, Elements Mall is named after 5 Chinese elements and is devided into 5 distinct zones:

Fire: Entertainment

Earth: Fashion

Water: International Cuisine

Metal: Luxury brands and world-class dining

Wood: Health, Beauty & Lifestyle

This is where you can find the Elements Mall in Kowloon West:

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