MARKETING CAMPAIGN

Building A Brand From Scratch

Up until 2015, The Mills was a discontinued textile factory. After an extensive revitalisation process, The Mills is now an original concept that integrates culture, innovation and retail.

Communications Planning Workshop
Pre-launch Online & Offline
Launch Online & Offline
Exhibition, Tour & Docent Handbook

Not just a revitalisation.

The Mills is not just a revitalisation, it represents a generational tilt towards self re-invention. It is the revival of an old Hong Kong spirit of transformation.

Insights

For the Post-90s generation, there is no place to be! The first generation to grow up after the takeover, they don’t fit the legacy Hong Kong mold. To them, cruising shopping malls as a pastime is a relic of the 80s consumption culture. Sure, they are shoppers, but they are artists and culturists, hobbyists and creators, too. They are looking for something that fits how they define themselves.

Post 90s are all about shapeshifting and often self-identify as “Slashie”. They are not barista or photographer or traveller, but barista/photographer/traveler.

Shifting personalities: They identify with a multitude of personalities such as artist, athlete, nerd, and gamer.
Swapping careers: They pride themselves on their ability to acquire new skill sets on the fly. Instead of honing an expertise, they thrive on the excitement of trying their hand at many careers.
Gaming social identities: They often have multiple accounts on Instagram. Controlling their online identity is like a survival tactic, showcasing their best selves and discarding unsuccessful persons like reptile skin.

Strategy & Solution

From an abandoned textile factory, The Mills is transformed into a potent brew of culture and innovation. A place where people see the possibilities, where old inventions are given new twists, where traditional art forms find new expressions. The Mills is the beacon for a new generation looking to re-invent themselves.

Meet The Re-inventors.

A fashion designer who re-constituted sneaker soles with biological features.

An engineer who re-imagines cycling with gesture sensing LED signals.

An artist who re-formulates paint with natural dye.

A lamp designer who re-cycles PET bottles into objects of illumination.

The Re-invention history of Hong Kong

Hard to imagine now, but Hong Kong was little more than a fishing village. The turning point came after the Second World War. Seeking a less turbulent place for their factories, Shanghai textile industrialists fled to Hong Kong with expertise and capital.

By 1970s, Hong Kong rose to be the cotton yarn capital of the world, and became the first international city in Asia.