The creative entrepreneur and daughter of the late David Tang of Shanghai Tang fame discusses her connection to Hong Kong, her design influences and what she, in turn, wants to influence
For any eager learner, the streets of Hong Kong are roving lessons on design history. Patterns of the 1970s, 80s and 90s blend together—the red, white and blue of the plastic canvas bag, the crisscrossing of bamboo scaffolding, the zig-zagging lines of IM Pei’s Bank of China Tower, and the varied topography of crowded shop signs—animating a kaleidoscope of colours and motifs.
Victoria Tang-Owen is no stranger to the city’s creative synergy. Her late father, Sir David Tang, was the legendary founder of the Chinese luxury brand Shanghai Tang. Stories casting her either under or outside his shadow are plenty, yet her prowess lies within the melding of her idiosyncratic upbringing and progressive ambition.
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Helming multidisciplinary creative studio Thirty30 Creative and her eponymous design platform Victoria Tang Studio, she is shaking up her hometown’s cultural blueprint with a fresh approach to visual storytelling—always with a dash of fun and elegance.
We speak with the designer, entrepreneur and now, president of Hong Kong’s Down Syndrome Association about what shaped her and what she wants to shape.
Tell us about your background. How do you think your early training influenced your design approach?
Victoria Tang-Owen (VTO): At Central Saint Martins, I studied graphic design. It deepened my knowledge of a variety of subjects—from typography, printmaking and print production to bookbinding and animation.
I was especially passionate about photography and was determined to integrate digital tools such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to communicate visually (bear in mind, we were still in the iPod era!). My training in fashion photography made me hyper-conscious of and sensitive to framing and perspective.
If you want to go far in design, you have to care as much about the details, down to each pixel, as the big picture—it’s all about visual storytelling. All of these creative outlets fed into one another, and I’ve been able to incorporate knowledge from one area into another throughout my career.
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How do you think your personality comes through in your creative endeavours?
VTO: I would describe myself as easygoing, positive and practical. I enjoy my work and want people around me to appreciate the creative process, which is why humour and irreverence naturally emerge out of the environments I find myself in.
The design world is sometimes restrained by a kind of seriousness, and I want to tell stories—inject details, personalities, surprises—to make an audience laugh.
With TangTangTangTang, my father was amused by the idea that the brand’s name would be sung (rather than just said) aloud to the tune of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. While that particular joke hasn’t always landed, I find so much satisfaction in knowing that it raised a smile or two, and ran opposite to something conventional.
