Meet the Qrafties II: James Pauw, Hong Kong Sustainable Swim Shorts Designer

August 2022 | 5 Mins Read

Originally from the UK, James moved to Hong Kong with work in 2018 after many years of asking to relocate to the Pearl of the Orient. Passionate about Hong Kong’s beaches and environment, and saddened by how polluted it has become.

Tell us about your passion for starting Haishang? Is there something you are trying to achieve with Haishang?

Haishang (海上) means 'at sea’ which, in an ideal world, is where I would spend most of my time. One of the reasons for moving to Hong Kong was the incredible parks and coastline it has to offer, which I feel is not broadly appreciated. Haishang was created with the dual purpose of raising awareness around sustainable clothing choices, and celebrating of Hong Kong's rich natural and cultural heritage. We protect Hong Kong’s natural beauty by carefully selecting the most sustainable materials we can. As a business, we are aware that it would be easy for us to create more waste than we save, so recycling and up-cycling are embedded into our thought processes and buying habits, and we love a good beach clean.

Hashing was created with the dual purpose of raising awareness of sustainable clothing choices, whilst celebrating the unique cultural and natural beauty of Hong Kong.

Where do you find your inspiration?

For people who haven’t been to Hong Kong, I’ve always described the city as one of the extremes, a compact mix of East meets West, old and new, wealth and hardship, and (my favourite juxtaposition) natural jungle right next to the concrete version. Hong Kong has a rich history, delicious food, and an iconic skyline and vehicles - it is not hard to find inspiration everywhere you look. My first design was of the popular dim sum, thought up while sitting in a local dim sum restaurant I frequented most weekends.

Read Hong Kong Dim Sum and Then Some

Describe your creative process. What are the significant steps?

Once inspired, I sketched out a pattern and key elements in pencil and colours to see what stands out visually. This takes quite a bit of time (as I am not a gifted artist!) and I want to really tease out key details. Then I work with our incredibly gifted and patient graphic designer who digitalises the images, and experiments with colour palettes, sizing, and details until the final design are suitable for a repeating printed pattern.

How do you measure the success of your designs?

This is linked to Haishang’s purpose of raising awareness around sustainable lifestyle choices. Many people are surprised that our shorts are made out of 10 recycled plastic bottles and I enjoy the educational part of this. The recycled PET plastic material is something that was relatively uncommon for men’s swimwear when we started. Our recently launched shirt is made from organic linen which is widely regarded as one of the most sustainable clothing materials due to its lower water and chemical use compared to cotton - and it just so happens to be great for Hong Kong’s heat. People’s enjoyment of learning about sustainable wear, and seeing their point out, laugh, and smile at some of the patterns and the personal memories they evoke, is a great feeling.

Are you a beach person yourself? Which beach in Hong Kong do you like the most?

I’m definitely a beach person, so setting up a swimwear business feels natural. I am usually at the beach most weekends and whilst it is hard to pick a favourite, Tai Long Wan in Sai Kung probably tops the list as most enjoyable as you feel a million miles away from the city. I highly recommend camping there in the cooler months!

Have you ever faced creative blockage?

I wouldn’t say so. Managing a small business alongside a full time job means that I am somewhat time constrained in my capacity for my real passion (obviously Haishang). I have a lot more design ideas and clothing styles I’d like to create, but wish I had more time.

“We still live in a world where, for the most part, economic growth and profits are prioritised above impact on the environment, and to solve the issues of manufacturing pollution (including plastic waste) we need correct incentives in place. ”

— James Pauw, Sustainable Swim Shorts Designer

How do you deal with feedback and incorporate them into your designs?

I’m very receptive to feedback, and given we work in small batches (to avoid waste) this is fairly easy to incorporate. With regard to designs, I often run these past my very supportive partner, family and friends to get a sense of what others think, and have had really useful input from those around me.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received and how did it influence you?

A friend and business owner has been incredibly helpful in my journey and she once told me not to underestimate building connections with customers. In today’s digital world it is tempting to rely solely on detached online sales, but this can make it hard to really grow a presence. Whilst building customer relationships can be done through pop-ups at markets (something we do since launching in 2020), independent designer platforms like Qraftie also enable interaction between the buyer and seller which is important to us.

In your opinion, how could we reduce plastic pollution and help save the oceans?

This is a key question and one that unfortunately goes to the much bigger issue of consumerism and human impact on the planet. We still live in a world where, for the most part, economic growth and profits are prioritised above impact on the environment, and to solve the issues of manufacturing pollution (including plastic waste) we need correct incentives in place. Whilst recycled clothing and beach cleaning are undoubtedly helpful, the scale of the problem means that we won’t solve it until clean fuels become cheaper than dirty ones, and it costs more to use disposable plastic bottles than refillable ones. I do see signs of progress but feel we have a long way to go.

What’s next for Haishang? Give us a teaser!

New designs are on the cards, as is a potential partnership with another local Hong Kong business. Stay tuned for future developments!

WORDS FROM OUR FOUNDER

“James joined the Qraftie Community in 2021 and has been a wonderful member of ours since then. James has always been a responsible seller on Qraftie. I am very impressed with his dedication to growing his design brand on top of his day job. I found James to be an accountable and collaborative person! James has generously reached out to us to offer support for Qraftie’s new initiatives. Having brainstorming discussions with James helps us better structure our initiatives to add the most value we can to the Qraftie Community. It has been an absolute pleasure working with James and I look forward to collaborating with him more in the near future.

And to James - Is female summer wear next on your list?”

Thank you for being an appreciative reader as always. Meet the Qrafties II is a series of Qraftie sellers’ stories, sharing with you the passion and hard work behind the creative works you see in their Qraftie stores. If you enjoy reading this blog post, please share it with your family and friends. Stay tuned for our next Meet the Qrafties story.