While one would normally expect an actor of his standing to don a bespoke suit from London’s esteemed Savile Row or an Italian luxury fashion house, Nighy instead turned to The Anthology.
Tang had known that he was making a suit for Nighy – they were in contact – but he did not know Nighy was going to wear it to the Oscars. “We didn’t expect that,” he adds, “but I’m very grateful because it meant a lot to The Anthology and it means a lot to me as well.”
Perhaps he saw something new and different about the label. “Hong Kong has had a very long-standing relationship with tailoring ever since we were a colony, and there are many tailors in Hong Kong,” Tang says. He adds that most tailors in the city’s colonial era focused on “a more traditional British silhouette”.
Seeing an opportunity to bring something fresh to Hong Kong and the international market, Tang and Andy Chong Ka-chon co-founded The Anthology in 2018 with the goal to champion a “new, softer aesthetic that is fundamentally very different from what Hong Kong tailors used to make back then”, in Tang’s words.
Andy Chong Ka-chon is a co-founder of The Anthology. Photo: The Anthology
While The Anthology still very much follows traditional garment-making integrity, it seeks to create original designs and reimagine silhouettes – and the devil is in the detail.
“In most instances, we find that the very traditional padded, structured shoulder is not the most approachable or friendly,” Tang says. “We sometimes make the shoulder just a touch wider to give the illusion of an extended shoulder and to create a slightly softer look.”
“It’s a tough, confident, masculine look in a friendly way, which is something we’re quite comfortable with. What we try to do with the extended shoulder, with a little bit of droopiness, is to create a more modern style. It’s a mixture of our sensitivity and awareness for contemporary society.”
A model in The Anthology’s signature “Lazyman” jacket. Photo: The Anthology
One of The Anthology’s signature pieces, the “Lazyman” jacket, is the poster child for the pair’s philosophy of softening beloved classics to create something different.
“Many in Hong Kong and around the world have the need for good tailoring pieces, but they don’t necessarily require a very strong tailored jacket when it comes down to day-to-day motion,” says Tang. The “Lazyman” combines a jacket with a cardigan – and while its lapels mimic the feel of a jacket, the overall style is one of a soft garment without any rigid structure.
“To call it a ‘cardigan’ is a definitive downplay; a ‘jacket’ is probably too much,” Tang adds. “Ultimately, we’re thinking of what a city guy generally needs, which is a deconstructed version of a blazer.”
Images of The Anthology’s core collection from an advertising campaign. Photo: The Anthology
The Anthology’s spring/summer 2023 collection reflects this ethos by incorporating popover shirts – which have buttons only at the top and must be “popped over” the head – muted colours and other pieces inspired by resort wear.
“I love things that can actually be worn in a resort,” Tang reveals. “We’ve always wanted to differentiate ourselves [from tailoring traditions] and go for a more lenient and slightly loose aesthetic, more on the casual end.”
A close-up of a look from The Anthology’s autumn/winter 2022 collection. Photo: The Anthology
Taking inspiration from resort wear makes the spring/summer 2023 collection particularly well suited for the brand’s clientele in Hong Kong, which Tang says is a way of staying true to The Anthology’s origins. The label also has strong footholds in New York, Singapore and Tokyo through international trunk shows.
It can add London to that list now that Nighy has publicly given his seal of approval to the brand.
A little-known fact about The Anthology is that, at its founding, it also opened a store in Taipei, where, Tang says, the clientele is very different to that in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong is a financial hub where bespoke tailoring is relatively common. In Taiwan, suiting has more of a niche audience.
A look from The Anthology’s spring/summer 2023 collection. Photo: The Anthology
“People in Hong Kong tend to dress [in suits] in a more conservative manner, except for a passionate few like ourselves and some of our clients,” says Tang. “But in Taiwan, it’s a 180 [degree] change, where people are just entirely into dressing. It’s more like a game to them.
“There’s a massive creative flow and everyone has their own personal take on things.”
Still, this does not mean the Hong Kong bespoke tailoring scene is boring – it is simply saturated with demand for office wear in business districts such as Central and Admiralty on Hong Kong Island.
“In Hong Kong, the niche is when you really go down the rabbit hole to find something very refined,” says Tang.