As the boundaries between work, rest, exercise, and socialising gradually dissolve, people are rethinking not just how they dress, but how they live. Clothing is no longer tied to specific occasions; instead, it responds to the constant shifting of identities throughout the day. This shift has also transformed athleisure — a subject of much attention in recent years — from a fashion trend into a design language for rebalancing bodily awareness, the rhythm of life, and one’s own state of being.
Though their creative backgrounds could hardly be more different, both brands respond to the same question: as the pace of life quickens, do people really still need a garment that belongs to just one occasion? One builds connections between people through Hong Kong culture; the other responds to the fluid, multiple identities of women through minimalist design. Both allow athleisure to transcend function itself and become, once again, a medium that carries lifestyle and emotional value. Below, VOGUE Hong Kong sits down with both brands to explore how they are using design to redefine contemporary athleisure aesthetics.
Glocal Mahjong
Mahjong is a cultural cityscape all too familiar to Hong Kongers. The pung, kong, chow, and mahjong calls around the table aren’t just rules of the game — they string together family gatherings, neighbourly bonds, and the shared memory of a city. As digital technology reshapes the way people interact, how can this centuries-old tradition continue to connect with new generations? That is the question the Hong Kong cultural brand Glocal Mahjong continues to explore.
Founded by architect Dr. Chan Lai Kiu (Q), Glocal Mahjong reinterprets mahjong as a design language with a distinctly contemporary identity. The brand’s name combines “Global” and “Local,” symbolising how mahjong is rooted in Hong Kong culture yet transcends geography and generations. Guided by the philosophy “Mahjong Connects and Inspires,” the brand explores the many possibilities of traditional culture in contemporary life through clothing, accessories, and cultural curation.
When cultural symbols and clothing collide
For Dr. Chan Lai Kiu, design isn’t about copying tradition, but about carrying cultural memory forward. She believes the proportions, colours, and imagery of mahjong tiles already form a visual language deeply embedded in people’s minds. So rather than confining mahjong elements to prints or decoration, Glocal Mahjong reworks them into the very structure and functional design of a garment, letting cultural symbols weave naturally into what people wear and how they live — and allowing a centuries-old tradition to keep taking part in contemporary life in a new form.
Mahjong is built on a fixed set of symbols and rules, yet Glocal Mahjong transforms them into a contemporary design language. When reinterpreting such a familiar cultural icon, how do you decide which traditions should be preserved, and which can be reimagined?
Mahjong is a very versatile game that brings a lot of fun to people. Fashion created from it should be very creative, versatile in concepts and highly “weariable (wearable + variable). It should also remain playful and bring delight to people.
The shape, proportion and colours of mahjong and its characteristic icons are well-known to people globally, which makes it a set of recognizable visual language. If these visual elements are over-abstracted or modified, mahjong’s connections with people will be lost. So, design from it should still remain associable with the original mahjong inspiration.
Apart from direct application of mahjong cultural icons as fabric pattern or appliques, these icons could be reinterpreted or transformed into other forms or objects. A mahjong tile could be a pouch into which a top, pants and shorts can be packed. The dot icons can be electrical fans for thermal control or giant buttons for zero-cut draping wear. The bamboo linear icon could be cuts for neckline, zippers or opening edge of pockets.
To create a strong impactful look and build a strong brand, the one-dot brand logo (the Chinese name of Glocal Mahjong) was used as a signature icon or as a part of the signature wall paper pattern (together with the three dragons 中發白)
Beyond products, Glocal Mahjong also creates exhibitions, workshops and cultural experiences. How do you transform a traditional game into something people can not only understand, but also emotionally connect with through design?
We hope our brand, products and experiences can emotionally connect with our customers through the ability to connect mahjong with any subjects. e.g. For Uniqlo, we created a full collection on the theme of Hong Kong X Mahjong. In our YouTube channel, we use mahjong as a gateway to different subjects such as Mahjong X Cheongsam, Mahjong X Jewellery, Mahjong X Size, Scale & Proportion, Mahjong X Décor….
We establish a strong iconic brand, hoping people see us as “Glocal Mahjong” rather than just as products with mahjong patterns. Apart from products, we ran events such as Glocal Mahjong Week and different types of workshops. We are in the process of doing a mahjong art exhibition on the theme of ‘Beyond the City Walls, Within the Square Inch’ (方城之外 方寸之內).
Engage people via participation. We are in the process of turning our mahjong alphabets into pins for people to label or decorate the products. Where applicable, we provide people with choices that suit their preferences of colours, pets like dogs or cats, lifestyle, and more.
We hope to wow people through our creativity in design and amaze people that “Mahjong can be turned into such an interesting design”, which brings them fun and delight.
As Hong Kong continues to redefine its creative identity, what role do you hope Glocal Mahjong can play in shaping how local culture is understood beyond the city itself?
In our eyes, Glocal Mahjong see the contemporary meaning of mahjong as a brain gym when AI obsoletes our minds, as a gathering without phones when online communication replaces physical meetups, and as a cross-generation connector when technology widens the generation gap.
Most importantly, Glocal Mahjong is the first-ever mahjong thematic cultural-curation brand in the world. Having the advantage of being in Hong Kong, Glocal Mahjong understands both local Chinese culture and has a global perspective. It is positioned to share this Chinese and Hong Kong heritage with the world and achieve a local Hong Kong brand with a global Impact.
TITIKA Active Couture
As activewear gradually blends into everyday life, real design is no longer centred on exercise itself, but on how women move freely and comfortably between their different life roles. Based in Toronto, Canada, TITIKA Active Couture draws on North American minimalist urban aesthetics to build a language of dressing that is both comfortable and elegant, through crisp tailoring, soft proportions, and refined fabrics. The brand believes clothing shouldn’t change according to the setting; instead, it should accompany the wearer as they flow naturally between work, exercise, travel, and daily life — making athleisure a genuine part of the modern woman’s lifestyle.
For TITIKA, technical fabric has never been the star of the show, but rather a quietly present foundation. The brand tucks high performance away within minimalist silhouettes, letting support, breathability, and comfort blend naturally into the wearing experience. This restraint speaks directly to the rhythm of life explored by CENTRESTAGE 2026’s “Rhythm of the Heart” theme, allowing clothing to do more than simply fit into a schedule — it accompanies people as they rediscover the pace of their body and their inner selves.
Eileen Zhang
Photo courtesy of TITIKA Active Couture
TITIKA has always challenged the notion that activewear belongs only in the gym. As the lines between work, exercise, and everyday life grow increasingly blurred, how has this shift in lifestyle changed the way you think about design?
For TITIKA, this lifestyle shift completely reshapes our core design logic. We no longer design pieces purely for workout performance; instead, we build every style as multi-scene staples that seamlessly transition between workouts, office errands, city strolls and travel.
We prioritise refined, tailored silhouettes that look polished enough for daily public outings, paired with subtle fashion-forward details like crisscross twist backs, double topstitch self-fabric neck binding and tailored cropped flares. We abandon overly sporty, bulky cuts and loud logos, leaning into Canadian minimalist aesthetics to deliver understated elegance.
Every fabric and fit balances soft all-day comfort and structured shaping. Our full collection, from Thea Tank to back-pleated tennis skorts, lets women build complete daily OOTDs, removing the need to change outfits when switching between different parts of their day.
Behind TITIKA’s minimalist design lies a great deal of research into technical fabrics. How do you strike a balance between functional innovation and the feel of wearing the garment, so that technology truly blends into daily life rather than becoming the star of the design itself?
At TITIKA, we treat fabric technology as a silent foundation rather than a selling focal point. All our material research serves one core goal: invisible comfort that elevates the daily joy of dressing, instead of drawing attention to technical specs.
We integrate performance properties into soft, skin-friendly base textiles, so moisture management, stretch and shape retention work quietly without stiff, synthetic textures. Our minimalist silhouettes intentionally hide functional structures — built-in padded bras, stretch gussets and tailored support are concealed inside clean, streamlined outlines, never breaking our sleek visual language.
We also refine subtle human-centric details: hidden side pockets and twisted back cutouts add practical value while delivering delicate, feminine visual charm. This way, wearers first feel effortless elegance and a confident, relaxed mood when putting on our pieces; functionality simply supports that pleasant emotional experience, existing harmoniously behind our quiet minimalist style.
CENTRESTAGE 2026 takes “Rhythm of the Heart” as its theme. In a world where the pace of life keeps accelerating and identities are constantly shifting, what kind of personal rhythm do you hope TITIKA can help people rediscover through clothing?
Against CENTRESTAGE 2026’s theme “Rhythm of the Heart”, TITIKA advocates a gentle, unrushed personal rhythm amid chaotic multi-role schedules.
Modern women constantly toggle between professional, fitness, family and travel identities, bound by tight packed timetables. We design our full range of versatile athleisure to free wearers from the pressure of frequent outfit changes, letting them move fluidly between every daily scene without compromise.
Our minimalist, cohesive collection delivers quiet confidence and ease, inviting wearers to slow down and reconnect with their own inner pace. Instead of chasing fast fashion trends or rigid dress codes, TITIKA’s pieces create a steady personal beat — one defined by comfort, authenticity and effortless self-expression. We hope every wearer can reclaim their own calm heart rhythm, unhurried and true to themselves, no matter which life role they step into each day.
Editor
Cherry Shum
