Maguelone Camels

Tucked away in the quiet alley of Wah Lane, Mahka immediately attracts with its floor-to-ceiling glass windows, revealing a roomy space that easily reminds one of a good friend’s home instead of  a retail space, which it really is. 

Yet what makes Mahka stand apart from the average fashion outlet is that it’s more than just that. At the time of the interview, there was a local tattoo artist temporarily stationed in the shop for whoever wanted to get their skin artistically inked. Amidst the racks of orderly displayed fashion garments are an easy chair, stacks of spray paint (for sale), a DJ booth, a cosy corner with cushioned seating, and a staircase that leads up to - as I later learned - a studio that artists and photographers could rent for a fee. 

“In a sense, Mahka is like an art gallery, and we change the style every two months. We want to create a space where we sell social clothes, and every Wednesday, we have different DJs coming to spin throughout the night at the DJ booth. We have a collection of vinyls here that are selected and ‘approved’ by DJs the likes of Cliché and Funkey, spinning music from Berlin to London,” said Mag. “I want people to come in not to feel like they have to buy something from me. They can talk about art, music, or fashion. We have a co-working space and a photography studio upstairs, which artists and photographers can rent for their different projects. Recently, we’re having tattoo artist Mr. Sailor Tattooing, or MST, from Galaxy Tattoo III, stationed here so people can come and have their tattoos done at our shop. We have created a special collection inspired by tattoo art, for people who like tattoo art but who might not want to get a tattoo. Despite all the happenings, the shop is created like someone’s apartment, like a friend’s home, where everyone can just come in and chill and have fun!”

With the ever-sky-rocketing rent in a city where land is a scarcity, you would think a shop owner who claims she prefers people to come in and have fun instead of making some kind of purchase to contribute to the revenue has lost her marbles. But Mag has had her goal and mission very clearly established from the day she opened Mahka. “Rent is high and sometimes I get nervous about my business too, but I know that I’m doing this with my heart, and it can only be real and good. It’s important to have a space where people can breathe, where they don’t feel compelled to buy something, where they can host all kinds of events with different vibes. People may have different interests but through music and art and fashion, but we bring them together, united by the want for peace, under the same roof - this is especially important in the world we live in today, when people are divided by negative events and vibes. We need to understand that we’re all on this planet, sharing more or less the same things, and Mahka hopes to offer itself as an escape with positive vibes. It may not work in the end, but at least it happened.”

What is Mahka? 

The name ‘Mahka’ is derived from my name, Maguelone Calmels, with ‘hk’ for Hong Kong in the middle, because I went to high school here and grew up here! I still have some family here, and the city just feels like home to me. We opened in December last year. We work with different artists, so each of the collections here is a collaboration with the artists. Everything comes in a limited quantity, from 30 to 50 pieces only. We want to create artworks together with the artists, instead of me doing it entirely by myself. The main idea is to put art into fashion. I started Mahka with my brother, who is a street artist based in Paris, which explains why his collection is more street-style. We have collaborated with Jeremy Tow, who specialises in calligraphy. For the opening of Mahka, he did all the ‘lascal’ collection, which means ‘rascal’ in French, named after the street down there. 

At Mahka we don’t follow the rule, so with our first collection ‘We Don’t Feed The Pigeons’, it’s about not following the rules and to be free to express ourselves. I got the inspiration when I was in Paris, and there was a big riot. There was a banner on the street that said: “Don’t feed the pigeons or you’ll be fined.” I found the whole scene a huge contrast: on the one hand you have someone telling you to follow the rules, and on the other, there are bombs going off, people fighting on the street. Mahka is not about anti-system, but more about expressing yourself to create a sense of community. Art pieces are open to interpretation, according to the viewer’s own characters and experiences, and I think the same should apply to fashion - we have a dress that has a back opening, and the wearer can cut it short or let it hang the way it is. What you wear and how you wear is should be according to you, not anyone else. 

There aren’t really seasonal collections at Mahka, it all depends on which artist we’re working with at the moment. In a sense, Mahka is like an art gallery, and we change the style every two months. We want to create a space where we sell social clothes, and every Wednesday, we have different DJs coming to spin throughout the night at the DJ booth. They like it because it’s not like working at a club, but instead they are sharing their music with the vinyls they like. In fact, we have a collection of vinyls here that are selected and ‘approved’ by DJs the likes of Cliché and Funkey, spinning music from Berlin to London. I want people to come in not to feel like they have to buy something from me. They can talk about art, music, or fashion. We have a co-working space and a photography studio upstairs, which artists and photographers can rent for their different projects. Recently, we’re having tattoo artist Mr. Sailor Tattooing, or MST, from Galaxy Tattoo III, stationed here so people can come and have their tattoos done at our shop. We have created a special collection inspired by tattoo art, for people who like tattoo art but who might not want to get a tattoo. Despite all the happenings, the shop is created like someone’s apartment, like a friend’s home, where everyone can just come in and chill and have fun!

In addition to watches by Nixon, we’re also selling spray paint for graffiti artists. I think we’re the only shop on Hong Kong Island selling spray paint for graffiti artists. Spray paint is usually expensive, or you’ll have to go quite a distance to buy it - there are a few shops that sell spray paint in the New Territories or Kowloon, so we thought it would be nice if we could sell it on Hong Kong Island. We want the artists to have the freedom to express themselves, while respecting the law, of course! 

Why did you think a space like Mahka is important for Hong Kong? 

It’s important to have a space where people can breathe, where they don’t feel compelled to buy something, where they can host all kinds of events with different vibes. I was looking for a space like La Cantoche next door, which dishes up French comfort food. I’m a friend of the restaurant’s owner, and it’s nice to have friends around at your ‘workplace’. A few weeks ago, we did the first ‘Lane Party’, where there were graffiti artists, La Cantoche took care of the food, people brought their children and dogs, it was like a neighbourhood party! We try to do more Lane Parties in the future. Art brings people closer together in such way. People may have different interests but through music and art and fashion, but we bring them together, united by the want for peace, under the same roof - this is especially important in the world we live in today, when people are divided by negative events and vibes. We need to understand that we’re all on this planet, sharing more or less the same things, and Mahka hopes to offer itself as an escape with positive vibes. 

Tell me a bit about yourself - were you born in Hong Kong? 

I was born in France. As a child I was always curious. I grew up with my brother and we were drawing all the time, more like me watching him draw. My mother sewed a lot, making couture stuff at home, and I used to play with the unwanted fabric. I loved to play with my grandmother’s wardrobe as well, I would dress up and dance - I used to organise some dance show at home every month. 

I came to Hong Kong when I was 15 years old, did my high school education here. I remember going to Ningxia, China, while studying in Hong Kong. It was the first time the locals there met a white person, and it was a beautiful, eye-opening experience. I then went to Shanghai to study fashion marketing for five years, after which I did my master’s degree at Central Saint Martins in London. I returned to Hong Kong five years ago, worked for Givenchy watches, resigned a year ago to start my own business. I’ve travelled quite a lot growing up, and I like it every time I meet new people and cultures. Of course I missed my friends in Paris, London and Shanghai when it came time for me to leave, and I try to go back to see them as often as I could. But with good friends you don’t need to see each other every day.

Why did you return to Hong Kong? 

I missed Hong Kong! I didn’t come back to Hong Kong for work or for love, I just really love Hong Kong! I missed the dynamics of the city. It is very cosmopolitan - I am French, but most of my friends are from different nationalities. If you like to travel then you would like to meet new people from cultures different to yours. Hong Kong is interesting in that while it is a modern city, it also feels like a village sometimes, that there’s a strong sense of belonging, which is something that I have never experienced in any other cities. 

In terms of art, and in particular street art, things are really moving fast here in Hong Kong, and there’s more space for creativity. There’s a lot of freedom in the local art scene, which is accessible by anyone, any random person. Once a month at Mahka, we invite 20 art students to come here and exchange ideas on the local art culture. For every get-together we have a guest speaker, and last time it was the founder of HK Walls. He spoke about his stories and the students spoke about the concepts of their art, so it was an art exchange between the professionals and the students. I like it, and I believe the participants like it as well, because it wasn’t a business-related thing. I’d be happy if one day, I can collaborate with those art students. 

What else do you love about Hong Kong?

In Hong Kong you feel that if there’s something you want to do, you can always make it happen. Things happen very fast here, and they can disappear probably just as fast. Starting something can be a 50-50 chance, but you can always give it a shot. It may not work in the end, but at least it happened. 

What’s the best thing about being the founder of this interesting art and fashion hub called Mahka right now? 

I’m happy that I’m able to create a kind of melting pot, which has received people from different backgrounds and cultures, who can connect and interact. Mahka has enabled me to continue to meet new artists, and through every new collaboration, we can deliver a brand new style. Rent is high and sometimes I get nervous about my business too, but I know that I’m doing this with my heart, and it can only be real and good. I don’t force people to buy things from me to keep this shop going, like I don’t let market demand interfere with my principles - if it’s a limited edition, it is a limited edition. I want to retain the freedom I enjoy with art and fashion creation, and likewise, I don’t want people coming in here to feel suffocated, or pressured into doing something.