Sneaker brand hits the right musical notes

It’s not every sneaker brand that cites Oscar Wilde and the Beat poets as inspiration, but Collin Thompson, founder of Hong Kong-based Cipher, has a distinctive creative vision that defies expectations.Cipher’s first collection launched in 2008. Its pared-down designs are sold by high-end retailers worldwide with key markets in Hong Kong, Paris and Japan.Cipher was conceived as a lifestyle brand that blends Thompson’s influences across art, music, film, design and fashion – his shoe designs include the Seditionary, inspired by Malcolm McClaren and Vivienne Westwood’s label of the same name.Thompson was first drawn to Hong Kong in 2003 by Wong Kar-wai’s movie In the Mood for Love. Hong Kong’s unique fusion of Eastern and Western influences inspired him to stay and establish his creative studio.For him, Hong Kong is the right location for the brand’s global outlook.“Cipher is not particularly localised as a brand. We could easily operate out of London, NYC, LA, Paris or any other city. But I think Hong Kong, at this moment, has the most interesting story to tell with the most dynamic landscape.”In June, Cipher started the next phase of its development as a lifestyle brand with the launch of its Mixtape project. Its first release, Big City, Bright Lights, brings together exclusive tracks from 10 Hong Kong artists, including the band Good Fellas and DJ Miss Yellow, plus a set of artist portraits shot in Hong Kong.Hong Kong’s small size is ideally suited to experience-based marketing and the unique Mixtape content formed the basis for a launch at Brothers & Sisters’ concept store in TST.By bringing together a wide network of people from Hong Kong’s music, art and fashion worlds, Cipher created a buzz around the launch that reinforced its creative lifestyle brand positioning.“The idea behind the campaign was to engage the creative community and to personify our brand at the same time, building relationships in a way that strengthens our identity,” Thompson says.Cipher’s clarity and commitment to its creative inspiration made the Mixtape project an attractive collaboration for the artists.Likewise, the brand’s consistent expression of its core vision has helped forge relationships with a loyal customer base throughout the world.It’s a great example of a brand that has developed a genuinely different proposition and is executing it consistently across multiple touchpoints.Michael Dorrian is creative director of Start Creative Hong Kong.