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A man who makes ties come alive

The Young Reporter (1994, April 28), 26(06), pp. 8.
Author: Peter Wong.
Permanent URL - https://sys01.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/bujspa/purl.php?&did=bujspa0002050

By PETER WONG

EVERY gentleman can have the chance to dress up with a unique tie since Mr Chan Pui-ling, 64, has a novel idea for designing ties by combining Western motifs with Chinese water colour.

“I think there is a great need to add a motif on each tie to make it alive, so that we can attract more people to wear it, especially the youth,” said Mr Chan.

The drawing technique also helps Mr Chan to create series of stylish handkerchiefs, bow-ties and waist-coats.

“Most of the motifs are chosen from the pictures of some famous Western painters, like Vincent Van Gogh, Picasso and Gustav Klimt,” continued Mr Chan who has been engaged in Chinese painting for 50 years.

But it was not until two years ago that he made a breakthrough by using water colour to draw pictures on ties.

Mr Chan said not only the pictures on tie are drawn by hand, the silk tie was also hand-made and chemical substances were added in colouring to protect the fading of colour pigment during washing.

To produce a hand-made tie is not an easy task, for it usually takes several hours or even more to finish one.

Now Mr Chan’s creations are sold all around the world and they are mainly exported to the United States and some European countries.

“The market is quite extensive, so my son and I set up a workshop in China in which 30 artists are working on this garment,” said Mr Chan.

Mr Chan’s business cannot make ends meet because of the limited production and the unfamiliarity of the artists to the new product.

Mr Chan estimated that it would take two or three years for them to recover the cost and make these hand-made ties popular in Hongkong.

He has tried every means to boost his business by showing the uniqueness of his product to people on the streets of Tsim Sha Tsui.

Mr Chan explained that drawing ties in crowded streets with people of different cultures, customs and nations would be the best way to test the taste of customers from all walks of lives.

“Many tourists appreciate my works very much, especially those with famous pictures of Picasso and Hongkong night scenery,” said Mr Chan.

He said the cost of the ties varied as each tie required different craftmanship and time to complete.

The wholesale price of each tie is about $70 while the retail price is about $150 each.

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