Replay party at The Pawn!

Denim brand Replay held an event on Thursday night that included an auction of one of a kind jeans. The venue was The Pawn, the elegant British restaurant housed in one of the finest remaining examples of old Wanchai.

I arrived after the auction had already finished and the three-level party was in full swing.

The Pawn was done up with Replay jeans as decorations including this bunch hanging in a hallway. The warm, faded interior of The Pawn was a good match for the brand.

The unique Replay jeans sold at the auction were occupying a different set of rooms downstairs.

The Pawn is made up of several floors and each of them was in use for the night.

I like multiple level buildings for events. It adds a sense of adventure, and keeps me occupied exploring. (I normally suffer from attention deficit disorder and can rarely stay in one place for the entire evening.) For certain functions, a multi-level party isn’t necessary or ideal, but for Replay it worked!

A killer attribute of The Pawn as an event space are the open air balconies. The balconies allow smokers the opportunity to puff away and still feel like part of the party. Most major venues in Hong Kong have serious problems with smokers congregating in restrooms or other illegal smoking spots, rather than leave the event to smoke. Smoking legally outdoors (at indoor-only venues) is often logistically hard to manage at crowded events due to long lines at the door. It becomes a burden to security with re-entries, not to mention the inconvenience caused to party-goers. With dual indoor and outdoor space, the medium-sized venue has an advantage over its competitors.

At several points in the night, models dressed in Replay clothing staged a guerrilla fashion show, occupying props, such as the motorcycle and gas pump in the top photo. This type of informal show gives the press and guests the chance to soak up the brand’s style along with providing photo ops.

As the night wore on, the top floor closed, with guests migrating lower, still maintaining the same party pitch.

After a while I got antsy again and decided to head towards Central. Surveying the packed floors during the event, the turnout was excellent and included a broader range of guests than usual.