Hitchhike, a new weekend market is set to make its debut at D2 Place on March 7th and 8th. Born out of Hong Kong’s prohibitively high rents, weekend markets provide young designers, crafts people, DIYers and food artisans a temporary place to sell their goods.
Expect to find limited edition pieces by emerging fashion talents, hand-crafted jewelry, homemade accessories, vintage clothing, and snacks from vendors such as Bread & Beast, Iconic Hot Dogs, Boomshack, and N*ce Pops.
Weekend markets have been gaining popularity and proliferating around Hong Kong over the last three years. The markets provide multiple draws by temporarily housing a large number of offerings all under one roof.
Founder Phila Ip, who has witnessed the scene’s growth, decided on the name Hitchhike due to the fact that these small indie shops need to move around week by week. The transient nature reminded him of hitchhikers going from place to place without a permanent home.
Though many of the sellers also operate online stores via social media platforms like Instagram and WeChat, the market experience provides a chance to reach a new audience and build important ties with consumers face-to-face.
The advantage of joining a market over simply having an online shop is that it allows potential customers to browse your merchandise in person, enabling them to touch the fabrics, or try things on. For crafts people it allows their creations to be discovered by passerby who might otherwise never know their products existed.
The ability to meet the designer in person is a more intimate experience and something that’s often lacking in Hong Kong’s modern shopping routine.
As H.K. consumers begin to tire of being dominated by faceless luxury goods, markets that consist of unique, short-run products made by real people have a certain allure.
Hitchhike Hong Kong at D2 Place
Hitchhike is aiming to be larger and more diverse than previous markets. So far there are over 50 confirmed stalls, plus a number of food vendors. D2 place features an impressive rooftop that will host live music performances during the two-day bazaar.
The location, right opposite to the Lai Chi Kok MTR station, makes it convenient to get to, even though it’s deeper into Kowloon than most people typically venture. Converse actually used the same space for a party last year.
Weekend markets represent one of the ingenious ways the indie scene has found to cope with the city’s extremely high rents. Previously young designers banded together in mini-malls such as Rise Commercial Building in Tsim Sha Tsui, but now even those venues are expensive.
In addition to the pleasure of supporting up and coming designers, if you’ve been missing the charm of walking through a flea market or a street bazaar in New York or London, this might give you your fix!
Recommended!
Hitchhike Market Hong Kong
Saturday and Sunday, March 7th and 8th, 2015
From 11am to 8pm
10th & 11th Floor, D2 Place
9 Cheung Yee Street
Lai Chi Kok, Kowloon
Take exit D2 from Lai Chi Kok MTR Station, and it’s directly across the street!
