Happy X-MASS! | Lane Crawford

A Family Christmas

Every Family has a story to tell

It was a match made in heaven. For both Mass Luciano and Antoni d’Esterre Darby-Dowman, the founders of urban streetwear label MASS and winners of Lane Crawford’s The Next New 2016, the brand was the perfect way to express their creative talents together. MASS takes everyday basics for men - t-shirts, sweatshirts and pants - and turns them into statement pieces, combining easy-to-wear silhouettes with unexpected materials and textured detailing to make ordinary clothes feel special.

“As a team, we really compliment each other in terms of our abilities and what we like doing. Mass is in charge of designing and styling the collection, and I do the photography and marketing,” explains Darby-Dowman.

Each piece in their exclusive capsule collection for Lane Crawford is made locally in Hong Kong, and for the duo, this was extremely important: “There’s a sense of pride about working with talented craftsmen that live and work here, and we’re grateful to be able to give back to a city that’s already given us so many opportunities.”

“It’s good to give the gift of style, so this would be a great gift for a special friend who only wears t-shirts and sweatshirts, but needs a style upgrade… something familiar, but unexpected.”

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Indeed, Hong Kong is their adopted home - Luciano hails from Puerto Rico while Darby-Dowman grew up between London and Madrid – and it’s here where they’ve created their own family. “We have a very eclectic group of friends and they’ve become our highly functional family,” says Luciano.

“The concept of ‘family’ in Hong Kong takes on a new significance as our original homes are now such a distant memory,” adds Darby-Dowman. “We’ve known each other for over 20 years and have grown up here so it’s really our inner circle of friends who have become our family.”

“Traditions are overrated… I think you should mix it up every year.”

This holiday season, the pair will be jetting off to Sri Lanka – “Mass loves beach time, and I like activity, so hopefully this will give a mix,” says Darby-Dowman. Not to mention the obligatory festive tunes. “It’s the only time of the year it’s acceptable to listen to Mariah Carey’s Christmas album and I plan to have it on loop all season long!” says Luciano with a cheeky smile.

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Happy X-MASS! Holiday moments with the partners in crime, fashion and family