Kevin Ma (Chinese: Ma Pak Wing 馬柏榮[2]) is a Hong Kong-Canadian businessman who is best known for starting Hypebeast, a Hong Kong listed company that focuses on contemporary culture.[3]
Kevin Ma | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ma Pak Wing[1] |
| Nationality | Canadian, Hong Kong SAR |
| Education | University of British Columbia |
| Known for | Hypebeast |
Early life
editKevin Ma was born in Hong Kong in 1982.[4] He spent most of his youth in Vancouver, Canada[5] and also attended university there.[6][7]
Ma attended the University of British Columbia for his undergraduate studies.[8][9][10] In 2005, he graduated with a B.A. degree in Economics and Psychology.[11]
Career
editIn 2005, Ma started Hypebeast from his home in Vancouver, Canada as a sneaker blog on Blogger as part of his interest in street culture and streetwear.[12][13] Ma got the inspiration for his website from people and communities around the world, and he would take this inspiration and spread them onto his website.[6] At the time, he was a student majoring in economics and psychology,[14] and also briefly worked in banking. The site quickly became popular among street culture enthusiasts.[15]
As Hypebeast grew, Ma moved to Hong Kong and expanded it to include different aspects of street and contemporary culture, including fashion, art, music, design, and culture.[16][17][18]
Ma published the first issue of Hypebeast Magazine in June 2012.[6] Eventually, Hypebeast became a publicly listed company on the HKEX.[19][20] Ma continues to lead Hypebeast Ltd. as of 2022.[4]
Ma is known for popularizing the term hypebeast, which used to refer to a "sneakerhead" subculture associated with streetwear; however, according to Ma, "it can be anything nowadays."[21] Over the years, the word has had increasingly positive connotations for people interested in contemporary clothing and culture.[22]
Recognition
editReferences
edit- ^ "Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com.
- ^ "HYPEBEAST馬柏榮﹕香港不是文化沙漠". 明報財經網. 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
- ^ Cherelus, Gina (June 14, 2022). "Will Hypebeasts Shop at the Hypebeast Store?" – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ a b "LifeWear Magazine - My Standard Kevin Ma". UNIQLO. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
- ^ "Kevin Ma". COOL HUNTING®. August 2, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Kevin Ma". December 16, 2018.
- ^ Marcus, Ezra (March 7, 2018). "How Kevin Ma, founder and CEO of Hypebeast, turned a sneaker blog into an empire". Interview Magazine.
- ^ "『Hypebeast (ハイプビースト) 』編集長、Kevin Ma (ケヴィン・マ) インタビュー". THE FASHION POST.
- ^ Lieber, Chavie (April 14, 2016). "What Is Hypebeast and How Did it IPO?". Racked.
- ^ Bishop, Jordan. "HYPEBEAST Founder Kevin Ma On Innovation, Learning, And Hong Kong". Forbes.
- ^ "Dieser Typ aus Hong Kong macht aus dem Sneaker-Blog Hypebeast einen Publishing- und E-Commerce-Champion". Daily.
- ^ Kevin Ma Forbes.
- ^ Bain, Marc. "Streetwear is what happens to fashion when consumers start dictating the terms". Quartzy. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Kevin Ma is part of the BoF 500". The Business of Fashion.
- ^ Newton, Matthew. "Hypebeast Founder Talks 'Influencers' and Authenticity". Forbes.
- ^ "Sneakers, streetwear, now golf – the secret to Hypebeast's expansion". South China Morning Post. July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Hypebeast founder Kevin Ma on golf – his latest passion – how the fun has been sucked out of sneaker collecting, and the secret to the streetwear company's continued growth". Asia Newsday. 2021-07-07. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
- ^ Jones, Caroline. "Best Under A Billion: Founder Kevin Ma Wants Hypebeast To Last 100 Years". Forbes.
- ^ Zhang, Tianwei (2019-03-01). "Hypebeast Moves Onto Main Board of Hong Kong Stock Exchange". WWD. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
- ^ "Hypebeast". Forbes. 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2022-08-17.
- ^ Bromwich, Jonah Engel (September 12, 2018). "If You Hype It, Will They Come?". The New York Times.
- ^ Kim, Gemma. "How 'Hypebeast' Became Much More Than a Sneaker Blog". Fashionista.
- ^ "LVMH Prize Timeline Confirmed, All-Star Judges Panel Announced". HYPEBEAST. January 25, 2019.
- ^ "Gigi Hadid, Edward Enninful and More Among 2020 LVMH Prize Judging Panel". HYPEBAE.
- ^ "The 2021 LVMH Prize for young fashion designers: the winners". LVMH.
- ^ "2022 LVMH Prize for young fashion designers, 9th edition: LVMH announces the list of 20 candidates shortlisted for the 2022 semi-final". LVMH.