Single-industry co-working spaces in Hong Kong - first tech, now fashion - launched to help start-ups network
Co-working spaces have been around for a while, but Hong Kong company Campfire Collaborative Spaces believes its focus on industry-specific spaces offers users more opportunities to network and be inspired
It’s Monday morning at Campfire Creative in Wong Chuk Hang, on the south side of Hong Kong Island, and there’s not a long face in sight. Nobody’s watching the clock, pining for the weekend, hoping the boss won’t catch them goofing off. Instead, sparks fly as start-up spirit and entrepreneurial energy ripple through the fashionably tricked out industrial space.
“Passion breeds productivity, and productivity creates an exciting atmosphere, a place where you feel inspired to work,” says Campfire co-founder and chairman Albert Fung.
Campfire Collaborative Spaces offers industry-focused co-working spaces, and Campfire Creative is its latest offering, targeting the fashion set. Private and shared office spaces, meeting rooms and chill-out zones sprawl across the fifth floor of the Remex Industrial Building, while a sewing room, photography studio, bar and lounge, and catwalk with seating make it a one-stop fashion shop. Up on the seventh floor, they’re busy kitting out their upcoming social media co-working site with a green-screen television studio, show kitchen and stage, and screening room for pilots and premieres.
“Real estate runs in our families,” says Australian-raised CEO Tse. “We’re second-generation property developers. We’ve always been passionate about property and we’re fascinated by tech. So when the opportunity arose to do property technology, we jumped on it. We began with a vision to help entrepreneurs and it’s developed into something much more than that.”