aleixsholm

tiny island pop-up at kapok sun street

June 9, 2021

19 march 2021 - 18 april 2021

“without hong kong, there’d be no kapok.” - said Arnault Castel, founder of kapok.

with our debt of gratitude, kapok has long been a keen retail supporter to local brands, designers and artists, and oftentimes, we dedicate our space to collaborate and allow them to showcase creativity in their own way.

about tiny island

Tiny Island designs and develops home interior objects and personal accessories that celebrate every aspect of Hong Kong culture and history. founded by Alexis Holm, originally from Sweden, who has lived in Hong Kong since 2009. Tiny Island’s aim is to channel a sense of pride, community and remembrance through the objects and prints it creates.

as much as Tiny Island wants people to cherish the past, it also wishes to encourage discovery. to explore and experience Hong Kong from new perspectives. love your neighbourhood, but also your neighbouring hood.

Hong Kong was once a manufacturing hub for a variety of products, big and small, cheap and costly. much of that production has now been moved elsewhere, but if you look closer, there are still amazing artisans and craftsmen dotted around the city. Tiny Island works with these so called “Sunset Trades” whenever possible, to highlight and educate our community, and to show that “Made in Hong Kong” is still very much alive.

all Tiny Island products are carefully developed and produced to the highest possible specifications, to ensure that they too stand the test of time, just like the city they represent.

kapok pop-up in-store exclusive

all map prints are painstakingly produced by silk screen printing, an age-old technique that requires both expert knowledge and patience. from the first neighbourhood of Sheung Wan, to the upcoming rendition of Peng Chau, Tiny Island continues to expand its reach, print by print.

typographical maps - “hong kong” limited edition

kapok pop-up exclusive products.

color: dianthus / jade blue / matcha / porcelain / sour plum / yam / tangerine
paper: 308 g recycled Italian paper
printing: silk screen printed by hand
size: 70 x 50cm
version: hong kong
price: 750

other product highlights

typographical maps

color: navy / offwhite / grey
paper: 308g recycled Italian paper
printing: silk screen printed by hand
size: 70 x 50cm
versions: causeway bay / wan chai / discovery bay / happy valley / kennedy town/lantau / mid-levels / repulse bay / sai ying pun / sheung wan / tai hang / central / sai kung / tsim sha tsui / shek tong tsui / tin hau / hong kong
price: 550 / 650

multicoloured silk screen prints

like modern apothecaries, their team of experts selects innovative yet pure ingredients for their benefits on the skin. they are continually working towards the perfect formula; maintaining a balance between effectiveness and the use of natural ingredients in order to achieve theier value:

paper: 242g Japanese recycled paper
printing: silk screen printed by hand
size: 70 x 50cm
price: 800

maps offset print

Tiny Island’s smaller 40x30cm map prints are printed in an offset printing studio on Gough Street. glorious Heidelberg presses from differing decades stand like proud monuments of a bygone era. The offset prints are without pixels, but with such high resolution that no digital printer could ever match it. real inks, real people real craft. when you buy a Tiny Island print, you're not just purchasing a beautiful addition to your home, you're also displaying a piece of Hong Kong history.

version: sheung wan / central / wan chai / hong kong
colour: yellow / white / blue
paper: 300g Scottish recycled paper
printing: offset printing
size: 40 x 30cm
price: 380

Q&A with Alexis Holm

Q. what inspired you to create this brand?

a love for Hong Kong and good product. I’ve spent 12 amazing years in this city and it was time to give something back.

Q. when you pick a location for design, what is the criteria?

my own interest first and foremost. historical significance. whether it’s residential or mostly commercial spaces in the area. Some criteria are purely practical and others more emotionally connected.

Q. apart from the existing HK locations in your art pieces, where do you want to feature and why?

I would love to do more islands. they’re cute, sparsely populated, yet still hold significant cultural and historical value. the Walled City is another dream project.

Q. how do you feel about HK and can you share the romantic stories between you and your wife?

well, I’m not married to Hong Kong, but it does appear very difficult to divorce myself from this place. as upsetting as it can be sometimes there’s vibrancy and opportunity around every corner. I simply find it less boring than other places I’ve lived. me and my wife met at, the now sadly closed, Club 71 in Central (too) many years ago. even back alleys can be romantic in Hong Kong...

Q. what is your future planning for tiny island maps?

a bit less Tiny maybe. it would be nice if we were the brand everyone first thought of when they needed a parting gift, or memory of Hong Kong. Singapore is another interesting future project, since it’s also a city.

towels & tea towels

their beautifully woven hammam style towels and tea towels are made by a family run weaving house in Turkey who have been at it for decades. the towel works wonders both at the beach in the summer and as something warm to wrap yourself with in winter. sand repellent, 100% cotton, machine washable and built to last. the tea towels are basically the large towel in a smaller format, same great quality, but made for all kitchen duties, or as a hand towel in the bathroom. absorbent, soft & decorative.

click photo to buy

tea towel set

comes in sets of 2 (mixed white and blue)
jacquard woven in Turkey
size: 75 x 50cm
genuine Hammam quality durable and absorbent cotton
conveniently placed label for hanging
machine washable 40 degrees
price: 350

click photo to buy

hong kong towel

colour: navy / turquoise
jacquard woven in Turkey
size: 180 x 100cm
super absorbent and soft
machine washable 40 degrees
price: 490

candles

a collaboration with Hong Kong-based candle company, BeCandle, their Hong Kong and Kowloon scented candles offer the best of both worlds.

featuring a beautiful terrazzo container and hand stamped gold foil label, they look almost as good as they smell. fragrances and oils carefully chosen and blended, from all those moments when we caught a whiff of something fragrant in our city. the way Hong Kong should smell, in other words.