Christina Yu
ACCESSORIES DESIGNER
When Christina Yu decided it was time
for a career change, she made sure it
was a drastic one. The creative director
of Ipa-Nima accessories brand (
ipa-nima.com
)
was a lawyer in Hong
Kong before moving to Hanoi for love.
She then developed her own private
label for big-name stores Shanghai
Tang, G.O.D. and Anteprima, but it
wasn’t long before Ipa-Nima opened its
first set of pink doors to the public.
For the Bohemian look, a limited-
edition pom-pom bag is perfect. If sleek
woven Italian leather is more your
style, you’ll find that too. Of her newly
adopted home, she says, “The weather,
the vibe, the lifestyle and bits of old
Saigon remind me of the old Hong
Kong when I was growing up.”
When not working on new designs,
Christina loves ending her day at Wine
Embassy. “To start with, I really like
good wine and Wine Embassy has a
great selection,” she says. “Also, I am
not really a phone person and prefer to
see and talk to my friends in person to
catch up with what’s happening in their
lives. Most bars in Saigon have blaring
loud music that makes it impossible to
talk to people. Wine Embassy has a
quiet and exclusive ambience which is
rare in Saigon!”
The French owner, François Carteau
has been greeting wine lovers in this
city with his embassy-themed wine bar
with some customers holding their own
passport to keep tabs of their favorites.
Wine Embassy
13
Ngo Duc Ke, D1; tel: +84 8 3824
7827;
Christina enjoying
a nightcap at the
Wine Embassy;
(
inset) vivid color
schemes are a
trademark of
Ipa-Nima bags
C R E A T I V E E N C L A V E S
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