48
withJJAcuna
hanging
out
More from JJ on the
next page >
Turn to
theWanderlister+
if
youwant to seeadifferent
side toHongKong. Run
byJJAcuna, thepopular
blogoffers a cool takeon
art, fashion, food, styleand
design in the city. It’s even
been featured in
TimeOut
HongKong,HK,Milk
and
NewYork
magazine
.
TheHongKong-based
Filipinoarchitect and interior
designer doesmore than
just share the latest sights,
openings andevents,
however—heengages in
meaningful collaborations
tohelp causes close tohis
heart, too.
Lastmonth, JJ teamed
upwithbar and restaurant
ThePawn for their “Don’t
GoHome” cocktail series,
a campaign that enlists
celebrities andpersonalities
to teamupwithThePawn’s
mixologist onuniquedrinks
tohelp raise funds for their
chosen charity.
For hispart, JJdesigned
a cocktail tobenefitAIDS
Concern, whichoffers
educational programs,
testing services and support
for thosewithHIVor
AIDS. It’s calledTripleZero
(below) tobringattention
to theorganization’s
objectives: “Toachieve zero
newHIV infections, zero
stigma for people livingwith
HIVand zeroAIDSdeaths.”
Another thing
thatmakesTriple
Zero special? Its
ingredients, one
ofwhichFilipinos
will find familiar:
calamansi.
JJ reveals the
inspirationbehind
hisblog, all the
while steering you
towards someof the
hangouts youneed
to checkout next
time you’re inHongKong.
Whatareyour favorite
wateringholes inHong
Kong?
I’mgenerallynot adance
clubor “superclub” kindof
guy. I likeplaces that are
nicelydesigned, where
people canhaveagreat
conversationandwhere
everyone iswell-dressed
but not
mayabang
(stuck-
up). ThePawn is agreat
placebecause it’s that
kindof loungeybar, but
it’s also located ina
veryhistorical part of
the city,WanChai,
inapreservedand
restoredpieceof
architecture.Other
bars in the city I
likeareNEO, Ping
PongGintoneria,
AberdeenStreet
Social andStone
NullahTavern…
all for the fact that they’re
relaxedbars, located inquiet
neighborhoods, withhistorical
environments.
Whatmakesyouchoose to
takeonaproject?
I’madirector at theLos
Angeles- andHong
Kong-based company
RHETROACTIVEDesignLtd,
and I’m currently in lifestyle,
resort andentertainment
design. The companygenerally
looks for projectswherewe
canmakeadifference from
anexperiential standpoint, as
well as an interactiveone. I was
educatedas anarchitect and
interior designer, butworking
withentertainment design
forcesme to look at thedesign
process fromanengagement
perspectiveusing technology.
The Tastemaker
DesignerJJAcuna,whopromotes thebestof
HongKongwithhisblog
theWanderlister+
, shares
a few things that inspirehim
