POMCH is a Hong Kong based bag brand and concept store that began as a school assignment between 2 friends. Jeffery Leung and Felix Tai epitomize the synergies that exist between industrial and product design through their pet project, POMCH. POMCH is the sound from the heavy machinery operation, which leads to the brand concept – Industrial Essentials. The concept is based on the nature of industrial design with a splash of fashion elements to neutralize the design, so thus blending industrial design with fashion in a harmonious resonance.
POMCH produces handbags, shoulder bags, wallets, card holders and accessories, etc., each with a unique industrial concept and mood which could be used as part of your casual ensemble, or used as props. Creating an ‘industrial’ theme, with the color scheme being largely in black, white, grey and metallics.
Located at Hong Kong’s newest design hub, Police Married Quarters in Sheung Wan, POMCH’s niche offering appeals to shoppers who are fatigued with mainstream fashion retailers and are on the hunt for something raw and unconventional. Their standalone store is like stepping foot onto the shop floor; at the centre of the store is a large workbench where two designers are busy at work making wallets and bags. Considering the Chinese labor centric factory traditions, POMCH has tackled this with a hell of a punch. What you see is what you get at the store, an industrial tool – whether it is a hammer, a spanner or a saw – is placed into a vacuum machine where the leather is instantly molded to the shape of the selected object. This is then transformed into a bag or accessory. Glamour, aesthetics, visual merchandising and the likes take a back seat at POMCH as the focus is minimalistic; a store where the workshop is the store itself.
Unique designs are created in a standardized industrial process – Vacuum forming. This thermoforming technique is widely used for product packaging, and here by giving this process a new life – POMCH have redefined the usage of this technique. Vacuum forming is an affordable plastic shaping solution. The vacuum forming process begins with heating a sheet of plastic. The heated sheet is then draped over top of a mold. The mold is in the shape of the product that is to be formed out of the plastic. Once the heated sheet is placed over the male or female mold, vacuum pressure is applied between the heated sheet and the mold.
The vacuum pressure pulls the plastic down to take the exact shape of the mold. After the heated sheet cools on the mold, it will hold the shape. The workshop incorporates vacuum-forming machines, allowing you to custom-make your 3D pattern on the cardholder/ coins case by embossing the details and features of your personal belongings (such as keys, chains and coins etc.) on the surface of PVC sheets, The pattern formed is permanent and unique. Vacuum forming is a less expensive option compared to injection molding and other forming processes. It can also get products to market at a faster pace.
On given days, POMCH holds workshops and throws open the vacuum machine to the whims and fancies of the public, inviting shoppers to bring along an object of their choice to create a truly unique and often eccentric fashion statement. Today, the consumer places high importance on transparency.
According to the label’s designers Jeffrey and Felix, around 80% of the customers that come into their PMQ store are female, but the products are designed with a unisex audience in mind. The ‘Saw’ bag, priced at $488 USD is their eye-catching product. The no frills workshop aesthetic of POMCH and the exposure of the production process clearly communicate authenticity, catering to this discerning mindset. POMCH is surely redefining the way we see the “Made in China” tag.
Be sure to check out more about the brand and their use of industrial processes by heading over to POMSCH.
