Mirror’s Keung To on his new fashion brand To Zero: Hong Kong’s beloved Cantopop star talks about the subtraction concept, his streetwear wardrobe staples … and teases a food brand – interview

Apr 28 , 2023

Keung To has launched his own fashion brand To Zero, so here’s everything we know about it. Photo: Handout

With one million followers on Instagram watching his every move, Keung To has become no stranger to the luxury fashion scene. In the half-decade since he debuted as one-twelfth of traffic-stopping Cantopop boy group Mirror, Keung has been tapped to serve as a darling ambassador for a long list of brands – and duly appears everywhere sporting them. Indeed, for a Hongkonger, whether you are making your daily commute or surfing the internet at home, it’s difficult not to encounter the 23-year-old’s beaming likeness staring back at you.

Keung To launched his own fashion brand To Zero in April 2023. Photo: To Zero

“Since entering showbiz, I have had more opportunities to get in touch with fashion, and I eventually discovered the interesting side of it,” the 23-year-old told Style at a sit down interview earlier this week. “Establishing a fashion brand was never my teenage dream, however, as many Mirror members have launched their own brands one after another, I think this is a very cool thing. I have always emphasised that I like to ‘speak through works’. Music is certainly one way, but now, I am trying to express my thoughts and feelings through another medium – fashion.”

For Keung, who dreamed of becoming a dancing singer since he was young, the establishment of a fashion brand is not to satisfy an entrepreneurial dream, apparently, but to convey many of his own life philosophies in life through clothing.

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The art of subtraction

Keung To thinks that life is a subtraction journey. Photo: To Zero

Keung officially launched his personal fashion brand To Zero on Thursday. The name “To Zero” not only contains Keung’s given name “To”, but also symbolises “returning to basics”, which is Keung’s own outlook on life.

“Some people think that life requires a lot of pursuit of fame and fortune, but in fact, I think life should be a kind of subtraction. You don’t need to take on too much, you should keep letting go instead, so that you will be happier,” said Keung. This outlook on life became the driving force behind forming To Zero.

Riffing on the subtraction concept, the label’s first series starts numbered as 99, and each subsequent release takes a lower figure. After counting down to 01, the brand comes to an end. “I often say that I want to retire soon, and in fact, going to zero does not mean the end, the end can also be another beginning.” Keung beamed.

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The label’s first series was named “to be kind to someone in need”. But why is it 99? Not only was the Mirror star born in 1999, but he was also numbered 99 in the local broadcaster ViuTV’s reality talent contest Good Night Show – King Maker back in 2018 – the final contestant picked to compete in the show that would make him a member Mirror. Today he’s taken that coincidence to claim the double digit as uniquely meaningful number, transforming it into a concept of 99 things that must be accomplished in life.

“I think the first thing in life is to be a kind person who can help others. This is what I must have to do in life. I really hope that this message can be passed on,” said Keung. “Thus, there’ll be charity items in each series coming up to raise funds for those in need.”

Starting from zero

A jacket from Keung To’s own fashion brand To Zero. Photo: To Zero

Starting a business from scratch is not easy, but Keung is grateful to have a group of professional teams behind him to give advice, while being able to take part in every production step as much as possible – even choosing the texture and colour of the fabric.

Keung admits that he is a layman when it comes to the fashion business. “I remember when choosing colours for the hoodie, the manufacturer gave me six colours to choose from, but I couldn’t tell the difference between them at all. To me, they are the same colour,” Keung laughed as he recalled. “It took me quite a lot of time to distinguish them by looking at the colours codes.”

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Keung’s wardrobe

Keung To’s must-have items inside his wardrobe – a casual blazer, hoodie and bucket hat. Photo: To Zero

In this first To Zero series fans can splurge on several items, such as a shirt, T-shirt, jumper, hoodie, casual blazer, sports pants and bucket hat. Keung explained that there is no specific style for the brand but to fit his own fashion philosophy – simple and comfortable.

“I’m not really a person who likes to dress up after work, and sometimes I don’t even want to tidy up my hair for going out, therefore I always have bucket hats and hoodies in my wardrobe. To me, a casual blazer matching with a simple T-shirt inside is an all-purpose outfit for almost any occasion,” Keung shared. “I believe that as long as the outfit is comfortable, you will be confident and look good.”

Simple happiness

Keung To’s new line will dabble in children’s clothing too. Photo: To Zero

If you are a “ginger candy” (an affectionate nickname for Keung superfans, playing on his surname, which in Cantonese is pronounced in the same way as the word for “ginger”), perhaps you already know that Keung interacts well with kids. So it’s fitting that the series contains children clothes as well.

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“I like children very much as their happiness is often simple,” he said. The young star hopes to inspire people to pay more attention to children and appreciate the principle of simple happiness from them.

“And my source of happiness is also simple – playing basketball, performing and eating. I don’t mean to eat expensive food, a bowl of simple noodles is far more than enough to satisfy me,” said the proud kidult. So what are this foodie’s favourites? Keung also told us he also likes burgers and mala hotpot (ideally served with enoki mushrooms, as he suggests).

Keung To launched his own fashion brand To Zero on April 27. Photo: To Zero

It’s hardly surprising then that, as Keung revealed in the interview, the team has actually started planning for a food brand as well.

“Ginger candies”, stay tuned!

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Hong Kong celebrities and icons

Mirror’s Keung To just launched his first fashion brand To Zero, inspired by the art of subtraction, with the first series starts from 99 and counting down until 01
The number 99 is significant for the kidult star: he was born in 1999 and was candidate number 99 on ViuTV’s Good Night Show – King Maker – now the hot pot-lover has plans to expand into food too