“I would record all the matches for her whenever she left town. She would ask about the games in so much detail – who scored a goal at which minute, and she could immediately tell whether you knew what you were talking about,” she said.
“If you didn’t even know what ‘offside’ meant, she would get bored and walk away.”
Hong Kong fashion icons in 1997 vs 2022, from Anita Mui to Keung To
In honour of Mui’s multifaceted career, the exhibition is divided into several zones that explore her music and performances, her avant-garde fashion, her time on the silver screen and philanthropic works.
Internationally renowned fashion designer Dorian Ho Kwok-ching contributed to the fifth zone, titled “Twenty Years On”, and consulted celebrity hairstylist Kim Robinson, who worked closely with Mui, to create a new look for the late singer.
“I am a strong believer of fate,” the designer said. “I believe even after someone passes away, they still exist in another dimension, so I am extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work on this project 20 years after Anita left, and to come full circle to be able to work with Kim again. I hope Mui is proud.”
Ho said he had invited young designers to work alongside him, in keeping with the exhibition’s theme of continuing Mui’s legacy and making the project extra special.
“On one hand, I get to introduce Anita to a new generation. This is also my way of giving back to society, something I’ve found to be particularly important after the pandemic,” he said.
The designer incorporated the motif of butterflies into his work, saying the insects brought a great deal of symbolism and meaning to the table.
“When a butterfly breaks out of its cocoon, it symbolises rebirth. We want to express that Anita Mui is still here with us two decades later, but with a new image and a sense of the future,” he said.
Why late actress and singer Anita Mui is so loved by Hongkongers
Veteran hairstylist Robinson described Mui as “one of the most fabulous artists I’ve ever worked with”.
“She was the first-ever Chinese that I turned blonde,” he said. “It’s a trend now, but she was the first one 30 years ago when it wasn’t cool.
“I was so proud that she pulled it off so well … and all the sitting around, like five hours with bleach on her head, burning her scalp.
“She never complained at all, ever. We had it all covered up for her concert, and when she came out, everyone was freaking out.”
Robinson said Mui’s decision to dress in haute couture for concerts throughout the early 2000s was unheard of among Hong Kong stars at the time. Her Dior outfits were personally handled by John Galliano, the brand’s then creative director, he added.
“Nobody wore couture, and no one since has worn couture. To get them to lend to an Asian pop star? There was nobody. We were looked down upon for years,” he said.
“They had so much confidence in her. They let her have all these clothes. They came in huge crates delivered backstage.”
The hairstylist also discussed some of his final memories of the singer and said she rarely let any signs show that she was battling cancer.
“I don’t think she told anyone about it. I found out during, well, the end. When I did the last concert,” he said.
Robinson recalled fitting wigs for Mui after her hair fell out from chemotherapy and one of the pair’s last conversations.
“She said: ‘I am not a beautiful woman, but you’ve made me feel so beautiful.’ And I replied with a lump in my throat: ‘No, you don’t have to thank me. You allowed me to show my creativity, and you supported me through all these things.’”
Anita actress Louise Wong on how biopic ‘has left a beautiful memory’
Cheung Man-sun, a former assistant director of broadcasting at RTHK who was asked to be a consultant for the exhibition, said the singer had insisted on working even as her cancer progressed.
“There is some regret there, I think,” he said. “She kept picking up jobs and had such a serious work ethic. There was one show towards the end where I watched her getting carried on and off stage.”
“She had this optimism that she would get better; a romantic notion for life. If I could talk to her again, I would tell her: ‘Mui, you are just 40 years old. You have a long life ahead. Take a break and get better first.”
Beyond the biopic: Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung’s legendary friendship
Cheung said the singer could have gone on to even greater heights, pointing to when she won RTHK’s Golden Needle Award in 1998 and explained that it was the highest honour in the local music industry, akin to the Grammy’s Hall of Fame.
“She was just 35. For someone so young to win – it was almost unheard of,” he said.
The former broadcaster described the home-grown star as a “true daughter of Hong Kong” who had the power to unite the city’s people, regardless of age, wealth or political leanings.
“It was so interesting to be at her funeral because people from across the spectrum were all gathered in one place,” Cheung said.
“On one hand, you had the chief executive at the time, Tung Chee-hwa, Beijing’s liaison office deputy director Li Gang, but pan-democrats like Lau Chin-shek as well.”
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