From Hong Kong to the World: How JARDIN DES FONTAINES Is Weaving Art Into Everyday Life

“Art should not stay on the wall. It should live with you.”

That philosophy captures the essence of JARDIN DES FONTAINES (JDF) — a Hong Kong original design brand redefining how art, fashion, and lifestyle can coexist.

Recently, JDF Founder and CEO Yoyo Yau was invited to a featured interview on Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK)’s finance program, 財經新思維, where she shared the story behind the brand, its strategic evolution, and how JDF is building a distinctive identity in today’s fast-changing retail landscape.

At its core, this is more than a business story.

It is a story about Hong Kong creativity, cultural preservation, and the future of design-led branding.

A Name That Represents Emotional Space

JARDIN DES FONTAINES, translated from French, means:

“The Garden of Fountains.”

For Yoyo, the meaning goes beyond aesthetics.

It represents a mental sanctuary.

A place of rest.

A place of reflection.

A place where beauty offers pause in an increasingly fast-paced world.

Founded in June 2020, right in the middle of the global pandemic, JDF emerged during one of the most uncertain economic periods in modern history.

While many businesses were scaling back, JDF chose to build forward.

That decision would become the foundation of its identity.

From Home Living to Wearable Art

JDF did not begin as a scarf-focused brand.

In its early days, the company developed a wide range of home lifestyle products, including tablecloths, placemats, and decorative textile collections.

Each launch often included more than twenty SKUs.

The original vision was simple:

To create a complete lifestyle experience.

As Yoyo explains:

“We wanted people to feel relaxed the moment they came home. To surround themselves with beauty, comfort, and taste.”

But after three years of market learning, the brand made a strategic shift.

Instead of expanding wider, it decided to focus deeper.

Today, JDF is centered primarily around scarves and bags.

This was not a reduction.

It was refinement.

According to Yoyo:

“We wanted our products to become a carrier of emotions, identity, and personal expression.”

That shift transformed JDF from a homeware label into a fashion-driven storytelling brand.

Its philosophy became clear:

Art should be worn, carried, and lived.

Limited Production in a Fast Fashion World

In an industry dominated by mass production and trend cycles, JDF takes a different approach.

Its products are intentionally limited.

When a design sells out, it may never return.

Yoyo explains:

“If you love it, buy it while it’s available. Once it’s gone, it may not come back.”

This creates rarity.

But more importantly, it preserves originality.

Even when certain designs perform exceptionally well, JDF often resists simply reproducing them.

Instead, the brand may reinterpret them through subtle design evolution.

This approach protects the integrity of the original while allowing creativity to continue moving forward.

It also gives each product something increasingly rare today:

collectible value.

Why JDF Chose Not to Use Silk

One of the most striking moments in the interview came when Yoyo addressed a question many would naturally ask:

Why doesn’t a scarf brand use silk?

Her answer was practical.

And deeply modern.

Traditional silk is elegant, but fragile.

It wrinkles easily.

It requires delicate care.

And in a city where people are constantly moving, convenience matters.

Yoyo puts it simply:

“Modern urban life is already exhausting. If a product demands too much care, eventually you stop using it.”

Instead, JDF chose ** (RPET)** — a sustainable textile created from recycled plastic bottles.

The benefits are significant:

• Wrinkle-resistant
• Easy to wash
• Quick-drying
• Durable
• Lightweight
• Resistant to snagging and fading

Most importantly:

It allows luxury to become practical.

This aligns perfectly with JDF’s broader philosophy of sustainable modern luxury.

A product should not only be beautiful.

It should fit real life.

 

Turning Hong Kong Into a Wearable Gift

What makes JDF especially distinctive is its strong Hong Kong cultural DNA.

Many of its collections draw inspiration directly from the city.

Its designs feature:

• Iconic Hong Kong architecture
• Local cityscapes
• The Lion Rock spirit
• Pandas and symbolic local elements
• Cultural storytelling through pattern design

Yoyo sees this as a form of cultural transmission.

She explains:

“We want people to understand Hong Kong through our designs.”

This has made JDF products more than fashion accessories.

They have become:

A wearable piece of Hong Kong.

A meaningful gift.

A cultural souvenir.

A story people can carry.

Building Across Online and Offline Channels

Beyond e-commerce, JDF has been aggressively expanding its offline footprint.

Pop-up stores became an important part of that strategy.

According to Yoyo:

“Pop-up stores allow people to experience our story directly. They can touch the product, hear the inspiration, and connect with the design.”

That physical connection matters.

Today, JDF is present in over 50+ seleced retail location across 10+ cities, including:

• Hong Kong
• Macau
• Shenzhen
• Guangzhou
• Beijing
• Singapore
• United States
• United Kingdom
• Canada

Key retail collaborations include:

• Hong Kong Trade Development Council Design Gallery
• LOG-ON
• MTR Corporation LOUDER
• Airport retail channels
• Independent online platforms

This multi-channel model has allowed the brand to remain agile while scaling internationally.

Hong Kong Consumers Are Leading the Support

When asked which market has responded most strongly to JDF, Yoyo’s answer was immediate:

Hong Kong.

That support means a lot.

She says:

“Hong Kong people truly support original local design. That makes us proud.”

It validates the brand’s belief that authenticity still matters.

That local foundation has also created momentum overseas.

In markets like the United States and Europe, JDF’s city-inspired collections are finding growing interest among consumers who connect with its visual storytelling and unique color palettes.

TDC: More Than Distribution, It’s Credibility

Yoyo credits Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC) as one of the most important partners in JDF’s growth journey.

Being selected into Design Gallery requires professional evaluation and curation.

For JDF, this became more than shelf space.

It became market validation.

As Yoyo explains:

“Being there means your brand has already passed a professional standard.”

That credibility opened doors.

It made it easier for larger corporations, retailers, and listed companies to trust and collaborate with JDF.

For a young brand, trust is often the hardest currency to earn.

TDC accelerated that.

The Next Step Is Not Higher Price — It’s Deeper Market Penetration

When asked whether JDF would consider launching a luxury line, Yoyo gave a thoughtful answer.

Yes — but not yet.

For now, the priority is not raising price.

It is raising awareness.

She says:

“Right now, our focus is helping more people understand who we are.”

That means:

• stronger brand penetration
• deeper storytelling
• wider market education
• more strategic channel expansion

Because true brand value is not built by price alone.

It is built by recognition.

By trust.

By emotional connection.

 

JDF Is Not Just Selling Scarves

JARDIN DES FONTAINES represents something bigger.

It is a brand turning culture into product.

Story into textile.

Art into movement.

It proves that in an era of disposable consumption, originality still carries weight.

And that Hong Kong, through design, still has stories worth telling to the world.

JDF is not simply creating accessories.

It is preserving identity.

One scarf at a time.

---

Official Source: Radio Television Hong Kong
Program: Financial New Thinking (財經新思維)
Broadcast Date: June 16, 2026
Guest: Yoyo Yau

Source Link: https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/news-programmes/this-episode.htm?cmsid=125

---

 

RTHK Financial New Thinking

Interview Transcript (Refined English Version)

Speaker | 00:00:14
Financial New Thinking.

Host | 00:00:21
Thank you for joining us on Financial New Thinking.

Today, we are speaking with a new guest to discuss the development of Hong Kong brands — something I’ve been wanting to explore for quite some time.

Joining us is Yoyo Yau, Founder and CEO of JARDIN DES FONTAINES, or simply JDF.

Yoyo, welcome.

Recently, we saw your brand featured at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (TDC). Among its six major categories, lifestyle products are a significant segment, and JDF falls right into that space.

We’ve just mentioned the English name — JARDIN DES FONTAINES. What does it mean in Chinese?

Yoyo | 00:00:46
It means “a garden courtyard with fountains.”

The idea behind the name is that we hope everyone can find a place of rest for their mind and spirit — a moment of peace in everyday life.

Host | 00:00:53
When was the brand established? 2020, right? That was during the pandemic.

Yoyo | 00:00:56
Yes, we officially founded the brand in June 2020.

At the beginning, we focused mainly on homeware design — tablecloths, placemats, and other lifestyle textiles.

Each collection usually had more than twenty products, so the SKU volume was actually quite large.

Our goal was to create a complete home lifestyle experience, where people could come home, feel relaxed, and express their taste through their living space.

That was how JDF started — as a multi-category homeware brand.

But over time, we gradually shifted our focus.

Today, we mainly concentrate on scarves and bags.

Host | 00:01:40
That’s quite a big shift — from multiple product categories to a more focused single-category strategy. What was behind that decision?

Yoyo | 00:01:45
We spent about three years in the homeware space, and during that time, we kept adjusting.

We haven’t completely stopped making home products, but scarves and bags have now become our core focus.

Although they are “single products,” they belong to the fashion category, and they allow people to express themselves more directly.

You can buy them for yourself, or gift them to someone you love.

That aligns perfectly with our brand philosophy:

Turning life into art, and art into life.

Our belief is that art should not only stay at home.

It should travel with you.

You should be able to carry it, wear it, and use it to express your identity, emotions, and personal style.

Host | 00:02:30
So in a way, you’ve transformed your products into a more personal and direct medium of expression.

In today’s fast fashion environment, does focusing on fewer products also reduce development risk?

Yoyo | 00:02:47
To some extent, yes.

Fewer SKUs mean we can avoid products that may not perform as well.

But for us, the bigger reason isn’t just about reducing risk.

It’s about making the brand easier for customers to understand.

When people discover JDF, they immediately know:

This is a brand dedicated to original design, created by Hong Kong designers.

That clarity makes it easier for people to remember us — and recommend us to others.

Host | 00:03:21
That makes sense.

With homeware, people often need a full set to complete the look. But with scarves or bags, one single piece can already define a style.

How do you manage product cycles now? If a product becomes very popular, do you mass produce it?

Yoyo | 00:03:47
No, not really.

We always tell our customers: if you like it, buy it while it’s available.

Because once it sells out, it may not come back.

We want our products to have a sense of exclusivity.

Even if a design becomes very popular, we may still stop producing it after that batch.

Design takes time.

And we want customers to understand that if they truly love a piece — and it’s still affordable — it’s worth getting it before it’s gone.

Host | 00:04:21
But doesn’t that feel like a waste sometimes? Imagine a best-selling product disappearing after just one year.

Yoyo | 00:04:32
It depends.

Some designs are one-time only.

But for those with strong market demand, we may reinterpret them — changing certain details, colors, or stylistic elements.

That way, they feel fresh again while preserving the originality of the previous version.

At the end of the day, our greatest strength is our design capability.

Everything we create is original and designed by Hong Kong designers.

That gives us confidence — whether we are creating something entirely new or evolving an existing idea.

Host | 00:05:21
Hong Kong identity is clearly one of your strongest selling points.

But besides design, material choice and positioning must also play a big role.

Yoyo | 00:05:30
Absolutely.

A lot of people ask us why we don’t use silk.

It’s not because silk isn’t beautiful.

It is.

But silk wrinkles easily, snags easily, and requires delicate care.

Modern city life is already exhausting.

If a product requires too much maintenance, eventually people stop using it.

That’s why we chose RPET — recycled material made from plastic bottles.

It’s transformed into textile, and then into scarves.

The benefits are practical:

It doesn’t wrinkle easily, it doesn’t snag as easily, and it’s machine washable.

You can wash it at night, and wear it again the next day.

No ironing needed.

That makes it much more practical for daily use.

And on top of that, the price point is accessible.

It’s not thousands of dollars.

It’s around one to two hundred dollars, making it easier for more people to own and enjoy.

Host | 00:07:10
So in a way, you’re not just selling products — you’re promoting Hong Kong culture.

Yoyo | 00:07:15
Exactly.

A lot of our designs have become what we call Hong Kong gifts.

They feature local landmarks, pandas, the Lion Rock spirit, and many iconic Hong Kong elements.

We now have more than twenty such designs.

Many customers buy them as gifts for friends overseas.

Through these designs, we hope more people can understand and appreciate Hong Kong.

Host | 00:08:09
Let’s talk about your sales model.

You started online, but now you seem to have many pop-up stores as well.

Yoyo | 00:08:22
Yes.

Pop-up stores are incredibly important for us.

They create direct interaction.

Customers can touch the products, hear the stories behind the designs, and understand our philosophy more deeply.

That connection matters.

Today, we have many offline retail points as well, and we’re grateful for TDC’s support.

In Mainland China, we now have over 20 sales points across cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou.

In Hong Kong, we’re also available at Design Gallery, LOG-ON, MTR LOUDER, and airport retail channels.

Host | 00:09:21
Which market has responded the best so far?

Yoyo | 00:09:28
Honestly, Hong Kong.

Hong Kong people have been incredibly supportive of original local design, and that makes us very proud.

Overseas, the U.S. market has also been performing well.

Especially with our city-themed collections, like London-inspired designs — they resonate with international customers.

Host | 00:10:53
The brand is now six years old.

Have you considered moving into a more premium or luxury market?

Yoyo | 00:11:14
A luxury line is definitely possible in the future.

But not right now.

At this stage, our priority is not raising prices — it’s raising awareness.

We want more people to know who JDF is, understand our brand personality, and recognize our design language.

Once the foundation is stronger, a luxury line would make much more sense.

Host | 00:13:24
From a small company today to a major brand tomorrow — that journey takes time.

We look forward to seeing JDF grow even further.

Thank you, Yoyo.