Angelica Cheung, the founding editor-in-chief of Vogue China, is described by Forbes magazine as “the high priestess of China’s fashion scene” and presided over the prestigious magazine’s launch fourteen years ago. It has become the most influential fashion publication in the country, featuring the work of international A-list photographers, models, designers and stylists. Vogue China’s phenomenal influence and industry clout has gained Cheung respect and admiration throughout the global luxury industry. She has more than five million followers on the popular Chinese social media feed Weibo.
I have been visiting Yorkshire for more than twenty years. One of my earliest memories is of watching The Full Monty, when it first came out, at a cinema in Sheffield, close to where the opening canal scenes were filmed. The audience were rolling in the aisles even as the opening credits came on and carried on laughing loudly throughout the film. It was a great atmosphere and of course, a very funny film, even though I couldn’t follow all the Yorkshire vernacular at the time. My daughter Hayley, who is very proud of her Yorkshire roots, can do a spot on South Yorkshire accent, with all the right inflections and slang. “Y’all right luv,” is her favourite.
Two people I know very well in the business are from Yorkshire. Christopher Bailey was in charge at Burberry for many years and we used to swap notes on places we had been in Yorkshire. He came to Beijing often and was a great ambassador for Yorkshire. Another very talented Yorkshireman is Stuart Vevers, who grew up in Doncaster and is now designer for the American brand Coach. He was formerly with Loewe and has become a friend over the years. They are both plain-speaking northerners, like me.
I don’t do much shopping myself, just the odd piece for the home, but my daughter always insists on a trip to Meadowhall Shopping Centre, Sheffield, which has a great range of brands for kids her age. In fact, if she had a choice she would probably spend all the holiday in Meadowhall! She also likes walking in Wickersley Wood, close to where her dad grew up, hiking the trails around Roche Abbey. She has done a couple of fun run races in Sheffield and also completed a two-week acting summer school at the Crucible. On her last day, she walked across the courtyard when Ian McKellen was coming the other way, on the way to a Pinter play rehearsal. She is learning guitar right now and has developed a fondness for Def Leppard, who are from Sheffield.
We regularly go to Chatsworth House, only half an hour from the centre of Sheffield. Hayley loved playing in the cascade, a tiered water feature, when she was younger. Last year we did a hike around Stanage Edge and recreated the famous Keira Knightley scene from Pride and Prejudice, where she is filmed standing on a distinctive rock that juts out.
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