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Kylie Knott

Exploring Sai Kung’s Old Town in Hong Kong’s New Territories is a bit like hunting for treasure. You never know what you might find.
Foodies are spoiled for choice with a range of eateries dishing up everything from dim sum and dumplings to freshly baked cakes and cookies.
Explore the narrow alleyways and you will also discover boutiques selling artisanal items. Oelili is one of them.
Easy to spot thanks to its orange facade dominated by a vibrant wave-shaped mural, Oelili is a treasure trove of goodies, from leather bags and lamps to ceramics and cards.
The common thread connecting all brands stocked at Oelili is that they are handcrafted by 22 artists based in Hong Kong, including a range of leather accessories made by owner and Sai Kung resident Hebe Law (@hebelawcraft).

Law founded Oelili in 2008, setting up in Kowloon’s Mong Kok district before moving a year later to Sai Kung and a bigger shop.
“I wanted a space where I could showcase local artists and celebrate ‘Made in Hong Kong’ because there are very few places that do that,” she says.
There is a lot to take in. There is chunky handcrafted jewellery by Rising Sun Design and Venus Life Workshop. Jewellery by Soulver incorporates sand collected from beaches in Sai Kung into its pieces. Local brand Karui Handmade is known for weaving dried flowers into items like earrings and hair clips.
“I also sell pieces from my sister’s handmade jewellery brand Bijood Accessories,” says Law, holding up a pair of the brand’s earrings constructed with freshwater pearls and natural stones.

Other one-of-a-kind gifts include wooden children’s toys from Makeitwork Studio and a range of hand-carved ceramics. Visitors will also find an impressive selection of watercolour postcards and prints by artists Man Ho and PawprintTeresa.
Nostalgic items can also be found at Oelili, including touch-sensitive lamps that have been upcycled from retro floral-print thermos flasks by Light with Shade.
Tucked away at the back of the shop is a workshop space where Law designs and creates bags and small leather goods using high-quality materials imported from Italy.
Tools of her trade, such as hole punches, cutters and mallets, occupy the desk in a system best described as organised chaos. Containers bulging with buttons, pins and studs are stacked high, while sketches of bags hang on the wall.
What makes her bags remarkable is that she is self-taught.
“I knew how to design bags on paper but I didn’t know how to construct the handbags, so I had to teach myself,” says Law, whose background is in graphic design. “One of the biggest challenges was shifting from 2D to 3D.”

As a child, Law made her own toys out of paper. She also spent hours watching her mother sew and even today the rattle and hum of a sewing machine stirs childhood memories.
Law blends Chinese and Western styles. Her first bag, crafted in 2008, was a triangular clutch, the shape inspired by sticky rice dumplings – the pyramid-shaped parcels known as zongzi that are popular during the annual Dragon Boat Festival.
Since then she has evolved, creating more intricate pieces such as her signature series inspired by camphor-wood chests, like the one her mother owned. She picks up one of her recently made handbags. Priced at HK$2,800 (US$360), it took about a month to complete.
What catches the eye is the hardware: a large brass buckle inspired by the locks on camphor-wood chests, this one featuring the symbol for longevity.
In an age when e-retailers such as Taobao, Amazon and Carousel dominate the consumer landscape, it is essential to support locally owned and operated businesses, says Law. Supporting local artists, too, is important as a way to preserve and promote a city’s identity.

Law also prefers in-person sales over online. For her, customer interaction is important, as is the ability to guide customers in choosing colours, which she says can often be distorted in photos.
“I want customers to visit and see and touch the bags for themselves,” she says. Her bags are one of a kind and she does not do custom orders.
As well as crafting bags, Law creates calligraphy prints, many featuring a flying dragon and a dancing phoenix which, in Chinese culture, symbolise a harmonious union of male and female energies, often representing an emperor and empress.
“A flying dragon and a dancing phoenix symbolise a state of perfect balance … it can bring marital bliss and good fortune.”
Oelili, 7 Tak Lung Front St, Sai Kung, tel: 9155 8376


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Oelili owner and self-taught leather crafter Hebe Law is pictured in her shop in Sai Kung, where she sells handcrafted items such as bags, lamps, ceramics and cards made by Hong Kong-based artists. Photo: Kylie Knott

A handmade leather bag by Hebe Law. Photo: Oelili

Lace-patterned rings handmade by Hong Kong brand Venus Life Workshop at Oelili. Photo: Oelili

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Law sells a range of watercolour postcards and prints by Hong Kong artists. Photo: Kylie Knott 

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Fashion & Beauty

At Oelili in Sai Kung’s Old Town, Hebe Law sells handcrafted items such as bags, lamps, ceramics and cards made by Hong Kong-based artists


At Oelili in Sai Kung’s Old Town, Hebe Law sells handcrafted items such as bags, lamps, ceramics and cards made by Hong Kong-based artists.


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How ‘Made in Hong Kong’ is a badge of pride at artisanal craft shop Oelili

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}At Oelili in Sai Kung’s Old Town, Hebe Law sells handcrafted items such as bags, lamps, ceramics and cards made by Hong Kong-based artists

At Oelili in Sai Kung’s Old Town, Hebe Law sells handcrafted items such as bags, lamps, ceramics and cards made by Hong Kong-based artists