Store Supporting Protests Shuttered

The last Chickeeduck store closed in Tsuen Wan yesterday

Hong Kong brand Chickeeduck sold mostly children's clothing with cute cartoon designs, but also adult tops such as T-shirts and sweatshirts. 

It became even more famous when its owner, Herbert Chow Siu-lung openly supported the anti-extradition protests in 2019, even placing a "Lady Liberty" statue of a female protester complete with a yellow hard hat and gas mask in his store.

Chow with the Lady Liberty statue in his store

The store also sold protest paraphernalia, like tote bags showing five cartoon ducks swimming on one side, and a flag-bearing chicken on the other, directly related to the slogan, "Five demands, not one less". 

While those supporting the protests flocked to the brand's several locations to snap up clothing from the stores, Chickeeduck also faced a lot of harassment, causing Chow to announce in November 2021 he was going to close his stores the following year.

"In the past 18 months Chickeeduck has been suffering unprecedented harassment by unidentifiable malicious forces," Chow wrote in a statement in November 2021.

"Instead of wasting time, energy and resources to fight against unidentifiable malicious forces, which have caused personal risks against the company's staff, artists and local collaboration brands, we would rather take one step back and exit."

The shop sold protest-related products

At the same time mainland manufacturers producing goods for Chickeeduck were pressured to stop, while shopping malls and other landlords either did not renew leases or demanded to end the contract earlier.

Yesterday was the last day of Chickeeduck's operations at its Tsuen Wan store. People not only visited the store to buy up the last of the merchandise, but also the media were on hand to record the event. When the shop was about to close for good, a large crowd had gathered outside on the street to witness the end of the brand's brick and mortar shop.

The sign on the door? In Chinese it reminded people: "We must not get used to this."

The day before I left Hong Kong, almost a year ago, my friend YTSL took me to the Chickeeduck store near where she lived (now closed). 

"We must not get used to this" says the sign

When we got there, the young woman was about to lock the door for the night when we begged her to let us in. She told us to come back the next day when I said, "But I'm leaving Hong Kong tomorrow!" 

She didn't hesitate to let us in.

I didn't want to take too much of her time and quickly decided on a T-shirt, which YTSL gave me as a farewell present.

Moments like these you will never forget.