For those who may have first heard of Edison Chen, he may be the young up-and-coming Asian pop star/actor (in the movie Initial D!). For others post-2008, he may be the banished music artist shamed by a sex scandal that rocked the Chinese entertainment industry. For others who came across him even much later on, he may also be known on the street as the well-established co-founder of clothing brands CLOT and JUICE that dominate the street-wear market in Asia. Regardless of who you see Edison Chen as (aka EDC as people like to call him in short), there is no denying that he has always been a versatile icon who was never shy about being in the spotlight nor carving his own path.
VICE documentaries brings us a more in-depth look into Edison's life as he brings the camera crew around his day-to-day activities. His interviews bring forth a side that tell a far different story than how tabloids portray him as the villain in the Chinese showbiz industry. I definitely found it very interesting to see how the effects of a sex scandal in an Asian entertainment industry differed so much from Western society. Whereas in North America where sex scandals are in a way glamorized as a means to get media attention to up-start one's career (ahem Kim Kardashian...), the Asian entertainment industry would have to immediately force the artist to be dropped from his or her label due to public shaming from society. The idea of losing all integrity and trust is far too grave of a sin committed when exposed in such a public light to ever recover from. This type of exposure has such polar opposite effects that it is astounding to attribute to solely cultural differences.
Re-telling his own story from his perspective offers a a tale of a young artist who was abandoned by "friends" who were there for him when times were good, but immediately turned their backs on him when the tides turned. He tells a story of a young boy who made choices that he was not proud of due to all that was so easily accessible to him at such a young age, but wants to make clear that he would not have traded it in any other way, even if he had the choice to do it all over again. Simply for the reasons of exposing the fakes from the real people and teaching him the life lessons of the importance of establishing a brotherhood he could really trust as well as breaking free from an industry that wanted to mold him as an Asian superstar cash-cow that he deep down knowingly did not enjoy nor agreed with the role he was placed in. He exposes that behind all the glamour and fame that goes with the spotlight, his artistic creativity and personal privacy, were two things that, although often taken for granted, were stripped from him despairingly despite how hard he fought to not have to give it up.
Re-telling his own story from his perspective offers a a tale of a young artist who was abandoned by "friends" who were there for him when times were good, but immediately turned their backs on him when the tides turned. He tells a story of a young boy who made choices that he was not proud of due to all that was so easily accessible to him at such a young age, but wants to make clear that he would not have traded it in any other way, even if he had the choice to do it all over again. Simply for the reasons of exposing the fakes from the real people and teaching him the life lessons of the importance of establishing a brotherhood he could really trust as well as breaking free from an industry that wanted to mold him as an Asian superstar cash-cow that he deep down knowingly did not enjoy nor agreed with the role he was placed in. He exposes that behind all the glamour and fame that goes with the spotlight, his artistic creativity and personal privacy, were two things that, although often taken for granted, were stripped from him despairingly despite how hard he fought to not have to give it up.
In a way the scandal forced Edison to find himself again both as an individual and more so as a creative. Starting the clothing brand CLOT from the ground up served as his last option to pick himself back up from the mess he made in Asia (despite many people around him doubting whether he could do so in a completely foreign environment) and to re-collect his creative inspirations as an artist he always wanted to be. A product of benefiting from the connections made in China and meeting the right people when he arrived in Los Angeles, he was able to successfully mesh the Western business model to tailor it effectively to the Asian market. Having done many collaborations with various well-regarded street-wear brands, such as the Hundreds, ALIFE, and Stussy, CLOT has hit many milestones over the past years through the hard work and hustle from Edison and his partner, Kevin Poon.
Constantly thanking both his supporters and haters for providing him that much more drive to prove to everyone that has ever doubted him, he betted on himself against all the odds placed against him, Regardless of his mistakes made in the past, Edison stands as a testament to a figure who despite all those who benefited off him and left, has become a man who is not haunted by his past but has become that much stronger coming out of it. I think, as a creative, those qualities of resilience and determination are so much more admirable than the mistakes made in one's past.
One should not be defined by mistakes made but how an individual responds from them.
One should not be defined by mistakes made but how an individual responds from them.
CLOT is already very well known in Asia and for those who are looking to buy legit street-wear goods in Asia, JUICE has firmly established itself as the trusted retailer to pick up the latest goods. As a banished artist to make such an overwhelming comeback in the creative scene is astounding. As he notes in the very last segment of the documentary, the only thing he wishes that he could do is to continue pursuing his main passion for acting. To be in films and productions is the only thing left for Edison to make his comeback complete as he continues to hustle day in and day out for his passion.
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