Wah Ngai Canvas
These red-blue-&-white nylon-canvas bags have
been “popular” for three or four decades, and
are said to be an icon of the “Hong Kong Spirit”.
They now have elevated status as art objects in
galleries, and even LV made “Red White & Blue
Bags” with astronomical price tags ... all these
are made possible by the “Father of Red White
& Blue” – he is the owner of “Wah Ngai Canvas”,
Mr. Lee Wah. With his ingenuity and skilful hands,
he invented the red-blue-&-white nylon bags in
the 1970s and 1980s, which were deemed by all
folks as a “must-have” item whenever they travel
or move houses. Even further back, during the
economic boom in the 1960s and 1970s, many
brands such as “Titoni”, “Bulova” and “Octo”
watches, would commission Wah Ngai to make
souvenir bags (canvas bags used for promotion).
The old shop is crammed with many large rolls
of canvas, bearing all colours of red, blue, green,
white and black. There are a couple of heavyduty
sewing machines with some history behind
them, ready at any time to serve customers. Even though he is touted in recent years by the nostalgia trend, Mr. Lee has
not covered his shops with newspaper clippings. He just lives quietly and takes the attitude (as he puts it) that “I won’t
retire, I’ll work as long as there are things to do, and I won’t sit all day in the park”.
