Boyy meets girl

For a face during its earliest days, Boyy used then-unknown Thai schoolgirl Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying, more commonly known as Aokbab. The 22-year-old now models, acts, counts 465,000 Instagram followers and represents the house of Chanel in Asia. Writes Olga Yuen, Chanel's fashion PR in Hong Kong, via email: "Aokbab and Boyy – yes! Totally. The brand really has an eye for style."

Despite riding the contemporary waves of Instagram, Boyy was desirable long before IG. Like many below-the-radar labels, Boyy's apocryphal moment came via a chance New York encounter with French singer, model and actress Lou Doillon, the daughter of Jane Birkin. A paparazzi shot of Doillon on the street sporting a Boyy bag, smoking and espousing insouciant French chic, set Instagram ablaze. It-girl Chlo? Sevigny followed soon after and in the blink of an eye came a huge order from Colette's Sarah Andelman in Paris. Boyy grew up – in a shot.

Boyy now sells in more than 85 stores worldwide, including Selfridges in London and I.T (which has carried the brand since 2015) in Hong Kong. "It's been popular in the market since our first launch in autumn/winter 2015," says Candy Lau, I.T's assistant merchandising manager, who oversees Boyy. "It always sells out within two weeks of the launch."