Daft Punk are dead but their creative director’s style comes to life in Hong Kong through retro-futuristic luxury furniture brand Hervet

Gilbert Yeung’s tapas bar Cassio in Lan Kwai Fong reopened with a sci-fi-inspired DJ booth designed by Daft Punk’s creative director and his woodworker cousin

Cédric and Nicolas Hervet’s luxury furniture brand, Hervet Manufacturier, will also be centre stage at an IFC pop-up featuring 14 retro-futuristic collectibles

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Arcadia, a gaming station by Hervet Manufacturier.

Published: 5:15pm, 27 Feb 2021Updated: 5:15pm, 27 Feb 2021

Unless you were back on the nightlife scene as soon as Covid-19 restrictions were lifted for restaurants last week, you may not be aware that the signature style of retro-futuristic luxury French furniture brand Hervet Manufacturier has quietly slipped into Hong Kong.

When it reopened on February 18, Gilbert Yeung’s Lan Kwai Fong tapas bar Cassio was sporting a fresh look. He’d wanted a more sophisticated dance party vibe for the place originally opened in December 2016, and Hervet’s association with French electronic music duo Daft Punk sparked the entrepreneur’s interest.

Cédric Hervet, Daft Punk’s long-time creative director, had earlier studied wood sculpture at prestigious Paris art school École Boulle, and joined his cousin, Nicolas, a master woodworker, in designing and making furniture in 2014. Together, they’ve built something of a cult following, with limited release collections selling out.

The planets aligned when Lane Crawford, which was planning to bring Hervet furniture to Hong Kong, suggested an introduction to the co-founders. “I so loved this idea – just talking about it I get goose bumps,” Yeung tells the Post.

DJ Alex Nude behind the Hervet-designed DJ booth at Cassio.

Having grown up with their music, Yeung remains a “massive fan” of Daft Punk, who announced their break-up this week, and credits their influence on his company’s DNA. He had an instant rapport with the Hervet cousins who, with previous generations of cabinetmakers and carpenters in their family, infuse childhood memories of arcade game and sci-fi themes into their inherited passion for woodworking.

“[Like Cedric and Nicolas], I also grew up playing Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, and watching James Bond and Star Wars movies,” Yeung said.