Off the Wall: Brian Siswojo Lives Life Without Limits

From opening one of Hong Kong’s first skateboard and streetwear shops and performing hip hop with 24HERBs to starring in Cold War and founding the Handsome Factory chain, Brian Siswojo epitomises living life without limits.

Being free spirited to me means doing whatever you want to do at any moment. You don’t have to wait and see, and you don’t have to look at the pros and cons. If your heart tells you to do it, just do it. As long as what you want to do doesn’t harm others, you’re good.

24HERBS has been a big part of my life, and it’s another outlet for my creativity, a way to express myself, connect with the audience and show you can do anything regardless of your age. Most important, remember to have fun.

We do a podcast called 24/7TALK. Brandon [Ho] initiated it and I ran with it hard, because I really wanted to showcase all the talented people here in Hong Kong to the world. There’s no better platform than YouTube and Spotify – and CLSS, guys: comment, like, share and subscribe!

I was drawn to the skateboarding community because of its camaraderie. It’s also about the feeling of skateboarding – there’s nothing else like it. In skateboarding, it’s you against yourself, there’s no one else to blame. If there’s one thing I hate most, it’s putting the blame on someone else for the decisions you’ve made. Since I started skateboarding in 1988, I’ve always lived freely. 

As a musician, actor, skateboarder, business owner and now father, I want to perfect my craft in all the things that I do. My goal is to just continuously better myself and never stop learning. 

Since I’ve become a father, I wouldn’t say much has changed, but with my new role, I sleep earlier, wake up earlier, and try to take better care of myself by exercising and eating more healthily. You can definitely live a free lifestyle and be a good father at the same time. I might be very free-spirited, but at the same time, I’m also a very responsible person and never act recklessly. I don’t think those two ideas contradict one another, and hopefully my daughter will see how I carry myself and live my life, and learn from us.