HE DELIBERATELY picks corner-shop spaces, although they don’t get much traffic.

Some may consider this foolish in the current economic climate, but local artiste Lee Teng, 26, calls it strategy.

He believes loyal clients will know how to make a beeline for his store if they like his brand.

The Taiwan-born host of Channel U’s Campus SuperStar owns two streetwear shops in Far East Plaza – named Stage and Ncore.

He said: “People know quality when they see it.And that’s also why each design only comes in 20 pieces, I want it to be exclusive to a few people to avoid that mass-produced feeling.”

According to him, Stage, which features Taiwanese artiste Show Luo’s label of the same name, has been doing well since it opened last April.

Lee Teng had chanced upon the brand when he was hosting Channel 8 variety programme On The Beat 3 in Taiwan two years ago.

Being friends with Show, he only needed to make a few calls for Stage to make its way here.

The label is also selling in Hong Kong and Taiwan and plans are in the works to set up shop in Shanghai and Malaysia as well.

The average price range at Stage is between $50 and $80.

Lee Teng feels that just because a clothes collection is designed by a star, it doesn’t have to carry a “starry” price tag.

Hesaid: “In the past, streetwear consisted of Japanese parallel imports that cost up to $100 or more per piece.

“My goal was to bring in such clothes at more affordable prices.”

Popular designs such as an Andy Warhol inspired tee (where nine boxes make up a Power Ranger’s face) and the Villain tee (which features characters from Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas) retail at $63 and $79 respectively.

The unique thing about his store, he said, is that it also caters to parents who want to dress their kids up in street fashion.

Stage also carries New York messenger bag brand Manhattan Portage.

At Ncore, which opened in January, there are Taiwanese streetwear labels such as Wrong Wroks,Squad and Outer Space.

The avid streetwear fan is, of course, his own labels’ walking advertisement.

Said Lee Teng: “I just wear the clothes on the television shows that I host and I also give away T-shirts to my artiste friends like Felicia Chin and Vivian Lai.

“I held a big opening party at Zirca where I invited a lot of celebrities and we had such a blast!”

So who would he say are the best and worst- dressed celebrities? “Fiona Xie is definitely the most stylish,and (fellow Campus SuperStar host) Pornsak, although my dear friend, is always shabbily dressed and plods around in slippers.”

This article was first published in The New Paper.