You will not usually find Candypants founder Ray Chan talking on interviews or jumping in front of the camera. No, Ray Chan is far to busy for that, as he organises amazing Candypants parties across the globe.
Luckily for us at Flavourmag, we managed to squeeze a few moments out of his schedule to talk Candypants events, his journey so far from Leeds to Dubai and more, plus, that moment when Justin Beiber turned up at his Candypants Party.
Sounds impressive right? Of, course, it does. Ray Chan is doing things, some of us can only dream of doing. Let’s see what Ray had to say below.
Were you always organising events? What was the 1st event you ever did and what was it like, where was it, how old were you, who came?
Funnily enough, when I was in my sixth form, I was organising college parties for everyone. I often forget that I did these and to a great success. I did them 5-6 times over my 2 years in the sixth form so I was 17/18 🙂 Everyone that went loved them but the teachers were not best pleased as I held them on a Thursday night.
How did you go from Leeds to Dubai?
I have worked hard and made every event consistent. Discipline is a key factor in my approach as this game will swallow you up if you are not careful. I’ve always stayed out of the spotlight as such, taking calculated risks at the right time and spotting the gaps in the market like in 2013 when I first discovered a window of opportunity in Dubai.
Describe your wildest Candypants party to date – how you planned it, what happened?
Our aim is to make every Candypants party as wild as possible but if one was to spring to mind it would be Newcastle 5/6 years ago. We don’t often do themes but when we do, it usually causes a scene, in a positive way. We held a pyjama party in Newcastle and at the time Rylan who was in the X Factor was on tour and heard about the party. They all rocked up in PJs and onesies to the shock of the 300 people in attendance. At around 2 am when everyone was lively I decided to throw in the mix, 8 feather pillows and the pillow fights going on was something I’ve never seen. It was so much fun but the club was knee deep in feathers and I was out of the door and spent two weeks avoiding the owner and managers calls regarding the aftermath.
What was Bieber like? Be honest. Tell us what happened and what exact Candypants event he attended, how he found out about you, etc.
I arrived late that day, I joked with the team earlier that week that it would be funny if Justin Bieber came as we knew he was performing that weekend. We heard that he wanted to come that morning to our brunch party at the Habtoor Grand, as someone had said we’re the place to go on a Friday.
I turned up to a SHOCKED door team, one of our girls Steph almost fainted because Bieber rocked up with his security team asked to borrow a pair of the famous Candypants glasses she had and told her she was beautiful. He then borrowed one of our CANDYPANTS paper fans and proceeded into the venue.
When I arrived, to be honest, I couldn’t get near him due to the mass crowds surrounding him, once everyone found out he was in attendance. I’ve never seen anything like it. We even had Italia Ricci at brunch that day but Justin stole the show.
I hear you’re doing a Candypants party on the 10th March at the W Hotel London. Am I invited and will I get VIP treatment?
Of course! I look forward to meeting you and for you to see the party.
I hear you’re expanding to the USA – where exactly do you plan to host your Candypants parties?
Las Vegas has always been the dream, the pinnacle of nightlife in my eyes and somewhere I would love Candypants to be, however that doesn’t happen overnight and you have to start somewhere and earn your stripes. Our journey over 10 years has helped develop a reputation this side of the world (UK, Marbella, Dubai, Ibiza & Abu Dhabi) and when the opportunity came up to work with our summer partners STK Ibiza, for a pop up takeover party at STK Miami during Miami Music week I couldn’t turn this down. Fingers crossed it’s the start of a new chapter.
How did Candypants become also a ladies high street fashion brand?
The Candypants girl who party’s at our events around the globe is a girl who always looks amazing whether she’s at one of our club night events, pool parties, boat parties or brunches. She’s the girl who wants to look the very best she can and not look just like everyone else who shops on the high street. So it was a natural progression for our brand to develop a lifestyle capsule collection inspired by her, designed for her and loved by her. And of course, it’s not just the Candypants girl who loves our collection, more and more girls are finding our range on our website candypants.com and on social media, seeing celebs, influencers and other Candypants girls wearing our sassy and flirty beachwear, swim, dresses, co-ords, loungewear and body jewellery.
Our first swim and beach collection was launched in August 2017. Our most popular piece has been the khaki Mechanical Stud bikini as seen on Kady McDermott, it’s also available in black with rose gold studs and cobalt blue.
The Candypants girl is typically aged 21-32, someone who can afford their own cocktails at the hottest bars and who’s not afraid to speak her mind. She’s sassy, she’s independent and she loves her wardrobe. She loves to look perfect for every occasion yet with a huge fun streak in her, she never takes herself too seriously. Candypants fashion gives her that added knowledge that she looks the very best version of her and not just the same as everyone else, staying current and relevant, just like the CP parties.
Are you a Spender or saver? I’m a reserve with my money, however, if I want to do something I don’t hesitate to do it and I will always look after my team.
Where has your most luxurious holiday taken you? If I’m honest I’m not a super luxurious person for holidays, I love being in a modern clean new hotel in the heart of a city that is hustling and is moving. Hong Kong, NYC, Miami are up there with some of the best hotels.
Top tip for where to stay and where to party in Dubai? The FIVE hotel is currently the hot spot in the city and it’s getting a lot of attention. We host weekly Saturday pool parties on the roof of the hotel at the Penthouse, so we couldn’t be situated in a better location right now in the city. Other good spots are Inner City Zoo in JBR Rixos premium and BASE in the design district.
Do you live in Dubai? I pretty much do live in Dubai, I spend so much time here, however, officially I don’t currently. I am looking at relocating the central hub of my business to Dubai, it makes so much sense with every major business wanting to be here and travelling is made easy with the Emirates airline.
Who would you vote for the 2020 US elections? Michelle Obama, an amazing woman who supported an amazing man. She wowed the world over an 8 year period and I couldn’t see a better person to lead the country as she won over so many people during her husband’s term.
Go to Candypants.com now to see the latest information and follow candypantsevents on Instagram plus Candypants Dubai candypantsdxb
