THE 27-YEAR-OLD, FASHION-DESIGN-TRAINED KONANLIZ CHU - A STUDENT IN THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE'S MASTER OF ARTS AND CULTURAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMME WHOSE DELIGHTFULLY INVENTIVE OOTDS (DEFINED BY "UPCYCLING, REMAKING AND STYLING") ARE DOCUMENTED ON HER INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT @DOW.D.P
How many pieces of clothing do you have in your wardrobe?
"I sent most of my summer wardrobe to Singapore and I have a lot more winter clothing back in China (she hails from Shanghai). In middle school, I was probably the first person in class who knew how to purchase things online and developed an obsession with internet shopping - my peers were always amazed by all the clothes that I bought online. These days, my wardrobe is composed of pieces left over from those days of irrational online shopping. Now that I'm older, I thrift and upcycle old garments instead. I estimate that I have about 80 or so garments here with me in Singapore."
You shared that you've largely stopped buying newly produced clothes. What prompted this?
"The day I made up my mind to stop actively purchasing newly produced clothes was on my birthday after graduating from the London College of Fashion in 2020, when the pandemic meant that as graduates, we couldn't physically showcase our work ... During that chaotic period, I realised that my passion for fashion isn't driven by the desire to make money. Instead, all I wanted was to do something that's not harmful to the environment while being able to feed myself. This led me to cut down on buying brand-new things and adopt a more conscious mode of consumption."
When was the last time you bought something new?
"Last December; I bought a bag in Penang made from batik scraps from local communities."
This story is from the June 2023 edition of Female Singapore.
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This story is from the June 2023 edition of Female Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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FOREVER YOUNG
NATALIE PORTMAN HAS BEEN THE FACE OF MISS DIOR FOR 13 YEARS AND COUNTING AN UNUSUAL FEAT CONSIDERING THE INCREASINGLY BREAKNECK SPEED AT WHICH POP CULTURE MOVES, BUT MISS DIOR IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE FRAGRANCE.
THE ART OF HEALING
FRIDA KAHLO CAN BE SAID TO BE AS MUCH AN ICON IN THE REALM OF BEAUTY AS SHE IS IN THAT OF ART. OFFERING A LESSER-DISCUSSED PERSPECTIVE TO THE LATE MEXICAN PAINTER’S STORY IS LAID BARE: FRIDA’S INNER WORLD, AN EXHIBITION CURATED AND PRODUCED BY THE ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM THAT OPENS THIS MONTH AND WHICH HIGHLIGHTS HER MEDICAL HISTORY THAT FOR ALL ITS STRUGGLES BECAME ONE OF HER GREATEST SOURCES OF INSPIRATION. CRISTINA KAHLO ALCALA HER GREAT-NIECE WHO LOANED TO THIS FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND SHOWCASE IN SINGAPORE SOME OF ITS CLOSE TO 40 EXHIBITS, INCLUDING PHOTOGRAPHS, ARTWORKS, MEDICAL RECORDS AND PAGES FROM THE ARTIST’S DIARY SPEAKS WITH EMMA ASHLEE GOH ABOUT KAHLO’S INTERPRETATION OF BEAUTY THAT’S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THOSE BROWS.
THE EYES HAVE IT
This month, Chanel launches Ombre Essentielle, a collection spotlighting 14 single eyeshadows in rich yet wearable hues inspired by the maison's heritage.
DESTINY AWAITS
WITH ITS CLEAN AND MODERN CURVES, THE B.ZERO1 COLLECTION BY BVLGARI HAS LED TO COUNTLESS REINTERPRETATIONS. NOW, A NEW CULTURAL INITIATIVE BY THE ITALIAN LUXURY HOUSE HAS PUT THE SPOTLIGHT BACK ON ITS VERSATILITY AND INNATELY YOUTHFUL SPIRIT. IMRAN JALAL REDISCOVERS THIS GEN Z JEWELLERY ICON IN SEOUL.
YOU'RE ALWAYS INVITED HERE
CREATIVITY AND COMMUNITY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE DRIVING FORCES BEHIND THE HYPERCOOL JAPANESE SALON GROUP LESS IS MORE, OR MORE AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS LIM. THIS YEAR, IT CELEBRATES ITS 15TH YEAR IN BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE. KENG YANG SHUEN A SELF-PROFESSED FAN AND LONG-TIME CUSTOMER LOOKS AT HOW IT HAS SHAPED CULTURE AS MUCH AS THE HAIR BUSINESS HERE, AND DISCUSSES ITS FUTURE IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.
MARY, MARY, QUITE EXTRAORDINARY
AT 17 AND HAVING COMPLETED HER GCE O LEVELS ONLY LAST YEAR (SHE SIGNED WITH LOCAL MODELLING AGENCY BASIC MODELS MANAGEMENT IN LATE 2022), THE SINGAPORE-RAISED, INDIAN-ARAB MODEL MARY ROSE JACOB IS JUST GETTING HER CAREER STARTED. ALREADY, THOUGH, SHE HAS BECOME ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE SUBJECTS WHO HAS APPEARED ON THE COVER OF FEMALE FOUR TIMES (TWICE SOLO, TWICE AS PART OF A GROUP), WINNING US OVER WITH HER COMBINATION OF NATURAL GRACE AND PLAYFULNESS; A PERCEPTIVENESS THAT'S BEYOND HER YEARS; AND A DRIVE TO SUCCEED NOT JUST AS A MODEL, BUT ALSO A ROLE MODEL. IN HER FIRST IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH A MAGAZINE, SHE REVEALS TO KENG YANG SHUEN HER OBSERVATIONS ABOUT AN INDUSTRY THAT'S CONSTANTLY NAVIGATING THE TOPICS OF RACE, DIVERSITY AND BEAUTY, AND HER ASPIRATIONS AS A YOUTH.
THEY'RE JUST LIVING THAT LIFE
BETWEEN THE 1970S AND '90S, THE LIKES OF THE NEW ROMANTIC MOVEMENT IN THE UK AND THE CLUB KID PERSONALITIES OF NEW YORK CITY STOLE THE LIMELIGHT IN MUSIC AND CLUBBING CULTURE FOR THEIR BRAZENLY OUTRAGEOUS USE OF MAKEUP TO CHALLENGE SOCIAL NORMS AND CREATE SAFE SPACES FOR THE MARGINALISED ALL WHILE HAVING ONE HELLUVA GOOD TIME. FAST FORWARD TO TODAY AND EXPRESSIVE GEN ZERS ARE DOING THE SAME BEYOND THE DANCE FLOOR. KENG YANG SHUEN MEETS FIVE INDIVIDUALS REDEFINING THE POWER OF MAKEUP AND IN TURN BEAUTY, BE IT FOR A NIGHT OUT, ART OR SIMPLY IN THEIR OWN PERSONAL TIME.
WHAT SHE IS MADE FOR
THIS MONTH, SINGAPORE FASHION MODEL CHLOE LAU IS PACKING HER BAGS FOR EUROPE, WHERE SHE WILL TRY TO EXPAND HER BUDDING CAREER ON THE RUNWAYS AND IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS. IF YOU ASK US, THOUGH, SHE ALREADY DESERVES A COVER STORY, SO HERE'S HER FIRST.
Don't Stop Believing
All eyes have been on the man behind the most anticipated debut in fashion this season, but Sabato De Sarno-Gucci's new creative director isn't letting the spotlight get to him. Keng Yang Shuen expounds on why he is the antithesis of this era's celebrity designer - and exactly the kind of figure the industry needs in these times.
IT'S BEEN A LONG BELIEVING
THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT TAYLOR SWIFT IS ONE OF THE TOP CELEBRITIES IF NOT THE TOP CELEBRITY ― OF HER GENERATION. SHE WAS TIME'S 2023 PERSON OF THE YEAR AND HER ONGOING THE ERAS TOUR HAS BECOME THE HIGHEST-GROSSING OF ALL TIME. HER TRAJECTORY AND DISCOGRAPHY ARE THE SUBJECTS OF A COURSE AT HARVARD AND IN A WORLD FIRST NEWSPAPERS HAVE TURNED HER INTO A BEAT WITH DEDICATED REPORTERS. THERE'S ALSO LITTLE DOUBT THAT MUCH OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH HER FANS. AS HER CONCERT ROLLS INTO TOWN THIS MONTH, FOUR CREATIVE SWIFTIES TELL US HOW THE AMERICAN IDOL HAS INSPIRED THEM, AND SHAPED THEIR STYLE AND CRAFT.
