Actor, Fashion Icon, Future Politician?

The enigmatic Desmond Tan on how he juggles his love for fashion, content creation and acting while entertaining fantasies for a remake of a beloved '80s SBC drama The Unbeatables, and maybe running for Parliament some day.

“DESMOND’S STILL ON HIS WAY from another shoot. He was actually supposed to go for River Hong Bao rehearsals, but he had to withdraw because he hurt his back during Fashion Week,” explains his manager. I’ve travelled with Desmond Tan for fashion shows and he strikes me as someone with an incredible work ethic for a television personality — not because celebrities are lazy, but mostly because the system makes it such that you don’t make “extra content” unless there’s monetary compensation. Yet, for Desmond, in fact, most recently for Fendi in Bangkok last month, he left the after-party cocktails to shoot an Augustman exclusive around the mean streets of Siam Square near Kempinski where we were quartered.

With an estimated arrival between 4pm and 4.30pm, I made sure to be exactly on time for one of Singapore’s hardest-working celebrities. I was surprised when he didn’t turn up at four, but now knowing his recent struggle with back pain, I was getting concerned for his wellbeing until he breezed in on the dot with a cool brown, ribbed, Armani backpack slung on his shoulder, looking for something to drink because he had been back-to-back with his appointments.

“Do you have anything fizzy? Coke?” Desmond asked our photographer and owner of the studio. Rather than wait for someone to serve him, he checked out the fridge, asking for permission and then grabbing a packet of Yeo’s; he proceeded to take a mouthful while sharing pleasantries with the crew. It’s the seventh day of Zhengyue or 人日 (Ren Ri), meaning everyone’s birthday according to the lunar calendar. Typically, it’s spent in the company of family, but here he is, with us, working.