BEYOND THE SEA

These new-gen designers and entrepreneurs are making their presence felt in the global fashion scene. We find out how they do it.

- Syazil Abd Rahim

AZURA LOVISA

FOUNDER OF AZURA LOVISA

Exploring the rich identities of her heritage, tradition and culture through fashion and design, Azura Lovisa creates an otherworldly wardrobe infused with Southeast Asian and Scandinavian aesthetics. She studied 2D and 3D art alongside academics in an art magnet high school in Miami and later undertook womenswear study at London’s Central Saints Martins. Her work is defined by transcultural flow in a garment with multi-textural finishes, each piece imbued with the touch of the artist’s hand. “The clothes are quite regal, but in a self-assured and understated way – they for those who exist in poetry and power, between cultures and in dreams,” Azura muses.

In a world that is becoming increasingly tech-savvy, why are culture and heritage references important to you?

Because those are the things that make us human. Those are what make us feel. It seems to me the more we become one with technology, the less we feel and the less we understand. So I have chosen to create work that I care about and what I want to cherish in this world.

How different is it to create pieces that explore the idea of gender fluidity compared to those that are more specific?