CATEGORIES

THE INITIATIVE: an asylum

TO HELP EMERGING DESIGNERS REALISE THEIR CREATIVE VISION WHILE NAVIGATING THE CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINING IN SINGAPORE, THE FOUNDERS OF ONE OF THE MOST UNDER-THE-RADAR FASHION LABELS HERE HAVE BEEN PUTTING THEIR OWN TIME AND MONEY INTO RUNNING ONE OF THE MOST INTIMATE - AND MEANINGFUL RESIDENCY PROGRAMMES AROUND.

national treasures

CELEBRATING THE ICONIC, CANNAGE-PATTERNED DIOR HANDBAG IT’S NAMED AFTER, THE TRAVELLING EXHIBITION LADY DIOR HOUSE ARRIVES IN SINGAPORE FOR THE FIRST TIME AND RUNS AT 5 JIAK KIM STREET UNTIL AUG 11. IT ALSO FEATURES ANOTHER FIRST: THE WORKS OF THREE SINGAPORE ARTISTS AS PART OF THE MAISON’S LADY DIOR AS SEEN BY INITIATIVE, WHICH SEES INVITED CREATIVE TALENTS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE PRODUCE ONE-OF-A-KIND WORKS OF ART INSPIRED BY THE LADY DIOR. HERE, THE THREE NAMES TELL US MORE ABOUT THEIR EXHIBITS.

Dance Dance Revolution

Just How Much Is Street Dance Part Of Mainstream Pop Culture Today? Returning This Month, The Summer Olympics Will, For The First Time In Its History, Feature Breaking The Dance Style More Popularly Referred To As Breakdancing As A Competitive Sport. To Celebrate That, Emma Ashlee Goh Spotlights Four Urban Dance Communities In Singapore That Each Deserve A Medal For Inspiring Others To Pop, Lock, Vogue And Simply Ge Ance In Their Own Way.

Dream Academy

ALL 13 GEN ZERS FEATURED HERE ARE RECENT OR SOON-TO-BE GRADUATES OF ART SCHOOLS IN SINGAPORE WHO COME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY THEIR RESPECTIVE ALMA MATERS FOR THEIR TALENT AND PROMISE. WHAT EXACTLY DO THEY THINK ABOUT A LIFE IN THE ARTS AND HOW EXACTLY DO THEY THINK, WORK AND LIVE? STEPHANIE YEAP CHATS WITH THEM FOR A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT’S DRIVING OUR CREATIVE FUTURE.

Genius In A Bottle

One Of The Most Vibrant And Beloved Scents From Chanel Gets An Unexpected Recharge That Makes It Look All The More Like An Icon.

They Boss

CALL THEM OVERACHIEVERS, THE ULTIMATE OF MULTI-HYPHENATES AND EVEN - AS THEY MIGHT SAY SO THEMSELVES - A LITTLE BIT NUTS. EVERY ONE OF THE SIX GEN Z CREATIVES IN THIS STORY HOLDS DOWN MULTIPLE PROFESSIONS (INCLUDING, FOR MANY OF THEM, STUDENT); HAS LAUNCHED AT LEAST ONE BUSINESS LARGELY ON THEIR OWN; AND IS ONLY JUST GETTING STARTED. ROHAIZATUL AZHAR FINDS OUT HOW THEY'RE MAKING IT.

Face Value

IN THE WORLD OF WATCHES, THE DIAL SERVES MULTIPLE ROLES KEEPING TIME AS WELL AS ACTING AS THE VISUAL IDENTITY OF A BRAND AND THE PARTICULAR MODEL IT'S DESTINED FOR. WITH THE EXPERTISE AND AMENITIES TO DESIGN AND ENGINEER THIS VITAL ELEMENT COMPLETELY IN-HOUSE, ROLEX ELEVATES DIAL-MAKING TO A TRUE CRAFT.

Star Power

MEANT TO BE AN EXPRESSIVE ODE TO FREEDOM, DIOR'S LATEST CAMPAIGN FOR ITS SIGNATURE LADY DIOR BAG, LENSED BY AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER COLLIER SCHORR, FEATURES AN EQUALLY ICONIC FIGURE FROM THE WORLD OF POP: THE GROUNDBREAKING, MULTI-AWARD-WINNING SINGER-SONGWRITER ROSALIA, WHO HAS JUST ADDED THE TITLE OF DIOR GLOBAL AMBASSADOR TO HER LIST OF ACCOLADES. HERE, THE CATALAN-BORN MUSICAL TRAILBLAZER SHARES ABOUT HER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE MAISON AND HOW FASHION FUELS HER.

Up,Up And Away

THIS MONTH, HERMES STAGES A WILDLY ONE-OF-A-KIND, MULTIDISCIPLINARY SPECTACLE IN SINGAPORE THAT SHOWS WHY IT'S OFTEN SAID TO BE IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN WHEN MAKING PEOPLE DREAM ABOUT FASHION. KENG YANG SHUEN OFFERS A SNEAK PEEK.

Girls Aloud

ROCK 'N' ROLL! FOOTBALL! A GOOD DOSE OF CLASSIC BRITISH PREP! CHANEL DRAWS FROM THE ROLLICKING CITY OF MANCHESTER TO PRESENT ONE OF ITS MOST YOUTHFUL METIERS D'ART COLLECTIONS YET, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT DIALS DOWN ON THE TIME-HONOURED LABOUR-INTENSIVE SAVOIR FAIRE THAT THIS ANNUAL SHOWCASE IS ALL ABOUT KENG YANG SHUEN GOES IN FOR AN EXCLUSIVE CLOSE-UP LOOK AT HOW THE MAISON SCORES ON CRAFTSMANSHIP THIS TIME.

Cuteness Overload

The house of Louis Vuitton finds an unlikely collaborator for Pre-Fall in the Chinese painter Sun Yitian, known for her pop art works that get viewers rethinking about consumerism.

The Real Deal

Her Steadily Rising, Self-made Career Has Taken Her To Many Places, Stages And Vip Events Here And Well Beyond Our Shores. The Home-grown Singer-songwriter And Producer Popularly Known As Shye, Though, Is Holding Firmly On To Her Independent, Diy Spirit And Creative Process, And Even Looking To Pay It Forward To Uplift Other Emerging Talents. Ahead Of The Release Of Her Latest Single This Month, We Got Her To Model Chanel's 2023/2024 Metiers D'art Collection That's Inspired By Manchester's Buzzy And Pioneering Rock 'n' Roll Music Culture, And Tell Us About The Evolution Of Her Own Artistry.

Watches And Wonder

Artisanal Collectibles From The World Of Luxury Fashion And Jewellery That's Our Idea Of Oddly Satisfying

TECHNO LOGIC

HOW DOES MEANING CHANGE, AND HOW DO WE KEEP MEMORY ALIVE? THAT'S THE MESSAGE THAT LIES AT THE HEART OF MIU MIU'S FALL WINTER 2024 COLLECTION, WHICH OFFERS A DELIGHTFUL ARRAY OF FAMILIAR WARDROBE STAPLES SPANNING ERAS AND VARIOUS STAGES IN LIFE SHOWCASED ON ONE OF THE SEASON'S MOST AGE-DIVERSE CAST OF MODELS WHEN IT WAS REVEALED IN MARCH THIS YEAR. THAT IS ALSO A TOPIC DEAR TO THE NON-BINARY ARTIST CECILE B. EVANS, WHOSE PRACTICE LOOKS AT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIGITAL CULTURE AND THE HUMAN CONDITION AND WHO WAS GIVEN CARTE BLANCHE TO CREATE A FILM TO ACCOMPANY THE RUNWAY SHOW. NOELLE LOH ENTERS THEIR HEADSPACE TO UNPACK THE SURREAL RESULTS AND WHAT TRULY MATTERS IN THIS AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

GET READY FOR THEM

IF NOT FOR TIKTOK, THRIFT CULTURE WOULD NOT BE AS EXPLOSIVE AS IT IS TODAY AND -CORE AESTHETICS MIGHT NEVER HAVE BEEN A THING. THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE PLATFORM HAS BEEN A PLAYGROUND FOR SARTORIAL SELF-EXPRESSION AND WITH IT HAS COME A LEAGUE OF STYLE STARS WHO IN COMPARISON TO THEIR INSTAGRAM COUNTERPARTS OFTEN COME ACROSS AS QUIRKIER, MORE EXPERIMENTAL AND, SOME MIGHT SAY, A WHOLE LOT MORE INTERESTING. MEET FOUR IN SINGAPORE WHO HAVE WON US OVER WITH NOT JUST THEIR FIT CHECKS, BUT ALSO THEIR FERVOUR FOR DRESSING UP AND BELIEF THAT IT CAN EMPOWER ANYBODY.

THE GREATEST TOK SHOW EVER

JOINTLY, THE 14 SINGAPORE-BASED TIKTOK CREATORS FEATURED HERE BOAST A BREATHTAKING 1.2 MILLION-PLUS FOLLOWERS AND SOME 58.2 MILLION LIKES ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA APP THAT HAS BECOME ASSOCIATED FOREMOST WITH GEN Z AND A CULTURE OF AUTHENTICITY THAT CAN AT TIMES BE PERCEIVED AS DIABOLICALLY UNHINGED. MANY THRIVE ON MAKING US LAUGH; SOME SERVE UP LIFE ADVICE, EDUTAINMENT OR SIMPLY HOT FASHION AND BEAUTY LOOKS; AND SEVERAL - STRANGELY, IN BEING SO UTTERLY THEMSELVES MAKE US FEEL LIKE WE'VE FOUND A NEW CONFIDANT OR, IN SOME CASES, A ROLE MODEL. ALL OF THEM ACKNOWLEDGE THE ENABLING POWER OF THE PLATFORM, BUT THEIR SUCCESS ON IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE IF NOT FOR THEIR INNATE CREATIVITY, TALENT AND DISTINCTIVE POINT OF VIEW. (AND NO, NOT ALL OF THEM ARE GEN Z.) GET READY TO MEET TODAY'S BRIGHTEST AND, DARE WE SAY, MOST EXCITING TASTEMAKERS.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

AMONG THE FIVE LAUREATES OF THE 2023 ROLEX AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE IS INDONESIAN ENTREPRENEUR DENICA RIADINI-FLESCH, WHOSE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE SUKKHACITTA EMPOWERS LOCAL RURAL CRAFTSWOMEN WHILE BRINGING BALANCE BACK TO THE LOCAL FOREST ECOSYSTEM. HERE’S MORE ON THIS NEW STAR ON THE ROLEX LAUREATES NETWORK AND WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR HER.

THE CRAFT

IN ALL HER YEARS AS THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF DIOR, MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI HAS USED HER INFLUENCE AND DESIGNS TO ADVOCATE FOR THE SUPPORT AND REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN.

DREAM GIRL

IN RECENT YEARS, THE CELEBRITIES WHO’VE DOMINATED MUCH OF WESTERN POP CULTURE SEEM TO FALL INTO THREE MAIN CATEGORIES: THE OTT, THE SCANDAL-PLAGUED AND THE UNTOUCHABLE GODDESS TYPES HAIL QUEEN BEY). THE FAST-RISING GEN Z JAZZ-POP CHANTEUSE LAUFEY PRONOUNCED LAY-VAY”) 1S A NEW AND DIFFERENT KIND OF STAR ALTOGETHER: ONE WHO UNABASHEDLY WEARS HER HEART ON HER SLEEVE, ESPOUSES WHOLESOME VALUES AND READS BOOKS WITH HER FANS. KENG YANG SHUEN DELVES INTO HER SPECIAL KIND OF MAGIC.

Mind Your Own Business

Yang Shuen Meets The Founders Of Art Again, An Online Platform That Puts Not Only A Chic, Consumer-to-consumer Spin On The Secondary Art Market, But Also Power Back Into The Hands Of Art Collectors.