drugged.issue #012

Celebrating the beauty in all you see

Coco Rocha by Greg Kadel

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Confucius once said, “Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.” Indeed, beautiful things are everywhere, and in everything, sometimes we just miss them. In this crazy, fast paced world we’re living in, we often are too busy to just slow down, stop and appreciate the things around us.

I admit some days are just impossible for that. We rush deadlines, like how a mouse chases for cheese, and have so much work piled on the top of our heads that we are left with no choice but to work and slog our days away; I am sure you will understand what I am talking about. But life is too short to be spent solely doing work. Life is beautiful and we should enjoy that aspect of life while it last. Ultimately, I would want to say that I have seen the world and have experience all it’s beauty before I breathe my last.

So this issue, we urge you to take a rest, delay all that’s clouding your mind and just enjoy the moment, be thankful for the beauty around you. Beauty is inspiring and sometimes, it gives you courage. Read about how Arthur Tan overcomes the difficulties he faced in his job as a stylist and maybe you’ll find some encouragement and determination to keep on keeping on. Also, we discover, in my opinion, the most beautiful watch for this season, which may just sweep you off your feet.

We celebrate all that we find beautiful in this issue and believe that you too find that beauty that inspires and leads you on to greater things in life.

With all the love and beautiful things in the world,

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A freelance and celebrity stylist for numerous local fashion magazines, TV commercials and print advertisements, Arthur is very much the person you want to talk to when it comes to fashion in the local context. He has been in this industry for almost a decade, and has style for magazines like Men’s Health, Simply Her and Shape, just to name a few. Besides that, his television commercial clients include Singapore Airlines, McDonalds and the National Library Board. Most recently, he also styled the glamourous Beyonce for the F1 Rocks Concert in 2009. We sat down with this veteran and chatted away, with a cup of coffee and some good laughs in between. BY CONSTANCE SOH

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Drugged: How did it all begin for you? How did you get interested in fashion?

Arthur: It all started by pure coincidence when my colleague’s brother (a fashion stylist) was looking for an assistant. After helping him for one occasion, I continued to assist him until I decided to start on my own. I have always been very interested in fashion since I was young, always keeping an extra look out for unique garments. I suppose I was born with vanity!

D: Interesting to note! Tell me more about what you do right now.

A: As a fashion stylist, I am involved in magazine fashion shoots, TV commercials, corporate videos, commercial print advertisements and so on. I am required to frequently shop for ideas and sometimes it can be very time-consuming and tiring.

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D: It sure is hard work. It’s a popular belief that fashion is hard to make money, or so I have heard. Is this really the case?

A: To be very frank, making an honest living out of fashion in Singapore is never easy as compared to other countries. Firstly, Singapore is a small Island and thus the market is small with little demands. Secondly, the government has not been actively promoting arts and entertainment in the past. Only recently have they set aside slight funding to promote the arts. Thirdly, we do not have the culture in dressing up well especially among the men. Having said that, I am glad that I am starting to see the younger generation adopting fashion as their lifestyle. It is a good start!

D: Have you thought of doing anything else besides being a stylist or being in the fashion industry?

A: I have always thought of becoming a buyer for a Multi National Corporation company (I love researching!) or be a proud owner of my own boutique, designing my own style of clothes.

D: What are some of the difficulties you face in your work and how do you overcome these difficulties?

A: Getting started is always difficult. I remember vividly when I first started on my own, gaining contacts (potential clients) is extremely difficult. Nobody trusted me and I have not much credentials and works to convince them of my ability. But you can say that I am blessed because the fashion stylist I assisted in the beginning helped me out by introducing two clients to me for a start. Slowly I expanded my database of client through sheer hard work, coupled with persistency. I just have to keep knocking on doors and keep grabbing every opportunity whenever it comes.

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D: That’s really hard work! So what kept you going on despite all the negativity and problems you face daily?

A: Money and passion. In Singapore or actually anywhere else in the world, having a stable income is important. If I don’t gird up and keep styling, I will not have bread on the table at the end of the month. Of course besides keeping that in mind, passion for what I do is really what kept me going on. When you start working for passion, it will never be a job to you at all.

D: You’ve been in the industry for a significant period of time. Where do you see your career heading towards at this point of time?

A: The fashion industry is very realistic, I’ll be honest with you. Usually, the public enemy is age. As one starts to catch up with age especially being a freelancer, you will need to have alternative plans, either finding a full-time job or starting a business. It’s that realistic. For myself, I should be gearing towards starting my own business when I hit my 40s.

D: Having said that, do you think there is a future for fashion in Singapore?

A: I think it is pretty optimistic right now. We can see many big labels flocking into Singapore and setting up their retail outlets here. H&M, Abercrombie and Fitch and Uniqlo are just a few big players that have invested in Singapore’s fashion scene, exposing the citizens to fashion awareness. It certainly looks promising to me.

D: Last of all, is there anything that budding stylists should take note of if there’re going to start out? What is one advice you will give to them?

A: If you want to be a stylist, you need to really be serious about your decision. The route towards being a fashion stylist is never a bed of roses. It is not as glamourous as how we think it should be. There is a lot of hard work and hardships involved. As Singapore is a relatively small fashion empire, going into the international market may not be a near reality, but I am not saying that it’s impossible. I would advice budding stylists to get themselves employed as interns so that they can access if styling is their cup of tea and also if the fashion industry is really for them.

D: Thank you so much Arthur. I’m sure the readers have been enriched with all your valuable experiences and advice.

Sleek, clean and simple, minimalism makes a huge come-back this season. BY CONSTANCE SOH

They say your watch speaks your personality. If so, then the Milanese Nava Design of Italy’ s Ora Lattea must belong to the most imaginative and curious design lover. “I don’t like to design watches, what I really like is to design time.”, said the Italian designer Denis Guidone who designed time with a white round face and 3 dots; the biggest dot representing the hour hand, smallest dot representing the minute hand and a fixed dot in the center of the watch. The 2 moving dots orbit the central dot, imitating the planets in the solar system. In fact, Ora Lattea may have well came from ‘Via Lattea’ which is the Italian phrase for the ‘milky way’. With it’s sleek and clean look, it is undeniably the ‘it’ watch for both females and males alike. Keeping time has never looked so good. No doubt, minimalism at it’s best.

WATCH OUT

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