l.A. Confidential

The buzzy pop culture-influenced, candy colour-loving multimedia artist alex israel has made his hometown of los angeles both his muse and subject. Last year, he got to apply his dreamy vision to fragrance packaging when louis vuitton introduced cologne perfumes, a triptych of evocative scents inspired by America’s golden state. As the brand continues the tie-up with a fourth scent, california dream, revealed this month, keng yang shuen gets the exclusive from israel on his perennial love affair with la – and evolving one with perfumes and collaborations.

Notions Of Intimacy

One’s the young danish designer charming industry insider types with her pretty, artisanally made dresses that fuse the child-like with the conceptual. The other is the Singapore footwear label that’s gone from fast-fashion favourite to global titan in just over two decades. Who would have thought that cecilie bahnsen would be Charles & Keith’s first designer collaborator? Yet as she and emmanuelle macedriskill – the shoe brand’s executive director of planning & product strategy – tell keng yang shuen, this recently launched coupling could just be the way forward with its rewriting of femininty and environmentally conscious ethos.

Becoming Mame

The best collaborations represent the essence of all parties involved. Tod’s t-factory, which invites external names to interpret the italian label’s codes through capsule collections, checks that box. Its third and latest instalment featuring mame kurogouchi also plays incubator, thrusting the up-and-coming japanese label reinvigorating traditional craft techniques with cerebral yet wearable designs onto must-watch lists. Keng Yang Shuen chats with its founder Maiko Kurogouchi and discovers how she might just be the next womenswear talent we’ve all been waiting for.

Down The Rabbit Hole

Singapore artist howie kim translates fantastical, almost trippy pop cultureinfluenced imagery through digital drawings, animated videos and more recently, ar (augmented reality) filters – and now he’s birthed female’s first illustrated cover. Keng Yang Shuen talks to this digital-era boy wizard about his obsession with famous people, embrace of millennial stereotypes and the importance (or irrelevance) of being “real” today.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Part of the Spanish label’s latest tie-up with Paula’s Ibiza, loewe’s smiley® collection couldn’t come at a better time. In conjunction with its launch this month, creative director JW Anderson shares some wise words on escapism and the art of the yellow smiley.

Enter The United Kingdom

Richard Quinn’s feisty proposition on how women should wear prints – boldly, glamorously and with a hint of kink – has made him one of London’s most exciting young talents in recent years. It also makes him one of the wildest names on the rolodex of moncler genius – the multi-label-rotating, drop-based initiative by the luxury skiwear specialist that’s changed how fashion houses approach collaborations. In an exclusive interview ahead of the launch of his second tie-up with the brand on may 28, he tells Keng Yang Shuen what working with an industry giant means for an up-and comer like him – and the future of fashion.

A Head-To-Toe Care Package

What’s pretty much the cancellation of the mid-year holiday season makes some personal pampering all the more necessary. The best part? The release of a bumper crop of products that lets one treat everything from the tresses to thighs all without having to leave home. Sofia kim curates 15 that’ll help you master the fine, 2020 diy art of self-care.

squiggle room

TEAMING UP WITH A STREET ARTIST HAS BECOME A NEAR FAIL-PROOF WAY FOR A LUXURY FASHION HOUSE TO DRAW PLENTY OF BUZZ AND CUSTOMERS. JOSHUA VIDES HOWEVER IS NOT JUST SOME GRAFFER WHOM FENDI PLUCKED OFF INSTAGRAM AND THE ITALIAN LABEL WANTS A LOT MORE THAN JUST HYPE OUT OF WORKING WITH HIM. KENG YANG SHUEN REPORTS ON HOW THE CALIFORNIA-RAISED SON OF WORKING-CLASS GUATEMALAN IMMIGRANTS FOUND AN UNEXPECTED SUPPORTER IN SILVIA VENTURINI FENDI AND HELPED TO COME UP WITH ONE OF PRE-FALL’S MOST CLEVER COLLABORATIONS.

Ace Of Base

Without them, model layla ong might have never walked for gucci; the cult label youths in balaclava might not look as cool; and, well, some of the stuff you see in this magazine might never have materialised. Keng yang shuen gets 10 usually unseen forces (all women, by the way) who deserve the award for best supporting role in our fashion industry today to step into the spotlight.

The Importance Of Being Honest

With sustainability now part of the mainstream conversation, makeup and skincare brands have increasingly been shining a spotlight on their operational processes that were once hidden at “the back end”. Moh shuying singles out the year’s most noteworthy launches so far that bring new meaning to the term “transparency” in beauty.

Tomorrowland

From its immense carbon footprint to waste production, it’s undeniable that fashion has a sustainability problem. Among the industry giants trying to do their part to change this: net-a-porter with its net sustain initiative that champions brands and products that are human/animal/environmental welfareconscious. Nearly a year into its launch, the e-retailer’s global buying director elizabeth von der goltz tells maya menon how this digital shopping revolution is leading to a socio-ecological one.

A Quiet Place

For all of fashion’s finery and glamour, mental health isn’t something that it’s nailed going by the luminaries it has claimed (this year marks the 10th anniversary of alexander mcqueen’s tragic suicide). The stress and burnout that come with the industry’s cut-throat pace for ideas, merchandise and content mean that those working in it are 25 per cent more likely than others to experience some sort of mental illness, according to reports. The good news: conversation about it has been rousing in recent years, especially within the creative community. Keng yang shuen gets five singapore women from various disciplines who have been vocal about the cause to share more about what you need to know, erase and do next about mental wellness.

Addams Family Values

With its dark yet romantic, counterculture roots, gothic fashion has long offered an escapist source of inspiration for designers. Now a growing crop of young, independent labels are making it their soul and putting a spell on critics and customers alike. Keng yang shuen spotlights the ones to know.

An Over Hundred Dollar Lipstick Could Be Every Woman's New Essential. Here's Why

An over-hundred dollar lipstick that feels as lush as suede, is scented and comes packaged in a brushed gold metal tube might seem like an indulgence. Hermes however thinks it could be every woman’s new essential. Aileen Lalor reports.

Return To Innocence?

You’ve heard of the hemline index (its theory: the better the economy, the shorter the skirts). Now what about the beauty index? From a simplification of routines to a renewed focus on some of the most time-honoured ingredients (nothing fancy-schmancy here, guys), Moh Shuying looks at how some of the latest trends in makeup and skincare might reflect today’s state of the world.

A Deep Conversation

This is a shot of marine biologist/ pioneer ocean explorer sylvia earle (she’s 84 years old) taken by another trailblazer in marine conservation, underwater photographer david doubilet. As the seas hit record temperatures and the need to protect it grows increasingly urgent, noelle loh gets the duo – both rolex testimonees (the brand’s speak for ambassadors) – to tell us what you don’t already know about the state of today’s life aquatic.

Talia Ryder Is The Next 17 Year Old Who Is Going To Educate This World

If Greta Thunberg represented a category of people, Talia Ryder would fit right into it: a sophisticated voice on social issues spanning bullying to reproductive rights all packed into a petite 17-year-old. Oh, she’s also the lead in one of the year’s most powerful movies about the realities of modern adolescent life. Keng Yang Shuen discovers the charm of the next teenager who’s going to captivate – and educate – the world.

Ian Griffiths Guide To Staying Upbeat And Strong

In the over three decades he’s spent as the creative director of Max Mara, Ian Griffiths has always imbued his collections for the Italian Luxury label with a sense of positivity. During a recent visit to singapore, the selfdescribed optimist tells Imran Jalal his guide to staying upbeat and strong.

Hall Of Fame

In an age when we’re constantly on the lookout for the next shiny new thing while repeatedly looking to the past for inspiration, Coach has found a happy medium: restore its found archival designs to appeal to vintage fiends; remix said pieces to create one-of-a-kind styles that epitomise “old meets new”; as well as remake them with a modern twist to keep all that legacy going. In collaboration with the american label, female introduces the Coach originals experience landing here this month.

The Academy Awards

To paraphrase george orwell, if there’s hope for the future, it probably lies with the next generation. Cynics may dismiss this as the rosy idealism of youth but, hey, that can invigorate the imagination like nothing else – does greta thunberg ring a bell? Keng yang shuen spotlights seven up-and-coming singapore students from different artistic disciplines whose works make us dream once more.

Rock ‘N' Roll Never Dies

Italian maison Bvlgari’s distinctive b.Zero1 collection disrupted the way luxury jewellery should look like when it debuted in 1999 with its graphic, geometrical curves inspired by the colosseum, all created with the brand’s proprietary tubogas technique. Since then, it’s only undergone some of the most modern transformations – from an unexpected mix of materials to that zaha hadid adaptation. So how does a rebel celebrate turning 21 this year? Get its most daring makeover of course. Dubbed b.Zero1 rock, this update boasts a nine-piece unisex line comprising rings, pendants, earrings and bracelets – all are easily identifiable by the studs across their central bands. As if that’s not bold enough, the yellow gold versions are girded with outer layers of pave diamonds and their pink gold counterparts with black ceramic. In conjunction with the line’s launch this month, female and bvlgari spotlight four local personalities who too have always played by their own rules and defied conventions.

Fiona Fuss - Singapore's Next Leading Actress

Meet Fiona Fussi the femme fatale spy, bond-worthy bombshell and old Hollywood ingenue all adorned in the latest pieces from the world of high jewellery. Meet Fiona Fuss, Singapore’s next leading actress. Noelle Loh goes in for a close-up.

The Lightness Of Being

And the award for the most bouyant collection of the season goes to...Issey Miyake with the debut of its new creative director Satoshi Kondo

Beauty From Within

Nope, this isn’t a story about going makeup free or some new goop-y, all-natural skincare craze. This is a story about bacteria – in fact a whole community of it – that lives on your skin and how brands are betting big on it to keep you looking pretty. Chia ying na delves into the curious world of microbiome beauty.

An Open Letter To Virginie Viard

Unassuming, steely cool yet sentimental, the artistic director of Chanel brings a hip and inspiring human touch to the french Luxury Maison. Noelle Loh pens her a personal note after experiencing her cruise 2020 debut in Paris. An open letter to Virginie Viard

Look Youthful For The Holidays

This Christmas, treat yourself to tighter, plumper and youthful-looking skin with Thermage FLX Skin Tightening treatment.

Scents For Every Personality

Make a statement with this range of unique fragrances from Ange Gardien Paris.

What The Female Team Is Into Now

1. Polyamide coat, Balenciaga

Why Debbie Harry Truly Embodies The Punk Spirit

The septuagenarian, (still) platinum-haired progenitor of Punk Chic Debbie Harry releases a memoir recounting her “very full” life as a cultural trailblazer this month. Music journalist Kevin ho reflects on how she truly embodies the punk spirit.