QUEEN

Creative director, creator, stylist, entrepreneur, restaurant boss, one of the original zillennial fashion influencers. Since bursting onto the scene as the intrepid host of a travel reality series in the early 2010s, Mae Tan has worn many hats — and she’s planning to put on more. To think the girl only just turned 30. So who better to mine for advice on surviving — and thriving — in the frenetic creative industry? Sarah Adriana Farek has a catch-up.

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Holding a photo shoot to commemorate a milestone isn't all that uncommon these days. When you're Mae Tan and that milestone is turning 30 though, the result is this Alice in Wonderland-inspired spread of fantastic proportions that took nearly two months to conceptualise and put together (granted, she was toggling other projects at the same time). What you see here offered exclusively to Female is just a fraction of the full suite of images she created with her regular collaborators for the occasion: photographer Feedbeng and stylist Tok Weilun both known for their colour-rich, larger-than-life aesthetic.

“Turning 30 felt like stepping through a new door a little surreal and a little magical,” says Tan. “I chose Alice In Wonderland as the theme of this shoot because it captures that beautiful tension between growing up and staying wildly curious. Creativity to me is keeping that childlike wonder alive and this shoot was a reminder that even as we evolve, the most powerful thing we can do is to keep dreaming with our eyes wide open.”

Yeah, yeah, haters might be tempted to call her out as a nepo baby-type figure (her dad's the CEO of Richard Mille Asia) who can afford to do anything anytime she wants. In response to this, she ain't throwing no holy airballs. “I've learnt not to take comments from people who don’t understand the nuances of real life too seriously,” she tells us. “My parents built everything they have from the ground up, and watching their journey instilled a strong sense of independence and work ethic in me from a young age. I started working at 14 and have never asked them for a cent not because I had to, but because I wanted to earn my own way. That mindset has shaped everything I do, so it’s always surprising when people assume success happens overnight.”