Layers
“I’m like Photoshop, I see my life in layers”, I shared with a good friend. For those familiar with Adobe Photoshop, the design elements are separated and blended through layers. Each layer can carry text, vectors, photos, colours, shapes and they can be blended in different modes for the desired effect. Likewise, life is...
Interview with Helen Benigson
Helen Benigson is a British artist whose work takes the form of performance, video installation, light-boxes, printmaking, text and a series of collaborations. Benigson takes the performance name ‘Princess Belsize Dollar’ in which she embodies the alter-ego of a rapper and singer. Benigson addresses art with an aesthetic and conceptual approach that identifies with...
Interview with Hanli, MTV’s Newest VJ
Introducing MTV’s newest VJ, Hanli! This dark-haired beauty is all about adventure and up for anything that sounds fun. Born and raised in Singapore, Hanli caught the attention of the producers during the auditions of MTV’s search for a new host, with her fresh face and winning smile. Despite her busy schedule, she managed to squeeze...
Sim Teow Li
In a country where the arts scene is still being nurtured, the phrase ‘Singaporean writer’ might seem like an irony to many. For Sim Teow Li, that is but who she is. One Sunday morning, I had a chat with her at Café Au Jardin by Les Amis against the beautiful backdrop of the Singapore...
Interview with Niko Tavernise
Niko Tavernise utilises the camera as a tool to provide us with an intimate look at the film industry. He frequently works alongside director Darren Aronofsky, and has produced stunning stills and compelling ‘making of’ videos while on-set. Having a comprehensive knowledge of professional post-production software has also allowed him to extend beyond being just...
Interview with David Hong, Winner of the Elite Model Look Singapore 2012
With the increasing saturation of modeling competitions in Singapore, it is not surprising that their credibility is waning of late. Elite Model Look, however, stands out from the crowd by being the springboard for the launch of the careers of internationally renowned supermodels like Cindy Crawford, Gisele Bündchen, and current “It-Girl”, Lara Stone. The glitz...
Not All Who Wander Are Lost
I love how technology opens up possibilities and opportunities for us to wander from the usual to explore the new. The digital revolution is akin to the evolution of transport, where we could travel physically further and faster. Now, we travel with our fingers. With a website and Facebook page, we see lovely niche stores...
Stephen Vuillemin: ‘Spleen Enthousiast’
In 2012, Oxford University Press crowned ‘GIF’ as the word of the year. GIFs are compressed file formats that can be utilised to create simple looping animations. Illustrator Stephen Vuillemin makes great use of this wonderful image format to enchance his artwork. His animated illustrations are vibrant, humorously gritty and positively unusual. Stephen has...
Interview with Samuel Wong of Evenodd
One thing that was always made clear in spring and summer collections is the power play of colors. With Evenodd, we are looking at a paradigm shift in the Singaporean fashion scene. Tailored, classic, with a touch of bold perfectly describes Evenodd’s Spring/Summer ’13 Collection. Veering from typical spring and summer trends, this deviant...
Visual Orgasm
Tattoos lie beneath the skin’s epidermis and can take the form of words, symbols, pictures, or portraits. They may well be just ink on skin but they are so often misunderstood by conventional minds as reckless ‘youth mistakes’ that goes well with the word ‘rebellious’ or anything similar. How often are we caught guilty by...
Judieuffe: Beyond My Lens
Photographers are very much like painters. They paint not by brush, but by their trusted cameras. With a single click, they are able to freeze beautiful moments – moments they cherish, moments that stood still and last forever. It’s becoming a common sight today to see cameras slung on the shoulders and necks of many...
Hounds of the Baskervilles
Tucked amidst the quirky and vibrant shop houses in Bali Lane and just steps away from the hip Blu Jaz Café lays Singapore’s first concept barbershop, Hounds of the Baskervilles. Having been the talk of the town ever since they opened in August, Hounds of the Baskervilles offers straight razor shaves, haircuts and tattoo services....
We Are Models | Ivane
NAME: Ivane AGE: 21 WHERE/HOW WERE YOU SCOUTED: I was 17 in Reunion Island for the Elite model look competition. I didn’t win ! How long have you been modeling? Full time or part time? I’ve been modeling for 3 years (1 year freelance and 2 years with agencies) What do...
Interview with Diane Pernet | A Shaded View on Fashion
Launched in 2005, “A Shaded View on Fashion (ASVOF)” is currently one of the most influential fashion blogs in the world is run by Diane Pernet, an international style icon. She also organizes “A Shaded View on Fashion Film (ASVOFF)”, a film festival which concentrates on the themes of fashion, style and beauty. Diane works not only...
We Are Models | Yemi
NAME: Yemi AGE: 19 WHERE/HOW WERE YOU SCOUTED: At Jalouse, I was assisting somebody at Strike’s catwalk training event, and then they scouted me! How long have you been modeling? Full time or part time? For one year. What do you do apart from modeling? I work at Hollister and play...
We Are Models – Nina Balstrup
NAME: Nina Balstrup AGE: 21 WHERE/HOW WERE YOU SCOUTED: I wasn’t scouted by the agency – but a friend of the agency, talented stylist Cuba Charles, saw me strolling down Oxford Street. He was in need of an extra model for a shoot, and asked if I wanted to join in the fun. A few...
We Are Models | Craig
NAME: Craig AGE: 24 WHERE/HOW WERE YOU SCOUTED: I was working in house as an art worker for a clothing brand. I was used on the odd occasion for fittings or when they wanted to test out certain looks and photograph them or to re-do product shots. When the models would come in for castings...
We Are Models Series | Chanie Munn
NAME: CHANIE MUNN AGE: 22 WHERE/HOW WERE YOU SCOUTED: Outside Topshop on Oxford Street about three years ago. It seems to be a popular scouting spot. How long have you been modeling? Full time or part time? I started part time three years ago. I’ve been full time for a year. What...
Interview with Stefan Siegel, Creative Director of Not Just A Label
NOT JUST A LABEL (NJAL) is the leading online platform for discovering and nurturing the worldwide pioneers in contemporary fashion. According to Vogue Italia, NJAL is one of the most influential fashion websites of the future. Since its launch in 2008, the site has been enjoying rapid growth, and it now has over 21 million hits...
Morning Glory | Penny Face
Silk, frills and all those little intimates that make a girl’s heart tremble – who hides behind them, how does she make these little pieces come to life? Read along as we talk about a new independent nightwear label, Penny Face and the mastermind behind it – Frances Taylor. What is your label...
Swap Meet | Swap-O-Rama
The thrill of the hunt is not lost. That’s why the mothership, Actually decided to bring to you a Swap Meet! There’s something about calling it a swap meet that lights a fire under our collective shopping ass. We’re ready to make deals and break hearts with our stellar flea finds. This was a once-only...
Salon Treatments | The Prescriptions
Granted that a daily bath is taken, the ritual however, varies from a bar of soap to multi-steps of cleansing oil, scrub, cleansing lotion, toner, skincare activator, serum and moisturising creams – everyone with a different bunch of products for every part of the body. As such, the type of treatments that make it here...
Perfection In Imperfection | Moongaze
Now that we’ve been hit by the ‘armparty’ bug, and the whole she-bang of accessorizing is a form of personalizing style, handcrafted jewellery couldn’t get any more personal than this. Jilian Soon, founder and designer of Moongaze (isn’t the name just awesome?), weaves her magic into eclectic and wearable pieces that will zhuzh up your...
Salon Treatments | The Philosophy
The Oxford dictionary defines the word Treatment as – ‘Treatment is done to cure to an illness or to make someone look and feel good’. The doctors in our midst will flinch to know that they are so much more closely associated with the beauticians and hairstylists down the block. It used to be clearly...
People in the World | Kumi Isayama
Where do you live now and how long have you been living there? I was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan and I moved to Los Angeles at the age of 11. I returned to Tokyo before finishing high school and have been living here since. What are you currently working as? I’m currently...
The Girl in Red Shoes
Nina Hidayat is the designer and lady boss behind ‘Sepatu Merah’, a handmade shoe line inspired when she couldn’t find that perfect shoe in the market to go with her perfect outfit. Hence, all the visions of ‘perfect shoes’ have worked together in encouraging Nina to start designing that perfect shoe made for everyone. Nina...
And the SLASHIE award goes to… Monster Alphabets
Monster Alphabets of Perth is made up of sisters’ team – Sarah and Kaycey Watanabe. Both of them have ‘slashie’ professions, a fashion-designer/architect and artist/veterinarian. We had the pleasure of speaking with Sarah, who recently debuted her women’s wear collection, Winter 12. So Sarah, we know that you trained as an architect and briefly...
More Than Playful Paintings | Fyerool Darma
Singapore-based artist, Fyerool Darma delves deep into each piece of his art so passionately that it lights our hearts up just listening to him talk about his paintings and craft. Fyerool’s beautiful almost fable-like canvases are laden with cherub-like figures, portraits and animals are intertwined with manifestations of visual influences from his playful...
Camperground for Sleepers
Photo #1 I’m a cat lady, so it was rather unnatural for me to have a nightmare about this blue haired, half-feline, half-woman. In my nightmare she was dancing topless, with her tail dangling behind her. She was hissing and I was tied to a tree, where I stood motionless. I woke up and...
Waxing Whimsical in Japan
Ros Lee is a talented young designer based in Tokyo continuing the trend of Singaporean artists flourishing on foreign soil. We catch up with her to talk about her experiences in Japan, (including the frightening earthquake in Tokyo), find out what Zakka is and to discuss the possibilities of her returning to Singapore in...
