“Right now, my design philosophy is to be myself—Van. Jokes aside, I would say I’m just doing whatever I like, experimenting with more controversial stuff.”
“I got my tattoos done at 18 when I thought it was cool to get tatted like everybody else—ultimate regret! I’m in the process of removing them all because I think I’ll look better with a clean slate in a wedding gown. I’m currently single but a girl can dream.”
“To me, the perfect way to relax is just spending whatever down time I have with my friends, having conversations, and not doing anything in particular. My friends are my chosen family, so it’s always nice to have them around.”
“When I graduate, I want to open my own studio. Last semester, in fashion school, I created different patterns and printed them onto fabric and really enjoyed it, so I’ve decided that I want to start a studio to sell textiles that I design.”
“I got my love for cooking from my mum, who never fails to make my favourite dishes like chicken curry on special occasions. She actually passed on her recipe to me, but I tried it one time and it tasted so off! But my mum tried to be nice about it and fixed it for me in the end.”
"I wake up at 7AM everyday when I travel because I want to try everything and make the most out of each day. Most of my family and friends don’t feel the same though, so I usually enjoy sightseeing and exploring on my own in the early mornings.”
“After a tiring day at work, I like to unwind by indulging in some alcohol before I go to bed. I usually go for Makgeolli (Korean rice wine) or a Whisky Sour made with Laphroaig Scotch whisky, which is my favourite cocktail. But my boyfriend says it tastes like hospital-grade sanitiser!”
“If I were to describe my personal style in one sentence, it would be ‘Innocent village maiden who is also a love cult leader at night that nobody knows about’. My wardrobe is half girly, frilly and pink, and half black, with a bunch of other colours in the middle, so my style is pretty multidimensional.”
“My wife and I run a hair salon together and we’ve been married for 22 years! We’re also into fashion and inspire each other to constantly refresh our styles. Many couples become strangers with time simply because they don’t have anything in common, so it’s important that we share the same interests."
“I love playing the singing bowl as it brings so much energy to the body—you can feel the vibrations right down to the core! With this instrument, there’s no need for any lyrics; the sound frequencies alone can heal both the body and mind.”
“Having worked in the fashion industry before my latest stint in marketing, I’ve always navigated to small companies instead of bigger luxury brands because it’s important that the company I join has a good culture and aligns with my values, even if they’re not as high-paying.”
“My interest in art and fashion began with watching Winx Club when I was young—the art style and costume design inspired me to start drawing. When I visited Japan in 2018, the different clothing styles I saw in Harajuku further piqued my interest.”