SHENTONISTA

“I used to operate my own small fashion boutique in India selling my original Western-Indian fusion pieces, but I shut the boutique down to move to Singapore in 2012.”

”My dream project would be to design an aquarium. My favourite animal is the IKEA shark—just kidding! I think hammerheads are pretty cool.”

“I’ve been dancing since I was in secondary school, but it’s a very competitive activity in Korea. In Singapore, anyone can join a dance class and just enjoy their time.”

“I take inspiration from visual kei bands, which are Japanese bands with extravagant stage costumes, so I usually dress in that style. And, because I also like vintage apparel, I mix in vintage shirts and boots.”

"My daughter has taught me to believe in who I am. When I was invited to speak at an international conference, I doubted myself so much, but my daughter told me to just have faith in myself!”

“Though I’m Japanese, I’ve been learning French because I just love the Parisian culture. I hope to go for a working holiday there one day.”

“Great Expectations by Charles Dickens was the book that made me fall in love with reading. It was the first time I realised that fiction can stem from reality, and that there’s beauty in the bittersweet.”

“I believe that for creativity and innovation to truly flourish, we need to cultivate an environment that is welcoming, inclusive, and encouraging of diverse interests and passions.”

“I mainly spend my weekends in my clothing store Upstairs Garments. My partner Vegas and I run it alongside our two friends, but we’ll sometimes get sidetracked and start nerding out about fashion and DJing.”

“I’ve live Singapore, but I'm originally from the North of Vietnam, where we have all four seasons. One thing I miss is the feeling of riding my scooter around the city during winter and having a hot bowl of pho after.”

“In my job in social media, sometimes it feels that you’re subconsciously making choices and are not really present, so I try to spend time in nature as much as I can to get a sense of myself.”

“I like listening to music and just walking around, exploring new spaces. Sometimes, I walk around HDB estates to find a nice spot to sit and chill. I do enjoy those slower, quieter moments a lot.”