SHENTONISTA

“I’m a dancer, and my crew, Bawz, and I were recently in Vietnam competing in a dance competition called the Summer Jam Dance, in which we won the championship title!”

“I'll be studying creative direction in fashion, where I’ll learn about styling and publishing fashion magazines. That’s something I’d like to do—create my own fashion magazine!”

"I have two beautiful fat snails that I got after watching the movie Turbo—it’s an animated film about snails racing! Watching them grow has been really heartwarming.”

“Whenever I experience a creative block, I read The Creative Act by Rick Rubin—I’m on my third read-through now, and I always learn something new each time.”

“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.”