Digging Deep

Introduce yourself!
My name is Danial. I’m 23 this year, currently waiting to start studying creative directing in fashion at LASALLE. I used to study digital film in Temasek Polytechnic, but I decided to switch majors and jump ship in university.

I’ve been doing filmmaking since my ITE days, and I feel like now, I should do what I love and follow my heart, if not I won’t be happy. Though I’ve only just started getting into fashion, I’ve already found a lot of people with different interests and discovered a lot of music and art that I wouldn’t have known about if I’d never gotten into fashion.

We’re all for pursuing passions! How did you get into fashion?
Through my friend Josh. It was because of him that I first ventured into fashion in the first pace. That, and also I used to be a sneakerhead and would buy and collect sneakers. When I had enough of them, I sold all of them away and with the money that I made, I started buying staple pieces from brands like Comme des Garçons and KAPITAL.

Of your current fashion-related collection, do you have a particular favourite piece you’d never get rid of?
I would say this bag that I’m using. It’s been through a lot, and I’ve even drilled holes and put zip ties through them because there’s just no other way to fix it—even the seamstress I brought it to said that it’s too thick for them to sew through it. But so far, it’s been through rain and shine, and has still held up quite well!

Amazing! Truly investing in a piece that lasts. How have you been spending your time while waiting for school to start?
I’ve been taking care of my health by going to the gym and even running. That’s another hobby that I’ve just started getting into.

That’s a good hobby to pick up. Do you run long distances?
At first, I started running 2.4-5km, but since I got new shoes meant for running long distances, I’ve been trying to hit 10-18km. I might even try a half marathon in the future.

We could never! Where do you usually like to run?
Jurong Lake Gardens because it’s near my house, but if I’m not lazy, I’ll go to Gardens by the Bay. Among the runners, there’s this route called the Uterus Route. It’s about 13km in total, starting from Gardens by the Bay, then Marina Bay, behind Nicoll Highway, past the stadium at Kallang, to the Singapore Flyer and back—if you look at the map, the route looks like a uterus!

That sounds like a nice, scenic route to run! What are you most looking forward to with school starting soon?
Getting to know more about creative directing in fashion. Changing directors of fashion brands is quite huge, because you’re changing the overall style and image of the brand, so I’m curious to find out how each transition between creative directors impacts the brand.

I also want to learn more about how brands do their shoots and advertising. One of the modules I’ll be taking involves photography and doing write-ups, so I’m interested in learning about that side of fashion as well!