Letting Go

“My style is temperamental,” Katrina says. “I am open to experimenting and putting on clothes that make me feel a certain way or play a particular character.” We sense that she’s keeping her roots in mind with this outfit today as well; Katrina grew up in Malaysia, in a small town called Seremban, and we love how she incorporates this batik-printed top she got from Jarkata into her look. She is a big believer of dressing for comfort and according to the occasion. “I prefer loose-fitted tops and dresses, and well-tailored jackets and pants,” she says. “I also indulge in silk materials for formalwear, but you can never go wrong with a white boyfriend shirt, tailored cropped trousers and a pair of ballet flats.” Working as a Product Marketing Manager, Katrina loves being the ‘gel’ between departments and having a holistic view of the business. “Coming from a multidisciplinary background of fashion, art, education and tech, I would love to fuse the different disciplines and partake in collaborations with influencers in each field,” Katrina says, when asked what her dream job would be. “The learnings and outcomes of this cross-disciplinary practice excite me.” Something she would advise everyone to do would be to learn as much as you can in the first five years of your working life, then start focusing on a discipline. “Much like the letter ‘T’ where you first focus on breadth and then depth,” she says. “Also, the most important aspect of any work you do is the people, so surround yourself with the right team.” At the same time, Katrina has learnt not to become too attached to anything as everything is transient. “When the going gets tough, step back and think about what matters most to you. To me, it’s people, as people are finite. So make time to those who matter to you and who deserve your time.” Katrina spends most of her free time travelling or visiting musuems, exhibitions, and bookstores, or attending art and music festivals. “I also like to remind those who are important to me (they’re typically not in the same country) that they are in my thoughts by sending them gifts/flowers/cards.” A personal motto that she lives by right now reminds her of the impermanence of things. “Let everything happen to you/ Beauty and terror/ Just keep going/ No feeling is final.”