People

“I prefer dressing in bright-coloured clothing and accessories, and I like mixing and matching. My favourite fashion label is the Australian brand Gorman."

“As an architect, I like materials that have some tactility to them. Many people prefer materials that are easier to clean, but I don’t mind a bit of dust. I don’t mind cleaning so even for my own home, I tend to gravitate towards textures that allow more me to be more creative.”

"In Singapore, the design scene is very focused on going higher and higher, and reaching achievements and success. Which is not to say that's wrong, but I think sometimes one gets a bit too wrapped up in that, which can be very exhausting, especially in school where everyone around you is like that.”

“I’m turning 25 this year and am learning to enjoy my own company, and keeping my body and mind fit as much as possible. As a start, I've recently begun going for runs and boxing classes. Although I’m rather new to these hobbies, I’ve already made them my personality traits!”

“I work full-time in events management and also freelance as a theatre lighting designer, which are two very time-consuming jobs. That said, I’m thankful that my colleagues and the people in my personal life have been so supportive and accommodating, especially since I’m all about that work-life integration.”

“This year, I want to learn to cook nutritious, delicious, and reasonably-priced dishes! I constantly crave fresh, plant-centric meals, but with rising food prices and the issue of food security, it seems the most sustainable for me to prepare them myself with local or regional produce.”

“My long-term goal as an artist is to publish a comic of my own. It’s so easy to do so these days, even without a traditional art school background! So once I have a well-thought out narrative and everything, I'd like to publish my own comic. It's still in the works, so no further comment!”

What first drew us to Kelly was her cute brown hat, which stood out amidst the rows of vibrant resortwear and colourful trinkets at Boutique Fairs Singapore. Dressed head to toe in a well-coordinated getup that she told us was from Hong Kong, she got us thinking—who knew neutrals could look so good?

“Having a kid really changes things in a parent’s life. I left my job as a creative director recently to start my own agency, because I want to create something tangible of my own that I can pass on to my son in the future. I think it’d be nice, even if he were to take over and screw it all up!”

“Family is very important to me. I was very close to my mum before she passed away three years ago—she raised my sister and I as a single parent. Now, my sister has three young sons, and even though I don’t normally like kids, I love being an aunt to my nephews!”

“I’ll be starting university soon, and I’m most excited to make new friends. I do have a close group of friends right now, and I definitely love them, but it's always nice to meet new people and see how they're living different lives, and going through different experiences.”

“I’m currently learning Japanese but I also want to pick up Korean, Italian, Spanish, French, Bahasa Indonesia, and American Sign Language, and also brush up on Mandarin. My dream is to be a polyglot, to be able to speak languages at a conversational level to connect with people.”