Ride On

Please introduce yourself.
My name is Ryan. I currently work in a bank as an analyst. My interest is now mostly streetwear, fashion, and motorbikes!

When did you get your riding license?
Around four years ago, so it’s been quite a while.

Was it difficult?
It’s tiring because it takes about three full years to complete the whole process. You have to wait a one-year gap each time you move up to the next class—there are three classes for motorbikes in total. So, with a year’s wait in between each, it ends up taking around three years altogether.

It really does take a while! What kind of bike do you ride?
A city cafe racer. So it’s more comfortable than sporty.

Cool! Do you ride to work every day?
Yes, every single day. It’s convenient since I live in the West but work in the CBD, so taking public transport would be quite far and would take longer.

You mentioned you’re also into streetwear, how did you develop this interest?
I got introduced to it in poly where I started off collecting shoes first. And then I started branching out towards clothes because shoes were a little bit more expensive.

Do you wear the shoes in your collection, or are they only on display?
Most of the time, the more expensive ones I’ll just leave at home. The current ones I have now are mostly collection pieces that I don’t wear it anymore.

What’s one pair that you would never get rid of?
I have a pair of Nike Air Forces One’s that are a collaboration with Comme Des Garçons and Supreme. It was one of the very first 3-digit pair of shoes that I paid for with my own part-time money, so they’re quite special to me.

Sweet! As for clothes, do you have a favourite streetwear brand?
Not really. As long as I like the style and how it fits on me, I’ll give it a try. It doesn’t matter if it’s branded or if it’s an up-and-coming brand, I’ll buy it if I like it.

Do you usually go for things like t-shirts or jackets and pants?
Usually I go for t-shirts, but because I work on the weekdays, I have jackets to cover up the boring shirts that I have to wear (laughs).

Would you say your style on the weekends is a lot more street?
Yeah, it’s a lot more casual, not so office-y (laughs).

How do you usually like to spend your free time?
Not much. Mostly just resting at home with my girlfriend.

What’s your favourite thing to do together with your girlfriend?
My girlfriend and I both recently started collecting trading cards! She collects Pokémon cards while I collect One Piece cards. I mean, it’s the in-thing now. So sometimes on the weekends, we’ll go down to trade shows just to take a look at all the cards there.

If you could collect anything else in the world, what would it be?
Motorbikes!

What’s your dream bike?
It has to be the Ducati V4S. It’s a sports bike, but not the most practical choice in Singapore—with the traffic, the heat, and especially the current economy, maybe it’s not the best idea right now (laughs).