Serendipity

How did you get into your line of work, and what do you enjoy most about it?
I’ve been in the retail fashion industry for the past 15 years. I’m really into fashion, so that’s one of the reasons why I’m in this line.

Fashion is very versatile. I don’t follow trends, I just wear what I’m comfortable with, but a lot of my friends tell me I’m a trendsetter! Sometimes I wear something that nobody wears, and the trend starts to follow. Which for me, is awesome (laughs).

I guess when I was growing up, some of my aunts got featured in magazines, and that’s when I started to love reading magazines, which were mostly about fashion back in the ’80s. So I think that’s where my interest in the field first sparked.

Is there anything else that you’re interested in outside of fashion?
Travel—that’s one thing I love to do. Usually, I’ll travel with my wife. We pick a destination that’s a colder country, because that’s where you can really wear something which you cannot wear in Singapore, like jackets or coats.

Right now, most of our winter clothing are in a box. Our next destination will probably be Japan or Korea.

What’s the craziest or memorable thing that has happened on one of your trips?
Not to say it’s the craziest, but more like a random thing. I was traveling in Costa Rica back in 2004. I was just sitting down reading, when I sensed somebody looking at me. She looked Asian, a Chinese girl, and she looked very familiar. Before I could get up, she walked over to me and said, “Are you from Singapore?” She turned out to be an acquaintance whom I hadn’t seen in ages, who was also backpacking.

So yeah, that’s the craziest random thing that’s happened. It actually shows how small the world is.

But I think the most memorable trip would be when I traveled with my wife to Europe for almost a month. We covered four parts of Italy and Paris. That’s one of the best trips I’ve ever been on, because I usually travel alone, but this time, I had a companion, and it was quite memorable.

How long have you been married?
This year will be my seventh year, and it’s been blissful. I always tell myself, and I told my wife too, if I had known that married life is going to be like this, I should have found her sooner, and we could be together for longer.

How did the two of you meet?
We met by chance, actually. She’s an acquaintance of mine from about 20 years back. About eight years ago, we met again, and I thought that she looked familiar, so I approached her and said, “Are you this person, a friend of this person?” And she said, “Oh, you know—?”.

That’s when we started going out, so it just started from there. It’s not a romantic story, but I think it’s nice.