Unfinished

Sean finds a similarity between his style and that of filmmaker John Waters, a look that Waters describes as “disaster at the dry cleaners”. “Anything deconstructed, frayed or unfinished gets my love,” Sean says. “One of my favourite shirts, by Japanese designer Mihara Yasuhiro, has burnt edges and holes in it. I really love it, but some people find it strange.” Sean is also a big fan of another Japanese label, Comme des Garçons, and says he is almost always dressed in something from the brand. “It wasn’t something I decided to collect, but my collection’s just grown over the past 10 years,” he says. “I’m somehow drawn to the vision and philosophy of the designer, Rei Kawakubo.” This penchant for more avant garde looks suits Sean’s job since his office has a very relaxed dress code. “I’ve previously worked in offices where you have to wear a tie every day, and I’ve decided it’s really not for me,” he says. “Freedom to wear what you want has become very important to me, personally.” Sean says that his only pet peeve would be clothes that are either too tight or too small, especially tiny short skirts or skimpy shorts. “Basically anything deemed “sexy” in the most clichéd way, I find vulgar,” he says. “I feel we’ve moved past that now, and people should stop “faking” a certain image and start dressing for themselves, and not for others.” Outside of work, and beyond fashion, Sean describes himself as an otaku, or Japanese geek. “I’d want to be a full-time otaku if I could — just watching my animes, reading my comics and collecting my toys.”  Sean cites his favourite movie as Donnie Darko, favourite music from Gustav Mahler, and favourite author as Grant Morrison, and says that he’s been trying to spend less time and energy on social media and the digital world, and trying to go back to basic things which he enjoys in life. “Things like #instagramlessandreadmore,” he says. “I feel that many of us, myself included, are too entangled in the realm of the digital web, and we should somehow try to break free from it.”