Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2022 i Tatler Singapore

TATLER HONG KONG Vivien Khoo is on the cover of this month’s issue, in which the SatoshiWomen co-founder and early adopter and champion of cryptocurrency discusses her career path to date, the opportunities of Web3, and why she is encouraging more women to get into digital finance. TATLER INDONESIA Maudy Ayunda is an Indonesian singer-songwriter, actress, author and activist for education and youth-related interests. This March, she was appointed as a spokesperson for the upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia, scheduled for November 2022. In this issue’s Gen T feature, she talks about being an impactful woman. TATLER MALAYSIA We sit down with David Rocco to find out more about the opening of his first global restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. The celebrity chef, television host and cookbook author also shares the…

For Ginette Chittick, music has always been an expression of womanhood and rebellion. Growing up in Singapore in the 1990s, Chittick and her friends formed the island’s first all-female punk rock band, Psycho Sonique. “It’s a very stupid name,” she says, laughing. “There was the zeitgeist where we wanted to express ourselves loudly and break the conventions that society had placed on us. It was quite strict and suffocating, especially for girls. We wanted to write our own narrative through music and create visibility for women in the scene.” Chittick is also a member of one of Singapore’s pioneer art rock/shoegaze bands, Astreal, which she joined in 1997 and continues to play today. “We’re a bunch of old geezers,” she quips. Apart from her roles as bassist and singer in…

She was the wife of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and the mother of current premier Lee Hsien Loong (and his two siblings). But Kwa Geok Choo was a woman in her own right: the family’s main breadwinner (so her husband could pursue a political career), a co-founder of one of Singapore’s leading law firms, and a wise confidante of her husband. But hers is a story that has yet been told. And there is no better person to bring it to the stage than veteran playwright Ovidia Yu, one of Singapore’s foremost feminist writers in the league of Stella Kon and Catherine Lim before her. Directed by Toy Factory Productions’ chief artistic director Goh Boon Teck, the monologue Kwa Geok Choo, opening this month at Victoria Theatre,…

The world of Web3 moves at lighting pace. Few outside the tech world knew what an NFT was last year, and even fewer could have predicted the meteoric rise of the Monkey Kingdom NFT project that launched last November. A collection of 2,222 randomly generated 32x32 pixel NFTs, Monkey Kingdom has captured the hearts of many Asians, taking inspiration from the mythical creature Sun Wukong, also known as the Monkey King, based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en. The legendary immortal, known for his strength and capacity for mass destruction, is a favourite among millennials, including Alice Wong, lead developer and CEO of Monkey Kingdom. “It’s a treasured story for me. The story of Sun Wukong is so beloved in Asia, and I think…

Four minutes was all it took for NFT (non-fungible token) project Imaginary Ones’ first collection of animated art to sell out in April this year. The drop on NFT marketplace OpenSea consisted of 8,888 unique animated art pieces featuring cherubic three-dimensional characters designed by 2021 Gen.T honouree Clement Chia. “The inspiration behind the characters was to remind everyone what it felt like when they were young and they could dream of doing or being anything,” says Chia, who started Imaginary Ones with his business partner David Lee. The duo also run two other businesses: Offeo, an online video maker that simplifies the process of creating short clips for social media, and Offset, a motion graphics agency specialising in hyperrealistic 3D animation. The NFT drop of Imaginary Ones is only the…

You can say that Serene Tan has an eye for beautiful things. Besides her and husband Benjamin Kim’s shared love of finely crafted jewellery, timepieces and art (as well as his enviable suit collection!), Tan appreciates the effort it takes to create the refined ambience and atmosphere that one has come to expect at each Tatler Singapore event, be it the Tatler Ball or the now-defunct Tatler Fashion Awards. Take the Maximalism-themed 2018 Tatler Ball, for example. The fallen chandelier and gilded birdcage that greeted guests as they entered the ballroom of Capella Singapore took Tan’s breath away and reminded her of a scene right out of a Taylor Swift music video. The society belle, who is herself quite the stunner often togged in modern romantic styles topped with a…

ashion has always been the starting point of everything I’ve done [in my career]—it has an incredible power to inspire, ignite passion and imagination, and that was certainly the case for me from an early age,” says Wendy Yu. Often referred to as China’s fairy godmother of fashion, Yu is the daughter of Jingyuan Yu, who founded Mengtian Group, the largest wooden door manufacturer in the country, but she has made a name for herself as a serious fashion power player and mentor. Yu has worn several hats since founding investment funding company Yu Capital in 2015, which became Yu Holdings in 2017. “I was not immediately chasing the numbers as most financiers do. I was more interested in long-term impact and the wider vision,” she says of the businesses…

We’ll be honest: We chose this for our monthly jewellery pick for no reason other than how much we love looking at it. Bulgari has taken 55 marquise-cut diamonds, as well as 56 emeralds and pavé-set diamonds, and crafted a stunning bracelet that brings its serpent emblem to life. A jewellery piece, more so than any other luxury item perhaps, is an emotional choice; and we just can’t seem to forget about this one.…

You have a relationship with the Louvre going back at least a decade. What was your introduction to the museum and how have you collaborated with them over time? I presented my first global exhibition at the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris back in 2012 to celebrate the launch of my first book: Symphony of Jewels, Opus 1. Over the past decade, I’ve maintained a great relationship with Musée des Arts Décoratifs and its director, Olivier Gabet. Where do you look for inspiration for each new collection? Are there any people, places or artworks that have had a lasting effect on your work? So many things inspire me from daily life: art, nature, literature, culture. Although I have lived abroad for most of my life, I’m proud of…

When founder Louis Vuitton and his son Georges invented their revolutionary lock system in 1886, little could they imagine that it would transform into the precious Louis Vuitton Bravery II high jewellery Le Multipin ring. Inspired by the studs and angle mounts of the maison’s iconic trunk, the Bravery II high jewellery Cocktail Rings exist to be worn and flaunted the world over. The best part: you can choose to wear them singly or stacked. The “unbreakable lock” of 1886 has been reinterpreted into the Bravery II high jewellery Le Multipin bracelet and given a decadent update with yellow gold, diamonds and various coloured gemstones such citrines, peridots, amethysts and a stunning 20.67-carat oval-cut pink tourmaline. Magnetism has never looked so good: the Louis Vuitton Bravery II high jewellery Le…

I once mused on the idea of setting up an Eldest Daughters’ Convention. Its purpose was to gather all first-born women to not only talk about that unique position where you are your parents’ first experiment in child-rearing but also to discuss the many expectations heaped on your shoulders if you are a girl. One of the key breakout sessions, I thought, would be one on ‘How to Deal with Dad.’ I am an eldest daughter as well as an eldest child. It may seem sexist to only organise a special conference for my brethren (well, sistren!), but I do think that eldest daughters have a unique status in the family—especially when it comes to our relationship with our fathers. A lot of Asian fathers wish for a son as…

You get some interesting questions as a woman with tattoos. Examples of things I’ve been asked include “Can I touch it?”, “How will you hide them on your wedding day?” and “Why would you put a bumper sticker on a Bentley?” (To their credit, this was a creative one.) Shame, promiscuity and undesirability are common associations people have made with women who have chosen to decorate their skin. But many of those women have a very different perspective. “As a relatively heavily tattooed person, you definitely receive judgement sometimes,” says Akiko Sakai, a model and founder of The Studio, which teaches art and yoga in Hong Kong. “On the flipside, there is so much appreciation, and I would have to say in my experience that the appreciation outweighs the judgement.…

From his first restaurant in New York in 1994 to the 49 he has around the world today, celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa keeps an international audience coming back for more, over and over again. Most remarkably, he is doing it without altering his signature dishes, which make up 70 per cent of the menu—a seemingly impossible task in this fast-moving and competitive industry where food trends come and go every year. “It’s like people are addicted,” jokes executive chef Hideki Maeda, who has moved from his post at Nobu London to lead the team opening Nobu Singapore in Four Seasons Hotel Singapore. He reveals that even though more than a hundred chefs have tried to suggest changes to Matsuhisa, the latter has remained steadfast in his decision. SPICING UP JAPANESE…

“I try to make everything look as if it were growing, uneven, at random, organic, in motion,” French jeweller Jean Schlumberger once said of his approach to design. In honour of this spirit, Tiffany & Co celebrates the prodigious jewellery designer in its 2022 Blue Book collection, titled Botanica. Schlumberger’s lush interpretations of the natural world bloom forth in a profusion of gemstones to convey Mother Nature’s exuberant colours and rich textures. The stunning Feuillage necklace (seen above) is showcased in the Botanica collection and is crafted in platinum and yellow gold with tanzanites and diamonds. The delicate leaves and small flowers have been ingeniously designed to look as if on a vine, with the precious tanzanites serving as luscious “berries”. There’s a good reason why Schlumberger’s designs for Tiffany…

1 The Boot Christian Louboutin brings a breath of the Mediterranean to the new season with a whimsical illustrated boot depicting his adventures in Greece. 2 The Necklace Inspired by the beauty of the cinema, this brilliant necklace from Chopard’s Red Carpet high jewellery collection features a fiery 25.39-carat opal framed with emeralds, sapphires, Paraíba tourmalines and turquoises. 3 The Watch Get a different perspective on time with Franck Muller’s new Tourbillon Double Mystery Unique Piece Hom Nguyen, featuring the artist’s drawing of a child looking up to the sky. 4 The Bag Go loco for Valentino’s refreshed It bag of the season, which brings the minimalist allure of the 1990s to the fore.…

Gibran Baydoun grew up in Las Vegas as the only child of a single mother who worked multiple jobs. “Food, for us, was more of a process,” he says, recalling his mother making meat loaf on a Sunday and iterating the leftovers differently until Thursday. “We’d have it in a sandwich, as a main with salad or potatoes … that’s how we got through the week. We were eating to eat.” But then he had a revelation. “I’d visit my extended family or friends’ houses, and I realised that some of the greatest moments of our lives happen over a table of food,” says the 33-year-old entrepreneur, “that there’s a huge difference between eating, and having or sharing a meal.” That revelation became Baydoun’s resolution, and he has since dedicated…

A TRIO OF LINES Debuting in Feburary at the Exquisite Gucci show, Alessandro Michele’s collaboration with Adidas stands in stark contrast to The Hacker Project, the equestrian-inspired collection he created with Balenciaga last season. The pieces are finally available—see the Adidas Trefoil and three stripes mixed with Gucci’s Interlocking G, Horsebit, Web and GG monograms across ready-to-wear and accessories, including tracksuits, footwear and gym bags. Launched in mid-June with an Eighties-style lookbook, this is the high fashion-meets-sportswear retro chic collection to not only to work out, but also to get dressed up in. PHYGITAL VISION Following the success of its collaboration with Blackpink’s Jennie, Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster has teamed up with Moncler Genius on their second collaboration capsule, with a range of products from eyewear to puffer jackets.…

Botanica is the name of this year’s Blue Book, with heritage motifs from Tiffany & Co reinterpreted in a celebration of flora, showcasing the finest diamonds and coloured gemstones. The exquisite Fleurage bracelet, based on an archive sketch by legendary artist Jean Schlumberger, has been created for the first time. While the original design was considered for the Tiffany diamond, this new creation features aquamarine among the diamonds and 18k gold.…

Boucheron’s Vendôme Liseré solitaire, based on an aerial view of the octagonal Place Vendôme in Paris, has until now only featured a diamond. For this season the style includes the choice of a delectably coloured stone—either blue aquamarine, green tourmaline or pink morganite emerald cut. Like the original, each gem is set with round diamonds, edged with black lacquer, on a diamond pavé white gold band.…

GREAT POINT The dial of Parmigiani Fleurier’s latest Tonda Automatic, fully paved with diamonds, was designed as if a painter had used pointillism—a technique of applying small, distinct dots to form an image—on a canvas. Instead of paint, nearly a thousand diamonds of different sizes are used to form the brand’s distinctive “barley grain” motif. The timepiece is available in either rose gold or white gold with a blue alligator strap. Parmigiani Fleurier Tonda Automatic ALL THE BUZZ Marking the 50th anniversary of Gucci Swiss Timepieces, the design house is launching its second haute horologie collection. Among the new additions is the G-Timeless Dancing Bees, featuring 12 bees engineered to shimmer around the dial as the wearer moves. Each wristwatch is presented in either a green or pink opal dial…

Whenever I have reason to tell off my younger daughter Shasha, for being too mouthy, or sloppy, she always comes back to me with the words, ‘apple’ and ‘tree’. It is a code for that adage “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Everything she is, comes from me. Everything, in short, is my fault. I may be the apple to my father’s tree, but I like to think of our life journeys as two trains running on railroad tracks so close to each other that passing carriages scrape against each other. Of course, Dad’s track is thirty-two years longer than mine. He picked up his chief engineer and steward, Mum, in 1956 and then four more passengers with her in the next eight years. Later, another three were…

Investing in real estate is an attractive proposition due to various factors: it lets you enjoy cash flow and capital gains, grow your portfolio, and diversify your investments. Historically, real estate is also a hedge against inflation, with property values typically increasing more rapidly than the consumer price index. However, such investments can present a number of challenges, not least the financial investment required, which can be substantial. Real estate is also considered an illiquid asset, with a lengthy transactional time frame. Enter online real estate investment platform Fraxtor, which seeks to remove some of the traditional barriers property investors might typically face. An abbreviation of “fractional investors”, Fraxtor helps its clients co-invest in select real estate projects with industry veterans, with minimum investment amounts as low as $20,000, via…

DARREN GABRIEL LEOW A fashion and commercial photographer based in Singapore, Darren Gabriel Leow frequently contributes to Tatler Singapore and other lifestyle publications, as well as shoots campaigns for various local and international brands. This month, he photographs restaurateur Gibran Baydoun and his most personal venture to date, Etta (p.46). KAREN TEE Karen Tee finds joy in sparking inspiration and positive action through her work. Her love for writing is surpassed only by her love for yoga, which is why she considers the mat her second home. This issue, she interviews Bling Empire’s Christine Chiu on how she’s aiming to use her 15 minutes of fame to make a meaningful impact (p.118). CHRISTINE DE LASSUS Christine de Lassus is a fashion stylist, creative consultant and costume designer who has long…

Kimhēkim’s love for giant bows, pinned pearl buttons and exaggerated tailoring is captivating. Contrary to what you might imagine of a Korean fashion label, Kiminte Kimhekim’s fame is not necessarily linked to the rise of K-pop culture or dressing Korean celebrities. Instead, the designer, known professionally as Kimhēkim, gained his cult following of 200,000 Instagram fans because of his distinctive aesthetic: minimalist forms with maximalist details. A former intern at Balenciaga during Nicolas Ghesquière’s era, Kimhekim is profoundly influenced by the craftsmanship, tailoring and archives of Cristóbal Balenciaga. He launched his label in 2014, debuting with a couture collection in a flower shop. “I spent ten years in Paris and as a natural result, I had all the infrastructure needed there. There was really no reason for me to do…

Van Cleef & Arpels has long supported ballet. Can you share the motivation behind branching out to more modern genres through the Dance Reflections initiative? Van Cleef & Arpels has a long history with dance, which is reflected in our jewellery creations. In the 1960s, the maison supported the choreographer George Balanchine, who knew how to bring a form of renewal to the world of dance. Modern dance and contemporary dance have helped write a fascinating history that has continued to evolve from the foundations of classical. It therefore seemed essential to us to also contribute to the preservation of this repertoire and to support contemporary creation. We have a strong link with dance, which translates today into a resolutely holistic approach. Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels marks…

The Masse Mystérieuse from Cartier is aptly named because the watch is absolutely mind-boggling. As visually arresting as the semitransparent timepiece is, with a skeletonised winding rotor, it’s the mechanics that have watch lovers awestruck. The brand has managed to build the 9801 MC automatic movement into the rotor (also known as oscillating mass, hence the name), and moving the watch also winds it by virtue of the rotor swinging around a central gear and winding train. Meanwhile, the hour track cleverly obscures the sapphire disks that allow the crown to “invisibly” set the hour and minute hands. Honestly, don’t even try to understand it; just enjoy the magic.…

Say what you want about Christine Chiu, but there is no denying that the Bling Empire star is photogenic. Whether on screen in the hit reality show or in posts on her personal Instagram account, which keeps her more than 850,000 followers updated on her jet-setting, couture-filled lifestyle, it is clear that Chiu knows her angles. But the seemingly always put together 39-year-old has a confession to make: “My agents and some publicists have told me to stop thanking the paparazzi every time they take my photograph because when I move my mouth and face so much, they’re likely to catch a bad picture,” she tells Tatler over video call from Los Angeles. “But I can’t break out of this habit, so I fall into the trap of having that…

“It’s important to be surrounded by what is real and honest, instead of fake things,” says Axel Vervoordt. “It’s that real thing we’re all looking for, especially now.” Pandemic-induced lockdowns and quarantines have relegated many of us to the domestic sphere, reviving an interest in sprucing up our homes and creating a soothing environment conducive to dealing with social and political upheaval. The Belgian has been engaged in this quest for the “real thing” throughout his career as an interior designer and arts and antiques dealer. In a world where visual culture is oversaturated with artificial, filtered and increasingly digitised imagery, and beauty is synonymous with flawlessnes, Vervoordt’s signature rustic elegance offers tangible relief and a point for reflection. “I’m looking for a universal,” says the designer on his end…

1 SMART CITIES As Asia continues to urbanise, there is growing demand for smart city solutions to solve operational challenges. From smart transport and telemedicine to electronic identities and state-of-the-art communication networks, smart city applications look set to be a growth area. 2 THE METAVERSE Once confined to the realms of science fiction, the development of metaverses is a trend to watch. Already prevalent in the gaming sector, these virtual shared spaces are now being used as an avenue for digital asset ownership. 3 GOLD The price of gold has been on a broadly upward trend since December due to its status as an inflation hedge. As a safe haven asset, the value has risen further following the uncertainty created by the conflict in Ukraine. 4 DEFENSIVE STOCKS With inflation…

As Asians, we often find it difficult to discuss [intergenerational wealth transfer] with our families, so education is key Changes have been afoot at HSBC Life Singapore. In August last year, the financial institution announced a US$529 million deal to acquire AXA Singapore, another local insurance company, then appointed industry veteran Ho Lee Yen as its CEO less than a month later. Clearly, the business has ambitions to scale up and establish itself as one of Asia’s leading wealth managers. It’s a goal that Ho, who has more than 25 years of experience in the industry, shares keenly. In this exclusive interview, she offers insights on the business as well as Singapore’s wealth management landscape as a whole. Are there unique advantages to having HSBC Life as an integrated part…