Layla Pi

Born into a scholarly Chinese family where intellect was considered the highest form of elegance, Layla Pi grew up surrounded by books, fabrics and conviction. The daughter of a scholar‑entrepreneur recalls an incident where her grandfather, an always impeccably dressed economist, told her, horrified, that “a lady never wears slippers in public” after she arrived at the airport in flip-flops. He bought her a pair of black Ferragamos the next day and the rest, as the saying goes, is fashion history.

Now a private equity investor, entrepreneur and committee member for the National Gallery Singapore’s 10th‑anniversary gala—a role she says is close to her heart—Pi moves with quiet precision between boardrooms and cultural institutions, her style bridging worlds with Dior suits, silk skirts and heels that ground more than just posture. “Style is part of how I align my inner world with the outer one,” she says—and it shows.

Previously based in the US, Pi arrived in Singapore after the birth of her first child, trading Newport Beach for the gentle rhythms of this city‑state, and while it was not love at first sight, she now calls it home. She admires the boldness of Chinese fashion and the considered grace of Singaporean style, and dresses with a blend of both. Her most treasured piece? A contemporary terno, the national dress of the Philippines, worn while hosting a gala at the National Museum of the Philippines—a gown that speaks not of excess but of connection, culture and courage.

Style, to Pi, is not a performance—it is a philosophy. And she wears it like a well‑cut blazer: soft‑spoken, sharply defined.