The last few months have been eventful for Rachel Lim, co-founder of Love, Bonito, the Singapore label known for feminine pieces that are perfectly engineered for Asian women. In August 2022, the company embarked on a brand refresh anchored on the empowering tagline, “Come Into Your Own”. Then, in October 2022, it raised US$50 million via a funding round and acquired activewear brand Butter, relaunching it as Cheak, about which Lim said to Tatler, “It has great quality, fit and price—the same thing they already get from Love, Bonito”. 

Reports have also surfaced of plans for its first US store in 2023, as well as an IPO in the near future. But back to style: Love, Bonito leans into the festive season with its latest releases: an organza babydoll dress with poufy bell sleeves, a romantic tie-waist dress in dusty lavender or a minimalist pleated knit dress. Take your pick from its online shop or physical locations in Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Cambodia.

Read Rachel Lim’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential 

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Motoguo, the first Southeast Asian label to be nominated for the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers, is a collaboration among friends: creative director Moto Guo, creative director Kinder Eng and business director Jay Perry Ang. Together, they established the fashion brand as a font of avant-garde and genderless expressions. And with each whimsical and odd collection, the label has advanced the idea that clothes can be worn by anyone regardless of identity. 

Its spring-summer 2023 collection, dubbed Para-Para Phantasia, provokes wonder with a miniature of a T-shirt dress stitched on a regular-sized T-shirt dress for a double effect and a knit twin set emblazoned with an all-over confetti print—and then further embellished with fringe trim. In short, Motoguo emphasises the joy of dressing. Which is the right mood for the season of celebrations. 

Read Moto Guo’s, Kinder Eng’s and Jay Perry Ang’s full profiles on Asia’s Most Influential

Rajo Laurel’s creations are worn by elegant women such as actress and beauty queen Charlene Gonzales, who accompanied her daughter Atasha at this year’s Le Bal des Débutantes. For the occasion, Laurel dreamed up a modern interpretation of traditional Filipino garments, the tapis and the panuelo, into an evening number punctuated by a bow-topped billowy sleeve. 

The designer, who also joined the debut season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Philippines as one of its judges, has just released the second volume of Miro, his holiday collection inspired by the Spanish painter Joan Miro. Apart from splashes of colour, expect even more feminine confections: soft pleated textiles, which are draped, layered or tied to create fluid silhouettes that float over the body. 

Read Rajo Laurel’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential 

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Justin Chou, who founded Just In XX, the boundary-pushing Taiwanese label that describes itself as a meditation on the contrasts of “east and west, tradition and modernity”, employs the full power of fashion as a medium for expression. During Taiwan’s local elections, the designer invited friends for a fashionable flash mob that reminded everyone of the importance of casting their votes. 

Chou has recently collaborated with the National Palace Museum, for which he transformed his admiration for its treasures into a wearable piece. Adopting the Indian lotus pattern from a Qianlong-period stove, he created an open-collar shirt with 3D pockets (and mini pockets within the pockets) that allude to the usefulness of the art object. In the end, Chou said he wanted to create a piece that “we would want to wear”. 

Read Justin Chou’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Tatler Asia's Most Influential is the definitive list of people shaping our world today. Asia's Most Influential brings together the region's most innovative changemakers, industry titans and thought leaders who are driving positive impact in Asia and beyond. View the full list here.

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