Wee Teng Wen

Photography: Joel Lim; Styling: Sifra Vania; Grooming: Chris Siow using Cle De Peau Beauté and Revlon Professional; Location: Straits Clan

From rooftop bars to contemporary members’ clubs, many of the hotels and restaurants beloved by Singapore’s well-heeled urbanites were first dreamed up by Wee Teng Wen’s Lo & Behold Group. The co-founder and managing partner of this hospitality company runs a stable of award-winning establishments, including chef Julien Royer’s Odette, currently number one on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants List; The Warehouse Hotel; and members’ club Straits Clan.

“Over the last decade, I’m happy to have created and nurtured 14 vastly different concepts, all backed by a team of passionate hospitality professionals hellbent on making Singapore a little more fun and lovable,” says Wee. Lo & Behold also recently joined the new F&B Sustainability Council, which aims to support local food and beverage establishments in becoming more sustainable. Says Wee: “The New Asia is culturally confident and socially responsible. We are blessed to be here in Singapore, in the right place at the right time.” Wee likes to maintain a low profile in the press, and he answers one personal question with typical humility: asked to name his claim to fame, he responds, “Marrying my wife, the artist Dawn Ng.”

Ivan Pun

Photography: Amanda Kho

Entrepreneur and art patron Ivan Pun is the brains behind Pun + Projects, a lifestyle company that has launched some of the most exciting bars and restaurants in Yangon, including Burmese brasserie The Pansodan and health-food-focused Locale. Pun splits his time between Yangon and Hong Kong, where he supports several art and design organisations, including the Asia Art Archive and Design Trust.

 Jennifer Woo

Photography: Virgile Simon Bertrand; Styling: Mira Uttamchandani; Hair: Jean Tong and Roy Yuen; Make-up: Megumi Sekine, Antonia Rudebeck, Priscilla Yu and Hiromi Brown

One of the most powerful executives in fashion, Jennifer Woo is chairman and CEO of Lane Crawford Joyce Group, the parent company of retailers Lane Crawford, Joyce and Pedder Group, as well as brand management Imaginex Group, which introduced labels such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, Prada and Cartier to Mainland China.

Today, from the company’s headquarters in Hong Kong, Woo and her team work with more than 1,600 brands and operate more than 600 points of sale across Mainland China and Southeast Asia.

Loui Lim

Photography: Jacob Liu; Styling: Mira Uttamchandani; Hair: Jean Tong; Grooming: Antonia Rudebeck

Lim is literally making waves in his family business as executive vice-president of new ship designs for Genting Cruise Lines, which was founded by his grandfather, the late Malaysian billionaire Lim Goh Tong. Lim hopes to shift the company’s focus from gaming to travel, wellness and entertainment—he once designed a roller coaster theme park on top of a cruise ship.

“I try to bring a fresh perspective and new set of eyes to the table,” he says. With a background in luxury travel, it’s no surprise that he’s had some epic experiences—from taking a sunrise safari via hot air balloon over Kenya’s Maasai Mara reserve to trekking through the Vietnamese jungle to camping inside the largest cave in the world.

Chen Man

Photography: Jing Yuke; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: Ronald Koo

Beijing native Chen Man is a contemporary Chinese fashion photographer known for mixing traditional techniques with modern 3D rendering software. Her big break came in 2003 when she photographed a series of covers for Vision, a design and art magazine based in China. “The cover of the first issue of Vision was taken when I was still in college,” she says. “I used a lot of post-production and four software programs to complete a photo.”

Man is also a muse of many fashion brands, including Shang Xia, the Hermès-backed Chinese luxury house. “The New Asia to me is a mixed Asia,” Man says. “The east is not the pure east and the west is not the pure west. The future and the past are mixed together.”

Douglas Woo

Photography: Affa Chan; Location: The Murray, Hong Kong

The son of Peter and Bessie Woo, and brother of Jennifer Woo, succeeded his father as the head of Hong Kong’s storied Wharf-Wheelock behemoth in 2014. Douglas Woo eschews black-tie galas for gym time, and ostentation for understated elegance—a trait that resulted from his years as an architecture student at Princeton.

Together with his father, Woo led the transformation of Central’s iconic mid-century government block Murray Building into The Murray, a stunning hotel that was chosen as the location for Woo’s photoshoot. During the shoot—his first-ever for Tatler and one of the very few he has agreed to in recent years—Woo was contemplative as he stood on the rooftop and surveyed Central, the scene of much recent unrest. But, with a stoic gaze, he also exuded a quiet confidence that Hong Kong—like The Murray itself—will be reborn.

Otto Ng

Photography: Jacob Liu; Styling: Mira Uttamchandani; Hair: Jean Tong; Grooming: Antonia Rudebeck

 

Ng is a breath of fresh air in Hong Kong’s design community. As the co-founder and design director of LAAB Architects, he has made a name for himself for his airy, nature-inspired spaces, including the Bohemian Garden, Nature Discovery Park and Opera Theatre at K11 Musea. “I’m trained as an architect, but I’d say I’m more like a storyteller,” he says. “I tell stories about a place and its community through the media of architecture and art.”

Joe Flizzow

Photography: Khairul Imran; Stylist: Andrea Kee; Styling Assistant: Sarah Hamzah

 

Ever since he was a child, Joe Flizzow knew he wanted to be a musician. Born to a family of entertainers, he began rapping at the age of 11. He started out as a member of the award-winning Malaysian hip-hop duo, Too Phat, with Malique Ibrahim. “We went through a lot of hardship to put our first album out, and ended up doing it independently, needing to borrow money from my parents,” says Flizzow. “I am grateful to my family for being there, every step of the way.” Since then, he has made it his life’s mission to expand the hip-hop music scene for local artists by founding his own music label, Kartel Records, promoting their music and scouting new talents.

He also launched 16 Baris, a rap cypher show in collaboration with Rocketfuel Entertainment as a platform to showcase emerging Southeast Asian hip-hop acts. Each episode features three fresh-faced MCs and rappers, often from Singapore, Malaysia or Indonesia, engaging in a cypher and freestyling over 16 bars, thus lending the show its name. In 2019, Flizzow again came into the spotlight when Universal Music Group launched Def Jam South East Asia to focus on its vibrant hip-hop scene and brought Kartel’s artists into the company. Flizzow became managing director of Def Jam South East Asia—a milestone for this businessman, who also owns his own chain of barbershops, Joe’s Barber. This year he will complete another major union—with his forthcoming nuptials to fellow artist and long-time girlfriend Nini Ramlan.

Datin Vivy Yusof

Photography: Khairul Imran; Styling: Andrea Kee; Headscarf Stylist: Fazreen Nawawi; Make-up: Noriana Mohamad Nazuir; Styling Assistant: Sarah Hamzah; Location: The LIDO Roof Top Bar at Alila Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur

It takes confidence to live in the spotlight with authenticity—something Vivy Yusof does with grace. She built her name as a dynamic entrepreneur behind fashion e-commerce empire Fashion Valet, with her husband Dato’ Fadza Anuar, and created a popular collection of head- scarves and cosmetics under the label dUCk (named after a character named D). When she isn’t juggling her two businesses or vlogging her life on her popular YouTube channel, she is a hands-on mother to three children.

Alan Lo & Yenn Wong

Photography: Olivier Yoan; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: Jean Tong; Make-up: Antonia Rudebeck; Location: Louise, Hong Kong

As individuals, Alan Lo and Yenn Wong each have a string of successful restaurants to their name; as a husband-and-wife team, they have a culinary empire. Through their companies—Classified Group and Jia Group, respectively—they own and operate some of the city’s buzziest restaurants, including The Pawn, Duddell’s and Louise.

Lo is also a major patron of the arts—he sits on the board of Hong Kong arts space Para Site and on Tate Modern’s Asia Pacific Acquisition Committee, among many others.

Talenia Phua Gajardo

Photography: Joel Lim; Styling: Sifra Vania; Hair: Den Ng; Make-up: Keith Bryant Lee

 

After beginning her career at Zaha Hadid Architects in London, this Singaporean-Chilean returned to Asia in 2013 and turned to entrepreneurship inspired by her passion for art and design. She founded online art platform and advisory The Artling to showcase the work of Asian artists, and Luxglove, a curated shopping portal for the resale of luxury items such as vintage cars and watches.

In 2019, she launched The Artling China, an appointment-only showroom in Shanghai’s trendy Jing’an district where guests can view contemporary Asian art and design in person. Known for sticking to a classic wardrobe in eternally on-trend black, Phua Gajardo cuts an elegant figure at art fairs and exhibition openings. When she’s not sussing out the art scene, though, you can find her in the embrace of nature. “Jungle hikes are my favourite thing to do in my spare time,” she reveals. For this art lover, the New Asia has a distinctly humanist definition: “To me, it’s about more meaningful, lasting and purposeful relationships.” And for aspiring entrepreneurs, she has these words of wisdom: “Persistence and attitude are key.”

Chen Xuzhi

Photography: Jeffrey Wong; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: KiKi Lu; Make-up: Sharon Xu

Chen Xuzhi is the designer behind Xu Zhi, a London-based label stocked in Dover Street Market, Lane Crawford and Tokyo’s Beams. Xuzhi’s textile innovation and construction techniques earned him nominations for the LVMH and Woolmark prizes in 2016.

Lindsay Jang & Matt Abergel

Photography: Affa Chan; Styling: Mira Uttamchandani; Hair: Jean Tong; Make-up: Antonia Rudebeck

 

Abergel and Jang have cultivated a community with their restaurants Yardbird Hong Kong and Ronin, and their online lifestyle store, Sunday’s Grocery. Not only is Yardbird Hong Kong a contemporary Japanese yakitori restaurant and one of the city’s most waitlist-worthy dining experiences, but also it’s a masterpiece in branding, having collaborated with labels such as Vans and Stussy.

Last year, Abergel launched his first cookbook, Chicken and Charcoal, published by Phaidon. “Yardbird Hong Kong is our dream restaurant, a place where I can cook the food I love, create the environment I have always envisioned, and be surrounded by both my family and best friends,” he says. For fun, we asked each to name a guilty pleasure. For Abergel, it’s “bad California rolls,” and for Jang, “pizza.”

Nur Fazura

Photography: Ricky Lo; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: Ckay Liow; Make-up: KF Bong; Styling Assistant: Mira Uttamchandani; Location: Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur

It is a well-known fact that Malaysian actress, singer, TV host, VJ and entrepreneur Nur Fazura travels around Kuala Lumpur with an entourage. Some people paint her as a diva but Fazura just claims to be a people person at heart and treats her inner circle of assistants, stylists and managers like family. Fazura’s career took off in the early noughties when she landed a breakout role in the popular local film Gol & Gincu (something like Bend It Like Beckham meets Legally Blonde).

The gutsy tale of a young, spoilt woman challenging stereotypes to start her own futsal team made her a household name. Since then, she has starred in some 26 movies and 12 TV series, and has her own reality show, Facing Up to Fazura, on E! News Asia. Recently she launched her own label, Fazbulous, and is working on a beauty product line as well. “I live life with no regrets,” she says. “Try everything. Fail or succeed, at least you’ve tried.”

Han Chong

Photography: Adrian Mesko

 

Malaysia-born, London-based Han Chong was one of the first designers to infuse a social-media strategy into a label’s DNA, in his case the label Self-Portrait, which he launched in 2013. “Clothing nowadays needs to be photogenic and [because of that] our lace dress really took off and became a part of our signature style,” he says. With just a few snaps by the right influencers, Self-Portrait saw a meteoric rise in sales at Selfridges the following year.

“I was a poor student once, and had special occasions and wanted to dress up, but my friends and I couldn’t find pieces that were special that didn’t break the bank,” he says. “Fashion is not just for the girls who have tons of money; it just didn’t feel right to make someone spend £2,000 on a dress when some people are still struggling to get food.” Now beloved by schoolgirls and celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon and Beyoncé alike, the Central Saint Martins’ alum is a New York Fashion Week staple and launched his first ever swimwear collection to much fanfare in late 2019.

Yang Yuancao

Photography: Jeffrey Wong; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: KiKi Lu; Make-up: Sharon Xu

Television executive Yang Yuancao—whose English name is Rebecca—has been responsible for the development of top TV shows in Mainland China including China’s Got Talent and The Voice of China at IPCN, a leading entertainment business, production house and broadcasting consultancy. In 2015, she and Belle Sauvage jointly launched the fashion brand I.AM. Her advice is straight to the point: “Respect human nature and follow logic.”

Kevin L Tan

Photography: Artu Nepomuceno; Styling: Meg Manzano; Grooming: John Estrella

 

Tan discovered his passion for property development when he was tasked with starting his family’s mall business. Now, he is one of the youngest tycoons in the Philippines, having taken over from his father as the CEO of Alliance Global Group Inc in 2018. This growing conglomerate is also one of the country’s most diverse, with interests in commercial development, real estate, and food and beverage, including ownership of Megaworld, Travellers International Hotel Group and Emperador Inc.

Tan played a pivotal role in Emperador’s overseas expansion, including the acquisition of Bodegas Fundador Pedro Domecq of Spain and Whyte & Mackay of Scotland. “The world is paying more attention to Asian countries like the Philippines,” says Tan. “Asian countries now enjoy an even greater influence over a much broader global audience who have become much more aware and appreciative of our culture, whether it’s our cuisine, performing arts, fashion or even music.”

Rayi Putra Rahardjo & Nindy Ayunda

Photography: Pierre Dal Corso; Styling: Syan Leung; Hair: Osha Puspita Sari; Make-up: Archangela Chelsea

Rayi Putra Rahardjo—better known as Rayi and as a member of RAN, a trio he has been a part of since 2006—had already decided on his career path by early adolescence. “I had known that I wanted to be a musician since middle school,” he says. “I don’t know what else I would be doing if it wasn’t music.” In high school, with his schoolmate Asta and some friends, Rayi formed a group called F.R.D., which stood for Funk Rap Disco, and won several music competitions before they disbanded after graduation. Then in 2006, Rayi and Asta formed RAN with Nino, another schoolmate, to compete in the Indonesian Song Festival hosted by JakTV. They won second place with their song “Pandangan Pertama” and signed a contract with Universal Music Indonesia. Their debut album RAN for Your Life was released in 2007. Rayi—who draws his influences from names like Pharell Williams and Kanye West—has also been working on side projects and been featured in songs by other famous young musicians such as Isyana Sarasvati, Billy Simpson and Marion Jola. (Still, he lists Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift among his guilty pleasures.) Despite having been successful with his own personal projects, Rayi still prefers working with his group. “I enjoy doing both actually,” he says, “but if I had to pick between working solo or working with my group, I’d still choose to be with my group because I know I would always be surrounded by my friends.” Asked whether he feels like he has accomplished everything that he hoped, Rayi answers: “Maybe I have, but ‘the game’ in this industry is not about how high you can go, but rather about how long can you stay here.” He shares his underlying principle of how he defines success: “Bringing joy to people through my music is what success means to me.”

Nindy Ayunda stepped into stardom competing on Olay Duet with Audy in 2006 when she was 17 and still in high school. After winning the talent show she then collaborated with Audy and released the single that made her famous, Untuk Sahabat. “I’ve always loved singing ever since I was very young, but I had never thought that it would be my career path,” she says. “It was my father who convinced me that I could make it as a singer. He was very supportive of me and often accompanied me to singing competitions when I was a kid.” Since then, she has released her own albums and singles and even starred in a movie, as well as commercials and many other projects, and she’s looking forward to more. “There are no limits to your dreams. I still have a lot to achieve, especially for my mum and dad,” she says. “Right now, I’m grateful for where I am and for being appreciated for my work.” Nindy, who has a passionate interest in fashion, says that she’s preparing to spread her wings into the business world. “I want to run my own companies, especially in fashion and cuisine. I’m still conducting research to find out what the younger market is into now, especially as the market will only grow bigger in the future,” she says.

Liang Zhouyang

Photography: Zhou Hau; Styling: Dora Fung; Hair: Yang Song; Make-up: Shang Yi Chen; Styling Assistant: Li Da

 

Liang Zhouyang, the great-granddaughter of China’s famous architect couple Liang Sicheng and Lin Huiyin, is an advocate of green development and environmental protection. In 2018, she was invited by the US-China Green Fund to be head of the US-China Environmental Protection Foundation. Under her leadership, the foundation has launched the programme Into the Campus to provide lessons on waste production and environmental protection to pupils.

Georgina Wilson-Burnand

Photography: Artu Nepomuceno; Styling: Meg Manzano; Hair: Paul Nebres; Make-up: Jelly Eugenio

Georgina Wilson-Burnand rose to prominence as a model, host and VJ. Still a regular face in endorsements and publications, she is known across Asia for her many hosting gigs, including Asia’s Next Top Model and Miss Indonesia. Wilson-Burnand is brand director of Sunnies Studios, a company that sells stylish sunglasses and prescription eyewear. The business has expanded its portfolio to include a restaurant (Sunnies Café) and a make-up line (Sunnies Face).

Sunnies Face, in particular, was incredibly quick to gain traction among beauty enthusiasts, and has launched a collaboration with model-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who curated two limited-edition kits for the brand. “Asia is where it is happening,” she says. “It is what the rest of the world wants to be part of.”

Kim Jones

Photography: Patrick Diokno; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: Jeff Valenzuela; Make-up: Sylvina Lopez; Styling Assistant: Mira Uttamchandani

This all-around digital creative force—writer, art director, stylist and photographer rolled into one—started her career as an anonymous resident of the blogosphere. Her initial aim was collating keepsakes such as photos, poems and art in a virtual space. An advocate of promoting Southeast Asian talent to an international audience, Jones launched The Fore, a design collaboration series and e-commerce website that highlights up-and-coming talents from the region.

Through this venture, Jones endeavours to reframe the way we look at consumption and ethical fashion, hoping to add value to an already saturated platform.

Chatri Sityodtong

Photography: Darren Leow; Styling: Sifra Vania; Grooming: Zhou Aiyi at Makeup Entourage using Urban Decay and Keune

The founder, chairman and CEO of mixed martial arts sports league One Championship started learning muay thai when he was 13, then taught it to classmates while studying at Harvard Business School, and eventually turned his love for martial arts into a business that has become Asia’s MMA juggernaut. In 2019, One Championship announced the launch of its e-sports series, and its milestone 100th live event drew a record-breaking 85 million viewers worldwide—a number Chatri characteristically describes as one that “barely scratched the surface of the full viewership potential in Asia.”

While this Thai-Japanese entrepreneur’s drive and ambition are always apparent, Chatri has a softer side too. He says he can cook “a mean plate of fried rice,” always orders dessert (chocolate cake is his guilty pleasure) and counts a street-food stall in Bangkok’s Soi 26 as his favourite restaurant in the world. “Dare to live your dreams,” says Chatri. “To me, the New Asia means no limits, no boundaries, no impossibilities.”

Lauren Khoo

Photography: Olivier Yoan; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: Jean Tong; Make-up: Jaime Smith; Location: Chaiwala, Hong Kong

Now splitting her time between Singapore, Hong Kong and New York, Lauren Khoo’s background informs her designs—she has been inspired by gummy bears (a favourite childhood snack) and the animals of the Chinese zodiac. When she launched her jewellery collection Lauren X Khoo in 2014, her designs were picked up by cult boutiques Colette and Dover Street Market New York almost immediately.

Since then, the brand’s cool factor has only grown, with vaunted stockists such as Moda Operandi and a collection that debuted at an Oscar de la Renta show at New York Fashion Week last year. Says Khoo: “The New Asia is the celebration of talent and like-minded individuals nurturing their ambitions.”

ML Piyapas Bhirombhakdi

Photography: Tom Hoops; Styling: Daneenart Burakasikorn; Hair: Thanakorn Chanhom; Make-up: Thanakorn Chanhom; Styling Assistants: Jittida Kemkomnerd and Chata Kaewudon

The daughter of the late courtier MR Yongsawasdi Krida- korn, a deputy director of the Crown Property Bureau, and Thanpuying Viyada, former lady-in-waiting and personal dresser to Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother, Piyapas very much followed in the parental footsteps when she took over her mother’s position to become an aide to Queen Sirikit herself.

A royal descendant in her own right—she is a great-granddaughter of Prince Nares Varariddhi, a son of King Mongkut (Rama IV)—this A-lister is also an actress renowned primarily for her appearance in the title role of the 2001 Thai box office hit The Legend of Suriyothai. Her other interests include a business partnership with Poruethai Narongdej in Guts Entertainment, a producer of drama series for local TV.

Royce Hong

Photography: Lim Tse-Wei; Styling: Seam Xu and Lyla Cheng; Grooming: Fiona Li

Royce Hong, known as “the one who created Taiwan’s first electric race car,” is the owner or CEO of three companies: Panasonic Taiwan, IPEVO and Xing Mobility. Born in Hollywood, he has worked and lived in Taipei for most of his life. He first founded the architecture and design firm XRANGE with his wife, architect Grace Cheung, then IPEVO, an upstart maker of interactive education devices now used in over 60 per cent of US K12 schools.

In 2015, he co-founded XING Mobility, a startup developing advanced electric vehicle technologies through racing and supercars, with former Tesla engineer Azizi Tucker. By creating the Immersion-Cooled Modular Battery Pack System, Royce not only made his supercar dream come true, but also provides a resource-efficient technology that allows vehicle makers across multiple industries to rapidly replace their petrol engines with electric drivetrains.

Kezia Toemion

Photography: Pierre Dal Corso; Styling: Syan Leung; Hair: Osha Puspita Sari; Make-up: Archangela Chelsea

Kezia Joy Toemion’s passion for beauty products has turned a love for make-up and beauty into a career. “It has always been a dream of mine to start my own cosmetics company,” she says. “Working in the beauty industry is one of my greatest passions, and I wanted to have a career that I love, which is perfectly aligned with that passion.” With her best friend Cindy Angelina, Kezia has become a rising player in Indonesia’s cosmetics industry with ESQA Cosmetics, a vegan brand made using premium-quality ingredients free from harmful additives.

“Enjoy every minute of your journey and keep pushing yourself to be a better version of you with new milestones,” she says. “I am very grateful to have checked a lot of the boxes when it comes to my goals. But setting clearer and newer goals can be beneficial in several ways, one of which is to keep you from becoming stagnant.”

André Chiang

Photography: Lim Tse-Wei; Styling: Seam Xu and Lyla Cheng; Grooming: Fiona Li

André Chiang has become one of the most successful chefs in his hometown of Taipei. Chiang started cooking at age 13 during his formative years as a student in France and joined the three-Michelin-starred Le Jardin des Sens in his 20s. Armed with an array of culinary experiences, he went on to open a number of exceptional restaurants of his own in Singapore, Taipei and Paris, including Restaurant André (now closed), Burnt Ends and RAW, each of which have earned Michelin stars or ranked on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants lists. More recently, he opened The Bridge restaurant in Chengdu, China.

 Kris Wu

Wu is a pop-rap phenomenon who has taken Asia, especially China, by storm. He first broke onto the scene as a member of Chinese-Korean boy band Exo, but since going solo he’s been blazing his own trail as an actor, musician and fashion figure. He’s collaborated with Burberry and with Bulgari as a brand ambassador, and he attended Louis Vuitton’s men’s fall-winter 2020 show in Paris, where he rubbed shoulders with Bella Hadid and Takashi Murakami.

Ying Chao Kuo

Photography: Lim Tse-Wei; Styling: Seam Xu and Lyla Cheng; Grooming: Fiona Li

Ying Chao Kuo is the principal architect of Bio-architecture Formosana. He has won numerous sustainability awards for his designs and was the recipient of the 12th Annual Outstanding Architects Award in 2011. The studio’s Bei-Tou Library, one of the most celebrated green building in Taiwan, has been listed as one of the 25 most beautiful community libraries in the world. He says, “You don’t need to be a businessman to do good business.”

Jonathan Cheung

Photography: Olivier Yoan; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: Sapphire Shen; Grooming: Gary Chung; Location: Stockton, Hong Kong

Every city has a “one to know” when it comes to staying in the loop with the hottest parties and events. In Hong Kong, that someone is Jonathan Cheung, or “JC.” Cheung is co-founder of the PR, marketing and events company Buzz Agency as well as a patron of the arts; during Hong Kong Art Week 2019, he and Edward Tang hosted an intimate cocktail reception at The China Club in honour of Maria Balshaw, director of the UK’s Tate museums and galleries.

Lynn Ban

Photography: Joel Lim; Styling: Sifra Vania; Hair: Den Ng; Make-up: Keith Bryant Lee

 

Lizzo is the pop world’s diva of the moment, having kicked off 2020 with her first Rolling Stone cover. On the newly anointed star’s fingers: rings by Singapore’s Lynn Ban. The jewellery designer’s edgy creations have been part of several iconic moments in recent pop culture history, including adorning Beyoncé’s wrists in the groundbreaking 2016 Formation music video. But perhaps the pop star most associated with Ban is Rihanna, who has called the designer her fairy godmother.

Ban moved to New York with her family as a child, subsequently spent time in Hong Kong, Singapore and Paris, and has been based in New York since the 1990s. Before launching her eponymous jewellery line in 2011, she ran a vintage fashion business. Her network from the latter gave her a boost when she moved into jewellery, and these days her pieces can be found in upscale boutiques in the US, Australia, Russia, and, of course, Singapore. “I’m proud to be a part of this creative, impactful and powerful New Asia whose myriad achievements are being recognised on an international scale,” she says.

Padmanabh Singh, Shalini & Samir Kasliwal

Photography: Bikramjit Bose; Styling: James Lalthanzuala; Hair and Make-up: Kritika Gill; Styling Assistant: Sherwin Court; Production: Elements; Production Location: City Palace, Jaipur

 

India may have abolished royal titles decades ago, but this jet-setting polo player is nevertheless informally known as the Maharajah of Jaipur and has been granted all of the pomp and ceremonial blessings of such a title since it was bestowed upon him in 2011, when he was just 12. Singh has approached the role more as that of an ambassador for Jaipur and sought to further promote the glamour of the Pink City and its long association with polo.

Siblings Shalini and Samir, the children of Gem Palace creative director Sanjay Kasliwal, continue to play important roles in the family business. Shalini is CEO of Sanjay Kasliwal USA, and is driving the company’s expansion into the US, while Samir is partner and designer.

Julien Royer

Photography: Joel Lim; Styling: Sifra Vania; Hair: Den Ng; Grooming: Keith Bryant Lee; Location: Odette, Singapore

 

This chef-restaurateur grew up on a farm in France’s Auvergne region, and both his parents are well-versed in the art and science of helping things grow. “I come from a humble background, but we always ate very well, and that’s what ultimately made me who I am today,” he says. Family is clearly close to his heart—Odette, the much-lauded restaurant he runs at the National Gallery Singapore, is named after his maternal grandmother, while his new Hong Kong bistro Louise pays tribute to his paternal grandmother.

Royer joined the food industry at age 16, and since arriving in Singapore in 2008 has earned numerous accolades. In 2019, Odette bagged the top spot on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list and received three Michelin stars. “I have been very lucky to be able to write my own story in this restaurant,” he says. Business partner Wee Teng Wen of The Lo & Behold Group “gave me a lot of freedom, so we could build the menu and atmosphere step by step. In fact, he believes that “in a city like Paris, I don’t think anybody would have bet on such a young chef. The energy in Asia is unique. What I like about being here is that there is space and encouragement for everyone who wants to create something. It’s not about who you are, it’s about what you do.”

Jiang Qiong Er

Photography: Jeffrey Wong; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: KiKi Lu; Make-up: Sharon Xu

Jiang Qiong Er, founder of lifestyle brand Shang Xia, combines traditional crafts with contemporary design. Her business advice is as elegant as her designs: “Always be real, be kind, be beautiful.”

Wong Mun Summ & Richard Hassell

Photography: Darren Leow; Location: Parkroyal Collection Pickering, Singapore

The founding directors of architecture firm Woha put sustainability at the centre of their practice when they founded their company in 1994, and this forward-thinking ethos has found a deeper resonance in this age of escalating climate crises. At the forthcoming sustainability-focused Expo 2020 Dubai in October, Woha will unveil its design for the Singapore pavilion (look out for a net-zero energy rainforest). The firm also designed the masterplan for Singapore’s Punggol Digital District, a tech-centric development slated to open from 2023.

Judging by their conceptions of the New Asia, Wong and Hassell are still pushing at the boundaries of convention and coming at the world in unexpected ways. “To me, it means being future-positive, open-minded and willing to try new things; embracing change but being rooted in tradition at the same time,” says Wong. For his part, Hassell, who is also an artist, brings up the growing influence of distinctively Asian urban cultures on other parts of the world. “One example of that culture would be cosplay, which adds a colourful layer to people’s lives and is something they can put on and take off.”

Feiping Chang

Photography: Olivier Yoan; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: Jean Tong; Make-up: Gary Chung; Location: Madame Fu, Hong Kong

A fixture on Hong Kong’s social scene, Chang made headlines for her lavish 2017 wedding to financier Lincoln Li in Capri, where the pair restored part of the historic Villa Lysis in order to be the first couple to wed there. The bride wore custom Giambattista Valli. Asked if she had any regrets, she demurred: “No regrets, despite many eye rolls from my best friend Jonathan Cheung.”

Victoria Tang-Owen & Rocco

Photography: Olivier Yoan; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: Sapphire Shen; Make-up: Gary Chung

 

Victoria, the daughter of the late Sir David Tang, was named Shanghai Tang’s creative director in October 2018 and in late 2019, she launched her debut collection for the brand. “Not only can I inject my new vision into it, my new interpretation: I can reimagine what Shanghai Tang was and what Shanghai Tang could be. That’s the journey I’m excited to take,” says Tang-Owen, who is married to Christopher Owen, with whom she has one son, Rocco. Outside her role in fashion, Tang-Owen is the president of the Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association.

“We are seeing more and more emerging creative talents from the Philippines, Thailand, Korea and other Asian countries, which is giving the region a cool vibe,” she says. “For me, it’s about celebrating a Chinese perspective and culture— our recent collaboration with Chinese artist Xu Bing encapsulates that. He used his Square Word Calligraphy series and adapted the phrase ‘Created by Chinese’ for Shanghai Tang.”

Fiona McLeish

Photography: Olivier Yoan; Styling: Christopher Kim; Hair: Jean Tong; Make-up: Zing Makeup; Location: Madame Fu, Hong Kong

Scottish-Chinese model Fiona McLeish’s star has been steadily on the rise since she was signed to Kim Chou’s Style International Management Group, which represents some of Asia’s most recognisable faces, including Angelababy, Kiko Mizuhara and Lynn Xiong. Fiona is engaged to streetwear magnate Kevin Poon, and the pair regularly travel the world to attend the most coveted events and fashion shows.

Kevin Kwan

Photography: Jessica Chou; Styling: Christopher Kim; Grooming: Chechel Joson at Dew Beauty Agency

"To me, the New Asia represents a world of possibility." says Kevin Kwan, bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians and its sequels, China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems. "Its future may be unformed, but it’s one that looks forward versus looking towards the past. In so many other regions, in Europe and the United States, there is a nostalgia for what once was, whereas in Asia, you feel this dynamism of people really wanting to look to the future and all the possibilities it may bring."