The July 2019 issue of Singapore Tatler features three retail scions who are taking on the Big Apple, and then, the world
It was a quiet, misty Saturday morning in May. We were in Brooklyn, right at the corner of John Street and Adam Street, and we’ve got quite the view.
Mae Tan, and twins Brandon and Julien Leo are nailing this issue’s cover shot, in front of the majestic dusty‑blue Manhattan Bridge, which is shrouded in fog.
The three Singaporeans are old friends, who haven’t seen each other in a while—the Leo twins have been studying in New York City for the past two years, while Mae will be moving over in August. Both their families are influential retail players in Asia, but these scions have dropped everything to make their own way here.
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Brandon and Julien Leo
They are the 23-year-old twin sons of Tina Tan‑Leo and Lionel Leo, prominent names and entrepreneurs in Singapore’s fashion retail scene during the 1990s and early 2000s. Mum was most noted for founding fashion retailer The Link Group, and bringing in the Gianni Versace brand onto our shores in the late 1970s. She’s now focused on Privato, a company that curates luxury trunk shows for top private customers.
“Dad’s company is One Road Capital, which works on various projects related to China’s Belt and Road initiative,” explains Julien, the younger of the two brothers.
School and music
While they used to help out with Privato trunk shows, now they’ve got music on their minds and are working hard to make a name of themselves in the notoriously tough industry. The twins are studying at the Gallatin School of Individualised Study, a college within New York University (NYU) that offers them the flexibility to create their own interdisciplinary course. There, they blend music, film, acting and business courses.
Outside of school, they create music together under the name Sky 2, which is derived from their Chinese names Tien You and Tien Tong (tien means “sky” in Mandarin), as well as with a larger musical group called Kin Collective.