If there is one thing good that can be said about having been in the industry for as long as I have, it’s that I have definitely been around the block—and have a library of interesting tales to show for it. While speaking with fashion influencer and entrepreneur Yoyo Cao for our April cover story, she reminded me of a photography shoot that we did with her over a decade ago. It was for a now-defunct local fashion magazine, styled by Sharon Tulasidas and accompanied by an interview that I conducted as a senior writer. “You guys were the first magazine in Singapore to shoot me,” she says. Fast forward to today (from what seems like a lifetime ago) and the three of us are back together again—in the same roles, albeit under slightly different personal circumstances.
Related article: Yoyo Cao Reflects on Her Decade in Fashion, Branching out Into Beauty, and What’s Next
Yoyo, for one, has journeyed far, far from the days of running her Far East Plaza store and label, Exhibit. Today, she is recognised as one of Asia’s top style stars with several international magazine covers to her name, and a front-row seat at major fashion shows. She’s also the co-founder of ROMI Beauty, a successful two-year-old beauty brand that is expanding its product range later this year. She is industrious, driven, and just as passionate about what she does today as she was 10 years ago when she attended her first fashion week season.
Related article: A Look Back at Style Icon Yoyo Cao’s Best Fashion Moments
That unwavering dedication and passion is what unites the women featured in our pages this month. Take British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller, for example. Three years after taking her final bow as artistic director at Givenchy, Keller returned last year to do what she loves and design fashion again. She talks about the joy that came with working on her UNIQLO: C spring/summer 2024 collection, which delivers Keller’s high fashion vision and expertise at affordable prices. Then, there’s make-up artist extraordinaire Pat McGrath who—even after 40 years in the business—continues to send trendsetting beauty looks down the fashion runway each season, with a singular vision that injects freshness and excitement.
Last, but definitely not least, is our photography shoot and interview with fourth-generation K-pop band STAYC. Working ever so hard to populate your music streams with head-bobbing tunes that speak of positivity and hope, the four girls let us in on the personal journeys they took to make their aspirations happen. It’s an empowering message that anyone can get behind: Stay true to your dreams and they will come to life. Then, trust the rest of our pages—and online articles—to keep you looking (and feeling) fabulous while you make that happen.
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Photography REUBEN FOONG
Styling SHARON TULASIDAS
Make-up MANISA TAN, using CHANEL
Hair RICK YANG/Artistry Studios, using ANTICOLLECTIVE
Producer NAVIN PILLAY