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If reality is stranger than fiction, then you wouldn’t be surprised to know that the colourful characters featured in the pages of Singapore Tatler lead lives that truly embody that crazy rich Asian spirit. In part two of this three-part series, we chat with Dick Lee, the Mad Chinaman himself
He doesn’t call himself the Mad Chinaman for nothing.
A celebrated entertainment industry veteran, one must applaud Dick Lee for injecting an Asian flair and “Singaporean-ness” into everything he does, from music to fashion—and all with an intense passion for love and life. As someone who’s had a big hand in shaping Singapore’s fashion industry in the 1980s and ’90s, he shares with us his thoughts on the future of Asian fashion and where Singapore’s fate lies in it all.
Why do you think it is so hard for Asian designers to make it big globally?
Dick Lee (DL) I do believe that Asian designers have taken off, but there are few and far between, and they’re all from Japan. Even Singaporean designer Andrew Gn has plateaued in terms of his visibility and popularity. But to answer the broad question, the fashion that we’re familiar with today is of a Western tradition. Historically, fashion stems from couture and that dressmaking from the West was way more superior that the quality in the East.
Do you think there is a future for Asian fashion?
DL We need to infuse our identity into the Western forms that we’re working with, which is why Comme des Garçons is so successful—it puts its whole Japanese aesthetic into the brand. Globalisation and fast fashion have changed things. But I don’t know if it’s so much about culture anymore. Do we care where our clothes come from as long as they look good? Maybe the time has come for Asia to rise. But is that important? What’s the big deal?
