Cover Singaporean designer Max Tan (Image: Courtesy of the designer)

Is the future of fashion genderless? We speak to three local fashion designers who are contributing to the gender-neutral narrative in Asia. In the last of a three-part series, Singaporean designer Max Tan shares his two cents on androgyny and how gender influences his designs

Androgyny, according to Singaporean designer Max Tan, is a state of mind, rather than simply dressing in the dress codes of the other gender. “I feel that androgyny goes beyond the visual outlook,” shares Tan. “It is not a woman in a suit, or a man in a dress. It needs to inform the persona; it is the way one carries themselves in an authentic manner.”

Tatler Asia
Above Singaporean designer Max Tan (Image: Courtesy of the designer)

Having celebrated his namesake brand’s 10th anniversary last year, the designer is currently embarking on a creative hiatus to re-evaluate his mission as a designer based in Southeast Asia. He explains: “As a brand based in Singapore, the studio questions its position and contribution to the region’s fashion landscape. Our cuts are informed by Southeast Asian garment archetypes and I pay special attention to silhouettes and construction strategies.”

Many love his designs for their strong masculine influence and austere aesthetics that have attracted men as well, but the brand, Tan says, “remains as a womenswear label today”.

(Related: Meet Sheryl Yeo, the Singaporean Tailor Who Aims to Give Everyone Access to a Good Suit)

Tatler Asia
Above Women's Spring Summer 2021 collection (Photography: David Goh)
Tatler Asia
Above Women's Spring Summer 2021 collection (Photography: David Goh)

Tan’s creative process is intriguing. Even as he designs for women, he explains that he does not think about the female body at all. “I like exploring the space between the garment and wearer. I guess this belief and methodology helps in providing a less gender-specific outlook to my designs.”

Having said that, the accomplished designer believes that gender still remains essential when it comes to practical decisions such as sizing and proportions. “Deconstruction, reconstruction, quiet sophistication and a focus on form is what we believe in. As different genders have extremely different body types, sizing is something that designers cannot neglect. The proportions simply do not work that way.”

(Related: Singapore Fashion Label Depression's Evolution From Streetwear to Gender-Neutral Clothes)

Deconstruction, reconstruction, quiet sophistication and a focus on form is what we believe in

- Max Tan -

Tatler Asia
Above Women's Spring Summer 2021 collection (Photography: David Goh)
Tatler Asia
Above Women's Spring Summer 2021 collection (Photography: David Goh)

Today, shoppers can find his brand at multi-label boutiques in the Middle East and Scandinavian cities. In Singapore, they can head to retail spaces such as Design Orchard and Society A to check out his works.

(Related: 3 Menswear Trends That Women Have Adopted With Style)

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