What makes some of these local or global creatives tick? In this weekly column, Amos Ananda — the first Singaporean fashion designer to collaborate with Martell to design a streetwear capsule collection, previewing only at Culture Cartel — shares his many inspirations and obsessions.
1. His Daughter: Kirsten is six years old. I have this innate sense to protect and love her unconditionally as her father. It is not easy to raise a child alone, and that is why I count my blessings to have my wonderful helper (Soe) at home to take care of her.
It also helps that my mum and my younger brother are always around to shower her with love and attention. My daughter is my motivation to work harder every time and be a better person for her sake.
2. Tattoos: I have a few tattoos, and these are my favourite. My daughter’s name, “KIRSTEN” was inked in 2016 & the Chinese slogan below, which I got recently.
Now that the borders are opening up and I am beginning to fly more often for work, the feeling of knowing that I can’t be by her side physically every day made me ink this. It is directly translated as ” Wherever you are, my heart will be with you”.
3. Accessories: If you’ve been hanging out with me for a while now, you’ll notice that I rarely change my accessories. Each piece marked a milestone or a memorable moment in my life.
Every piece has a story to tell. I can always share with you personally when the chance permits.
4. His Mentality: I call it ” A Supernormal Philosophy”— choosing to excel beyond the expectations of being normal. “If you choose to live life normally, you will never get to see how amazing it can be or what you can achieve.
It applies to the way I think as well as the way I dress and style myself every day.
5. His Inner Circle: Having grown up and aged together with this group of friends for 20 years and counting is a joy and a blessing. My life has been shaped by the brotherhood we share.
6. The Cultured Shirt: I named this shirt “Cultured shirt” because it is lightweight yet extremely structured, with an East meets West twist (Mandarin buttons on Hawaiian shirts). This is one of my newer designs from a collaboration, and we will launch the collection soon!
The sample piece has been kept in my car ever since. It is an obsession of mine to layer it over my tee to look more presentable whenever I am out and about for meetings.
7. Travelling: This is a recent picture of us before our flight to New Zealand. Life is beautiful chaos. A dynamic force of possibilities. Pre-Covid 18, I frequently travelled for work. The pandemic has impacted our lives for the better or worse.
It has definitely taught me not to take things for granted. Life felt like a breeze back then when things seemed too easy (like a flight to China and Europe or a new job on hand). The obsession with embarking on a never-ending journey where we embrace new challenges and deal with disruptions is a part of life.
Presently, I am dancing spontaneously in the sea waves, embracing changeability and surfing the waves.
8. A Gifted Flask: Gifted to me by a good friend. Handy to carry around and for sharing with friends over dinner. Spontaneous. Anytime.
9. His Daughter (again): My daughter again, and she deserves one more post. The only one that can drag me out of bed on a Sunday morning to the “North Pole”.
10. A Utility Pouch: Phones…car keys…sunglasses…glasses…coins…Are you feeling it? The utility pouch is so useful on the go and is my obsession!
Catch Amos Ananda at Culture Cartel on the 3 December 3 pm – 7 pm when he will be sharing design inspirations for the Martell X Amos Ananda Streetwear Collection. Culture Cartel 2022 returns for the 4th year from 1st till 4th Dec 2022 at *SCAPE Singapore, and tickets can be purchased via the ShopBack App, their official ticketing partner. Check here and follow here for more.
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