For a 2011 Singapore National Day feature in Style Weekend, Manila Bulletin’s weekly lifestyle magazine, I photographed an editorial built around emerging Singaporean fashion designers and the city itself. The locations were not neutral backdrops; they were part of the story.
The assignment
The editorial paired fashion from six Singaporean designers with recognisable locations including Marina Bay Sands, Cavenagh Bridge and Fort Canning. My role was lead photographer, working on location with the editorial team, stylists and makeup artists to produce the cover and multi-page feature.
Published spreads
Photographic approach
I wanted the architecture and street context to do more than announce “Singapore”. The city has a useful tension between polished modern surfaces, colonial structures, tropical greenery and practical urban infrastructure. Pairing different looks with different locations gave each image its own setting while keeping the whole story geographically coherent.
Featured designers
The issue included work by Alfie Leong (Mu), Desmond Yang (Abyzz), Erin Loh (The Prodigal Son), Eve Tan, Celina Koh (@dress of thoughts), and Afton Chen with Ruth Marbun (Reckless Ericka).
In print
What the project still shows
The work sits at the intersection of photography, editorial thinking and location direction. Even years later, that combination remains useful: an image does not exist alone; it has to sit in a page, support a story and give an art director enough variation to build the final spread.
Need editorial or publication work?
I work on photography-led layouts, brochures, reports, catalogues and longer-form visual communication.
