TaFF and SocietyA are collaborating once again in this Designer Spotlight Series, to converse with two regional designers who are making global waves in contemporary womenswear.

Malaysian designer extraordinaire, Jonathan Liang, started his brand in Paris after working with French ateliers. His designs are currently stocked across Europe, and in Asian markets such as Singapore and China. Homegrown Singaporean fashion designer Max Tan begin his journey in 2010 building a brand that has since become a significant voice on the Singapore fashion scene. Max has become recognized internationally, with designs are stocked in specialty boutiques in Copenhagen, Germany, Norway and San Francisco.

Join us to hear how these designers have expanded their businesses in the global marketplace, and how they’ve found that special edge that has helped them grow beyond their native shores. In this dialogue, Max and Jonathan will speak candidly about their struggles, their highlights, and what it takes to succeed as a fashion designer straddling eastern and western markets today.

AGENDA:

3:50PM – 4:00PM: Registration

4:00PM – 5:15PM: Panel Discussion with speakers

• Jonathan Liang, Designer and Founder of Jonathan Liang
• Max Tan, Designer and Founder of MAX.TAN
• Moderated by: Leonard A. Choo, Design Resource Development Director at TaFF

5:15PM – 5:30PM: Q&A

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Jonathan Liang, Designer and Founder of Jonathan Liang

Founded in 2014, Jonathan Liang offers his contemporary woman with adaptable, provocative yet combatively feminine prêt-à-porter collections that replicate the natural evolution and progression of life. The Paris-based designer maintains his mission of juxtaposing the world of dreams with daily life in inspirational designs, quality fabrics and impeccable workmanship. With prior experience at Givenchy, Surface to Air & IRO, the designer brings together his experience and creative vision with every piece that is created.

A collaborator at heart, Jonathan welcomes new elements into its universe. Jonathan Liang has in past teamed up with Uniqlo for the mega-brand’s “Feel the SEA” collaboration for three seasons, Perrier, Shiseido, Rimowa and numerous other creatives, including graphic designer, Nouchka, and famed photographer, Petros Koublis, in fulfilling his vision.

In 2016, Jonathan Liang was selected by Not Just a Label as a winner of their Future of Fashion prize, and in 2017 was selected by Label Hood, Shanghai Fashion Week’s premier platform for contemporary designers, to be one of only two international labels to showcase at the prestigious fair. In 2018, Jonathan Liang released an exclusive collaboration with Lane Crawford, distributed across all stores in China and Hong Kong Kong, and subsequently winning a runner-up prize at Lane Crawford’s Creative Callout competition.

Max Tan, Designer and Founder of MAX.TAN

After graduating in 2006 at the top of his school in Fashion Design from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, he went on to show his first collection at the Singapore Fashion Week in 2007 and was awarded the second runner-up position at the Singapore Fashion Designers Content. With the recognition that he received from the competition, Max started his own label MAX.TAN and continued to create one-off pieces and capsule collections to meet the increasing demand for his designs. The label made its debut with the full-fledged S/S 2010 “Pressed” collection at PARCO next NEXT, a fashion design incubator project jointly created by Parco Singapore department store and the Textile & Fashion Federation (TaFf). Today, MAX.TAN is stocked in key retail outlets throughout Singapore, as well as making its first inroads in the international retail scene.

MAX.TAN was invited to showcase at Modefabriek in Amsterdam in 2010 and was the first Asian-based label ever to do so. The A/W 2010-11 collection, which debuted in Amsterdam, was subsequently featured by Vogue Paris online and went on to win second place at the China Fashion Creation Contest 2010. His following S/S 2011 collection was picked up by Vogue Nippon and Surface Asia calls MAX.TAN one of the hottest new names to look out for in fashion. More recently, Vogue Italia also selected the label as one of finalist in the inaugural Who is On Next? Dubai Edition.

Apart from designing for his label, Max also lectures at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore. He also enjoys exploring new places, incorporating the new experiences and the people he meets into his ever-evolving creations.