Photography / May Lin Le Goff
Beauty and Creative Direction / Ashburn Eng
Model / Eduardo Fiorindo (Diva)
Special Effects Makeup / Mav Chien
Hair and Artistic Facepaint / Chris Ruth
Fashion Co-ordinator / Shanna Matthew
Collar / +9 YOVIAJOGIA by Yovia Jogia (Lasalle College of the Arts)
Special Thanks to Sharon Wong from Front Row

The Team

Photography / Soon Tong
Fashion & Creative Direction / Ashburn Eng
Model / Weronika H (Ave. Management)
Hair, Bodypaint & Make-up / Chris Ruth
Text / Joyceline Tully
Assistant Designer / Shanna Matthew

From brown paper, toilet paper and tracing paper to old magazines and newspaper, this series is a nod to the sheer ubiquity of paper in urban life, and an indictment of its wanton waste.

But a little imagination and some assistance — in the form of gum tapes, raffia string, aluminum foil, cling wrap, egg trays, bubble wrap and last but not least, trash bags — go a long way in transforming rubbish into wearable art, a truly modern artefact, or what we like to call, paper couture.

With paper, you can scrunch it up to create crinkle effects, as well as twist, braid, weave, pleat and fold to achieve astonishing and remarkable shapes, details and texture.

In everyday life, many people treat paper thoughtlessly, mindlessly. There is some poetic justice then that recycling and rescuing used paper demand hard work and incredible thought. Ashburn Eng and his design assistant spent 2 weeks conceptualizing and experimenting with the designs and materials, and another 364 hours to complete the outfits. Each of the outfits were painstakingly put together through multiple fittings, piece by piece of recycled paper, commanding the attention to detail worthy of fashion’s best.

Photography / Soon Tong
Fashion Direction / Ashburn Eng
Model / Svetlana M (Upfront)
Make-up and Hair / Chris Ruth
Words / Wong Kee Soon
Styling Assistance / Shanna MatthewTragedy seldom escapes the beautiful. And great loves seem to attract madness and grief. Ophelia was a young, hopeless romantic; she was a fleeting presence in the love life of Hamlet. She loved him to no end, clinging to the memories of wild romance and the warmth of his skin. She made it her duty to love him, like no other woman could, and she would even face death to prove her longing adoration. Through her eyes, his insane love for her was irreplaceable. Her vulnerability and sacrifice stems from her heart.

It wasn’t long before she became no more than a scorned muse to men, called upon for the comforts of her luscious red lips and magnetising pale flesh. Her emotional innocence and quest for acceptance witnessed her escalating downfall: prostituted by her father, and abused and mocked by men for her sexual knowledge. She knew Death rescinded her humiliations. And Death is never judgmental.

She chose to drown – a baptism with the promise of renewal. In her flawless sheer dress worn with a timeless naivety, she submerged into the moment with grace and without struggle. Her lifeless body floated into oblivion as she left with the memories of being part of the greatest love she ever knew.

Photography / May Lin Le Goff
Fashion Direction / Ashburn Eng
Model / Yang Xu (Mannequin)
Make-up and Hair / Mav Chien
Fashion / Nicholas by Nic Wong

Photography / Eric Seow
Fashion Direction / Ashburn Eng
Bodypainting & Hair / Chris Ruth
Styling Assistance / Shanna Matthew