MAX TAN

ABOUT MAX.TAN

androgynous meets soft geometry : experimenting with quirk cuts and expanding on extremely simple ideas, Max conjures up silhouettes that conceal the wearer's form, creating a new shape altogether.

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.

THE DESIGNER

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, including Tyan, Eggthree and Blackmarket, as well as making its first inroads in the international retail scene.

Max describes himself more as a garment engineer rather than a fashion designer. While retaining a penchant for austere moods and somber inspirations, his cuts are amazingly innovative and playful. Although much of his attention is paid to tailoring, his real talent is revealed through the unexpected silhouettes generated through the twists in his designs and his constant challenge to the rules of drafting and tailoring.

Apart from designing for his label, Max also lectures at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and the Laselle College of the Arts in Singapore.