Depression, the goth-esque local brand that started with a humble T-shirt store in Far East Plaza, has been sold in London, Tokyo, Taipei and Paris and last showed at Samsung Fashion Steps Out @ Orchard 2015. The label is currently working on a SG50 T-shirt collection that features 50 one-off pieces, each with a different design. Here, we chat with one half of the design duo (the other is Andrew Loh) about Singapore’s conformity issues and how people used to snub local designers back in the day.
I was a very normal ACS boy. It was only when I went to NUS that I became a bit more rebellious.
After I finished secondary school, I wanted to go to Lasalle but my mom said she’d disown me if I studied fashion and she didn’t speak to me for days until I said I was going to NUS.
It was during my army days that I suddenly realized Singapore is all about blending in and uniformity. And I didn’t want that.
I got into the advertising industry and did copywriting. That was when I was exposed to a bunch of artsy and free-spirited people and that’s where I met my business partner Andrew.
Our colleagues from back then would call us the depressed boys. I’d go to work and be depressed because advertising is a very cutthroat industry and it’s very fast-paced. I was moving up the ladder but it was super shag and super depressing.
When we started out nine years ago, we were literally a small T-shirt store in Far East Plaza. My mom was really upset. She said to me, “What? You got a degree for this? It’s shameful to be selling clothes.” That motivated me to work doubly hard to show this is not just for fun.
Over the years, we felt less satisfied and we started buying our own sewing machines and practicing. To be taken seriously, you don’t want to forever be a T-shirt store.
People used to come in and say, “Wow I love your designs—Japanese, huh?” And when I said I designed them, their faces would immediately change and they would walk out. At that time, I was really pissed. Just because we’re local we can’t be creative; we can’t do fashion? That’s rubbish.
I had a stylist walk into the store and telling us, “This is horrible. What were you thinking? This is so bad.” But if you want to be a creative, you have to have a thick skin, take criticism and rise above that.
It’s very cliche to say “passion for fashion” but you must love what you’re doing. It’s been nine years but I still get moments where I finish drawing something and I chuckle to myself and think, “Oh, that was brilliant.”
This translates onto the garments and the buyers will know that the designer was having fun. That is why fast fashion to me is nothing. It’s just soulless pieces and there’s not much love.
Today, people come up to me and ask for the local design section. It’s becoming cool to wear Singapore designers now. It’s a far cry from where we were.
The local design scene has improved so much. There are very sophisticated and wearable designers who know their market and there are so many fashion events and platforms for younger designers.
Unfortunately, a lot of Singaporean designers might be very strong with their designs and the media knows them, but the locals don’t know them. You don’t see people wearing their clothes.
There is this perception that for Singaporeans to be famous, you have to take it overseas. But why must it be like that? We can have a very strong base here. So we were quite resistant to go overseas. But after nine years, our focus is changing; we’re going to look at the overseas market more because Singapore is too small.
On a recent trip, I went into a random showroom in Paris and I was wowed. I literally felt myself stop breathing. But here, I’ve not had that wow factor. It’s very disappointing. I wish to have a like-minded circle who can talk about these things but we can’t seem to do that; everybody seems boring.
Staying friends with the right people will get you places—that’s just something we don’t believe in. We don’t belong in any cliques; some people might see it as arrogance but to me it’s not having to play any games and not getting distracted from our vision and our work.
I’ve met so many fashion students and designers who went to fashion school and they seem very textbook. Our designs are very deconstructed, and I think it’s because we don’t have that fashion training and that allows us to create things so unabashedly different.
This name, it’s controversial. The label is not Depression is Cool, it’s just Depression. Our brand is very emo and very street goth style. We believe that life is not a bed of roses every day.
The truth is we’re not happy all the time. I don’t understand brands that are always happy with rainbows and all. Why must brands be so pretentiously happy when that’s not life?
