By Nur Aini Jaffar


For most of us, fashion is another part of our life that either ends up as a self-indulgence or a bare necessity. But for fashion design student Janice Chua, fashion is her oxygen. Her unassuming and enthusiastic take towards the art is evidence that she’s cut out to be a fashion designer.

More than anything else, Janice caught the fashion bug from her mum. “Since young I have always seen my mum watching fashion shows on television. So naturally, I also got hooked on watching them,” says Janice.

While most of her peers were reading The Famous Five or Enid Blyton books when they were young, Janice’s favourite books were fashion magazines, because her mum used to buy plenty of them as part of her job in the local fashion scene.

“I would look at the models and be amazed by the pretty clothes they wear,” reminisces the second-year student at Lasalle College of the Arts.

Though her first dream was to be a model, it was her fascination with cloth and design that eventually stuck. “There is more than just seeing that the clothes look nice. How the clothes are made and the process that goes into making them intrigues me more,” enthuses the aspiring designer.

With her bubbly and spirited personality, it doesn’t come as a surprise to find out that Janice’s favourite designs are those of prints and colourful fabrics. Her choice for her favourite fashion designer is naturally Diane von Furstenberg.

“Diane von Furstenberg is not afraid to play with bold prints, colourful fabrics… She knows how to play with layering; I love how her layering is often nice and soft,” says the 21-year-old.

She adds, “I also look up to Emilio Pucci who also likes to play with a lot of prints and use a lot of psychedelic colours. Another is Matthew Williamson who is very good at fabric manipulation.”

So what does the designer-in-training hope to achieve in the overcrowded fashion industry? Janice’s mission is to have her own label and to give women more bold choices. She plans to set up a fashion empire in fashion capitals like London, New York and Paris, with bold prints and neon colours as her signature style.

“Bold prints and neon colours can be feminine. It depends on how it is worn. I want to bring up the feminine side of the colours so it is wearable.”

“Singaporeans are just not daring enough. Everyone tends to wear the same thing and that is boring,” she laments.