The spotlight is on the next wave of emerging creatives as the Vogue Singapore Talent Prize returns this year. The initiative was launched in 2020 with an undertaking to discover and empower new talent in the regional fashion industry. This year, the talented young creatives worked with homegrown brand CHARLES & KEITH, which challenged the finalists to craft campaigns inspired by its Perline collection. With a brief that invited them to unleash their creativity, participants were encouraged to tell their own captivating narratives.
Among the finalists—Jake Tan, Ng Teng Han, Wei Ting Wong, Claire Boon and He Jing Ni—Boon emerged as a standout with her campaign, As Per You, which encapsulated the versatility of the Perline bag. Her design featured a lively, collage-like style, bursting with colour and creativity, highlighting the key features of the bag. Sparked by the name Perline, which she cleverly likened to a string of pearls, Boon crafted a narrative that embraced the charm of eclectic self-expression. “I wanted to represent the versatility of the bag well, showing how it can be suited to the wearer’s tastes to transform it into their own unique pearl, an individual stone that holds its own personality,” she shares.
The 21-year-old’s process was driven by exploration and feedback; she sought insights from the women in her life, discussing self-expression and personal style, which ultimately shaped her vision. “I wanted to express the importance of embracing and showcasing your unique personality,” she explains. Her design not only illustrates the Perline bag’s versatility, but also infuses a sense of self-expression with a distinctively curated aesthetic.
Vogue Singapore speaks to Boon, delving into her project concept, design process and sources of inspiration.
Hi Claire, congratulations on winning the Vogue Singapore Talent prize. Tell us about your journey in the arts and what or who are some of your inspirations.
I have been drawn to the arts since I was young, thanks to my parents. They encouraged me to be creative, leading me to try different mediums to express this creativity. About nine years ago, I started my journey with graphic design by playing around with photos and text on phone editing and collaging apps. Back then, I didn’t know what to call my little hobby—I didn’t even know it was design. I used these apps to make collages related to my interests and experimented with various styles. As I grew older, I wanted to explore the possibility of taking this hobby more seriously and decided to pursue design passionately. My main inspiration is music. The way music flows through me and stirs emotions, feelings and thoughts helps me translate them into colours and shapes I can visualise in graphics. I connect with different elements of a song—lyrics, production, beats—and express them visually. This drives me to create diverse works, experimenting with various styles and ideas while honing my skills as a designer. Creating music posters in my free time serves as a therapeutic exploration outside a corporate setting, allowing me to develop my understanding and love for design. This process has been crucial for my growth as a creative and as a person, inspiring me to embrace and channel my thoughts and feelings into my work.
Why did you choose graphic design as your main medium?
Growing up, I enjoyed traditional mediums like painting and illustrating and was active in the Art Clubs at both my primary and secondary schools. Although I excelled in these areas, I found immense joy in creating. I began to wonder how I could create images without physically drawing them, which led me to explore the possibilities of technology for making posters and collages. Initially, it felt like a cheat code, but I soon discovered that my fascination with things such as interesting fonts, packaging design and colour palettes had a name—graphic design. It felt like the perfect medium for my creative expression and brought me joy even before I pursued it seriously, making it a natural choice for me.
Tell us a bit more about your campaign. What inspired you?
As Per You is inspired by two main symbolisms drawn from the Perline bag, highlighted through two collage-style images. Firstly, I compared the name Perline to a line of pearls. Just as pearls are formed by coating an irritant inside an oyster, I saw a parallel in how a woman’s bag holds the essentials for navigating daily challenges. I aimed to represent the bag’s versatility, showing how it can adapt to the wearer’s tastes and transform into a unique pearl—an individual piece with its own personality, flaws and character. Secondly, the name Perline reminded me of words with the ‘per’ prefix, such as personalise and personality. I took this concept of personalisation and transformed it from something seemingly simple into a beautiful story of a woman’s uniqueness and elegance. I was also inspired by the styles of the women in my life, whose authenticity both inwardly and outwardly moved me to create a campaign that speaks directly to women, straightforwardly and genuinely. It was important for me to channel CHARLES & KEITH’s identity as a brand that empowers, creating a campaign focused on self-expression and confidence in one’s personality.
“It was important for me to channel CHARLES & KEITH’s identity as a brand that empowers, creating a campaign focused on self-expression and confidence in one’s personality.”
What are some of the key messages that you want to convey to your audience through this campaign?
I was inspired to convey that bags are an extension of one’s personality. I wanted to celebrate and embrace how bags are personalised to suit individual tastes. That’s why I chose the title As Per You, which I felt summed up the essence of my campaign. Bags aren’t just items that hold things or coveted pieces of fabric that must be kept spotless; they are beautiful companions that adapt to your needs. Having struggled with insecurities in the past, learning to let go of doubt and embrace myself allowed me to gain confidence. I wanted to express the importance of embracing and showcasing your unique personality through my campaign.
Could you walk us through your design process from start to finish?
For this campaign, I began with ideation, determining how to communicate my story. I consulted with women in my circle to understand their experiences and views on self-expression and personalising belongings. I brainstormed ideas, focusing on the Perline bag, and refined these concepts to clarify my message. I chose a playful yet elegant collage style with darker undertones for sophistication while aligning with the campaign’s emotions. In production, I gathered images, including keychains from my collection and those of friends and family, to showcase diverse styles and personalities. I maintained a consistent image treatment for the keychain stacks, contrasting them with cleaner photos of the Perline bags. I experimented with layered backgrounds, creating subtly distorted effects to complement the theme. A string of pearls was added at the last minute to enhance the pearl concept. Final details, like text and textures, unified the images into two distinct but cohesive pieces for the campaign.
What are some of your favourite or most notable design projects?
My favourite design projects are the posters I create in my free time for fun, which I share on social media under the handle @phrawgcraft. These posters offer me the most satisfaction and creative freedom, allowing me to enjoy the process from start to finish. They’re a great outlet when I feel creatively blocked, bringing me a lot of joy. Another personal project I love is Too Much?, a mini zine I made in response to comments about my social media work being too complex or busy. This zine helps me release the pressure from such comments and reminds me to enjoy creating my personal works, even if they seem unconventional. Featuring striking colours, layered shapes and unreadable typography, Too Much? is a bold statement of my personal design style and confidence. It’s a key representation of my journey and a cherished part of my creative portfolio.
What do you think of the graphic design sector in our local arts industry and how do you think it will evolve in the future?
The graphic design sector is full of talent. Although I’m shy and tend to stay in my own bubble, I’m inspired by local creatives, who push me to explore new styles and ideas. I’ve noticed that the industry sometimes feels pressured to conform to certain styles, which can be overwhelming for emerging designers. However, I see a growing openness to diverse styles and an appreciation for individual tastes. I hope the design scene continues to evolve, reflecting the dynamism of Singapore’s creative community in a fresh and exciting way.
What’s next for you?
I’m going to expect the unexpected and let things flow naturally. As I continue to grow my love for design, I’ll work hard and explore various ways to express myself and my story. Realistically, I aim to blend my passion for music and graphic design. It’s my dream to design for the musicians I admire, so I’m working towards that goal. Beyond that, I’m not sure what’s next, but I want to keep nurturing my passion for design and continue creating.
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