Surprise! If you have already seen Vogue Singapore’s December/January cover featuring models Malika Louback and He Cong lensed by Nathaniel Goldberg, you may be wondering what this crimson-tinted version is all about. Decked out in holographic dots against a bright red background with a ‘Spark’ silver foil stamp as a finishing touch, this exclusive cover for our holiday issue comes inside Vogue Singapore’s Festive Spark Box.
Released only as a limited edition, the collectible Festive Spark Box is tied to the theme of our second issue—Spark, representing the joy of fashion and its power to ignite change—and comes with a copy of our magazine dressed in this special cover.
Alongside, you will find three silver-toned ornaments created exclusively for Vogue Singapore by a trio of emerging Asian designers. Beautiful as they are, these ornaments display the varying design sensibilities of these young talents, and are perfect for hanging up on your Christmas trees with the accompanying Vogue ribbons. If you need a holiday gift idea for your fashion-loving friend, here’s one wrapped by us.
As always, we have placed our mission to nurture young creatives in Southeast Asia at the forefront of this project. A portion of the proceeds from sales—each Festive Spark Box retails for $70—will go to the Vogue Singapore Foundation, our very own fundraising initiative created with a mandate to elevate local fashion to a global stage.
And if you’d like to join our inner circle (and get your hands on a copy of this limited edition cover of our second issue as a special bonus), join Club Vogue—our dedicated community of readers who share our mission to drive positive change. With Club Vogue, you will receive a 12-issue print subscription to Vogue Singapore, priority invitation to Vogue events and exclusive gifts.
Here, Vogue Singapore catches up with the three emerging Asian designers behind the exclusive ornaments you’ll find in your very own Festive Spark Box, as they reveal the inspiration behind their work and what Vogue means to them.
Kim Do Yeon
Born in South Korea and raised in Bali, 20-year-old Kim Doyeon is a graphic designer who moved to Singapore to study design at LASALLE College of the Arts. Inspired by scattered lights, she designed a graphic, silver-toned ornament for Vogue Singapore.
What drives your design?
Growing up with a multicultural background, I believe that being open-minded and embracing diverse perspectives is essential. A fresh point of view is very important for a designer. I find my inspiration in people and my surroundings, and I like my designs to reflect myself in terms of mood, colour and form.
What inspired your ornament design for Vogue Singapore?
I was in my room, looking outside the window and I saw the street lamps shining. I recently underwent Lasik eye surgery, and as a side effect, I see smears of light scattered in uncertain directions. That’s where I got the idea of the shape of the ornament design—sharp and unpredictable. I designed a thorn-like sharp shape to depict the exclusivity of Vogue, along with its class and beauty.
What does Vogue Singapore represent to you?
I grew up reading Vogue, and it has always been my dream to be part of it someday. I was really happy to hear that Vogue had landed in Singapore, and I couldn’t believe it when they approached me with this exciting project.
Vanessa Koh
Singaporean designer Vanessa Koh is a 23-year-old full-time student and works across several mediums, like photography and graphic design. For Vogue Singapore, she created a kaleidoscope-inspired ornament that is symmetrical yet abstract.
What drives your design?
I have an eye for detail, a flair for boldness and strongly believe that every new design and creation is a learning experience. I see my work as a reflection and articulation of my thoughts and emotions. I am a dancer, and I take time off every week to dance and I use that time to focus on my emotions to look for inspiration.
What inspired your ornament design for Vogue Singapore?
I was inspired by a mini kaleidoscope that I was given to as a child and still have till today. I remember being mesmerised every time I looked through it. 2020 reminds me of a kaleidoscope—constantly changing patterns, and one shake can make everything new. In my design, the triangles pointing inwards represent our unwillingness to believe that there’s hope, but the ones pointing outwards represent hope. I was illustrating that while there always be ups and downs in life, hope will prevail.
What does Vogue Singapore represent to you?
Vogue Singapore represents a new beginning for local creatives to shine. To be handpicked by them made me feel accomplished and acknowledged in what I love to do, and that means the world to me.
Felicia Usinto
Having grown up in an Indonesian-Chinese household, 21-year-old Felicia Usinto’s art is influenced by her mixed heritage. For her Spark Box ornament, she looked to the art deco movement and referenced shapes that are elegant in their simplicity.
What drives your design?
My ideas are mostly from my daily activities, from interacting with my friends and people around me. I also enjoy visiting book stores to look for beautiful books—there are quite a few here in Berlin. From there, I really take my time to look through the pages of the books and see what catches my eye. Social media platforms like Behance and Instagram also play an important role—they feature so many amazing projects which inspire me as well.
What inspired your ornament design for Vogue Singapore?
I was inspired by classic art deco patterns from the 1920s, so I borrowed some characteristics from them like overlapping lines, clean edges and an overall straightforwardness to the design. Therefore I came up with an ornaments made out of basic shapes like a circle, a triangle and a rectangle. I believe that simplicity can also look good, elegant, and sophisticated. Ultimately, I wanted to create something simple and versatile so people can use it for multiple occasions.
What does Vogue Singapore represent to you?
Vogue Singapore is different from the traditional idea of Vogue—in my opinion, it takes more of an artistic approach. To me, it represents elegant-quirkiness and diversity. And I love the new visual language of it.
To get your own copy of our limited edition holiday cover, purchase an exclusive Festive Spark Box or subscribe to Club Vogue.
Cover credits
Editor-in-chief: Norman Tan
Fashion: Daniela Paudice
Hair: Marc Lopez / Audrey Petit-Grand
Make-up: Lloyd Simmonds / Carole
Manicure: Anais Cordevant
Models: He Cong and Malika Louback / IMG Models
Fashion production: Michael McDowell
On-set assistance: Thomas Santos
Casting director: Piergiorgio Del Moro
