inspirational women

“In the last year, so many women have inspired me, but if I have to pick one I would say it was my sister, Michaela. She’s a Fashion Design student at the Rhode Island School of Design now (the models are wearing her pieces) and will graduate this summer. She inspires me because she reminds me that every creation must have an intention and is an opportunity to elicit discussion; that there is potential to change perceptions and when successful, a piece of art can breed empathy. I think this roadmap she has created and followed is something that should apply to everything that we do.” – Aarika Lee, co-founder of digital marketing and branding agency Elementary Co.

Related: Aarika dishes out tips on how to live a more conscious lifestyle

“Juliette Armanet, a feminist French artist. We’re the same age and she was a journalist before starting her career as a singer, just like I was before becoming a florist. She’s a model in the sense that you should believe in yourself, follow your intuition, and not care about what others would think – just focus on being good at what you do. Her songs are a true pleasure to listen to. The lyrics and melodies are so emotional and make you want to dance. They are very introspective, and she has a certain sense of humour. She doesn’t take herself too seriously!” – Aude Giraud, founder of local florist Ask A French Flowers

Related: Aude tells us how to create a fashionable summer bouquet

“I’ve been following the adventures of Maye Musk on Instagram lately and she’s a woman who’s really inspirational. Apart from being the mother of Elon Musk, she’s also been a model for the past 50 years and shows no signs of slowing down! She’s proof that age should not stop you from living your best life, and that you can have children, a career and also see the world – definitely something I aspire towards.” – Charmaine Seah-Ong, co-founder of digital marketing and branding agency Elementary Co.

Related: Charmaine reveals her style tips and favourite designers

inspirational women eva chen

“My biggest inspiration at the moment is Eva Chen. Eva works at Instagram to help develop partnerships with fashion brands. She resonates well with me because she’s a mom and also a part of the crazy fashion world. She’s very raw and candid, which makes her very relatable and interesting. She manages to juggle family, work, working out and travelling to all the crazy events and fashion weeks while retaining a good sense of humour. I love the fashion world, but I also want to be who I am and not try to fit into a “standard” fashionista kind of image, and Eva is a great role model in that sense!” – Marie Soh, founder of local makeup brand Inga Cosmetics

Related: Marie shares her fashion and beauty dos and don’ts

“British rapper Maya, or M.I.A. as she’s better known. I love how she uses her influence and talent to bring to light social and political issues in the world through her music. Despite knowing the risks of doing so, she puts these issues to light before herself, knowing the importance it would make in creating an impact to the world. One particular issue she’s spoken about (which is still relevant today) pertains to the refugee crisis in her music video for the song “Borders”. War has caused a huge dent to the progression of humanity, and M.I.A – who is a refugee herself – brings light to this issue in an engaging way through that video. We may not be directly affected by the crisis, but by having the power to contribute in any way we can (e.g. donating

to relief efforts, sharing articles or videos about the issues) helps.” – Nadia Rahmat, model and events whiz at SOI Collective, the group behind Kilo restaurants in Singapore and Bali

Related: Nadia shares how she gets prepped for a runway show

 

Eva Chen photos: Showbit.com

 

Like this? Find out what the Female Collective’s exciting plans are for 2018, four inspiring women in Singapore and their stories of empowerment and three up-and-coming Gen Y creatives to have on your radar.