Guan Min is best known in the Singapore fashion scene as a designer, consummate Instagrammer, fashion PR manager, and cameos on the Netflix reality show Singapore Social. Then last October, she left our shores and headed for the sunny isle of Bali for a much-needed reset.
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A peep at her life on the Indonesian island via her Instagram @girlwhocriedwolf shows her at one with her true free-spirited self. Cue a day out on the beach with wild horses while in Nihi or exploring the waterfalls of the Sidemen jungle on the eastern part of the island – posts she cheekily describes as “more pseudo travel blogger-ish content”.
“Moving to Bali was important because it allowed me to reset myself and move away from the influences of working non-stop and having excess – it was always ‘do more, get more, have more, want more’, which is not me at all,” she tells us over e-mail.
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But behind the scenes, the alumna of Temasek Design School had been quietly working on a new project that’s reigniting her ties to the fashion world: a womenswear label called Gamine Studio which makes its debut on October 20 on www.gamine.studio. The label is not her first stab at designing though: she was behind the now-defunct label Feist Heist.
The Dua dress is one of Guan Min’s must-have picks from her debut collection for Gamine Studio.
While Gamine Studio is in familiar territory with Min’s rock-meets-boho style due to its skin-baring designs and the heavy use of a black and white colour palette, the Bali-based label reflects her ethos for slow fashion and a more hands-on approach to designing and manufacturing.
Gamine Studio checks the box for having sex appeal.
She’s involved in every stage of the production – from getting her garments ethically made in small qualities by local seamstresses and suppliers on the island to ensure that natural and eco-friendly fabrics are used. For now, there’s a lineup of mini dresses, flowy maxi dresses, bandeau tops and shorts – something that will appeal to those leaning towards a more body-positive aesthetic and a timeless wardrobe.
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Ahead, we have a little heart-to-heart with this creative about her strong connection to fashion and nature, her big move to Bali and more.