Jo Soh Singapore Talented Designer

Meet Jo Soh, the designer of one of the most successful local brands around in Singapore. Previously a student at Central Saint Martins, Jo worked in Song+Kelly21 before starting her own label. The brand personality of Hansel is one of the most memorable around and it has been intelligent of her to infuse her quirky personality into the brand. After all, one should design for herself to begin with. Jo’s collections appeal to both young and those working, sometimes infusing casual office wear with cute prints. With her label around for 7 years now, don’t you wonder what’s the secret behind her success?

JS:Â When I was little, my family had a pair of daschunds, male and female, and they were named after my brother and my favourite children’s fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel. Gretel and other pet dogs (we had about 15 pet dogs in total over the years) came and went, but Hansel stayed with us till he passed on. We didn’t have any pet dogs after him until one day my uncle gave us a stray puppy that he’d found in the Kranji industrial estate. We named him after our old faithful pet and it because natural to name my company and label after Hansel because the business started out as a family business, with the dining room table as my work desk and Hansel the dog energetically running around inspiring my spirits.

FA: On your website, Hansel was described to be a mix of quirkyness and understated minimalism. When did you conceive the concept of Hansel?

JS: The Hansel style is a reflection of my personal style. I am a combination of opposites – I love the imaginative escapist daydreams but I also love the practical and pragmatic aspects of life, and I top that up with a large lashing of humour.

JS: From almost anywhere but mostly from themes that resemble children’s fairy tales – the imagination behind those tales really inspire!

JS: My mother was a very fashionable woman, always one to adopt new trends confidently and experiment with different styles. I have always been drawn into her world of creating different personas through the use of clothing and the change of hair, makeup and accessories. I saw and felt the effects of how your appearance impacted both yourself and others around you. I always showed talent for art and crafts but made a conscious decision at age 12 to pursue fashion design over fine arts because I saw design as a problem solving tool and I wanted to use my talents to create an impact on other people’s daily lives. I saw that I could do this more directly through design rather than fine art.

FA: Previously, you studied at Fashion Design with Marketing at Central Saint Martins and then you went on to design for a few companies. How important is it for a designer to receive formal training?

JS: In this age where a diploma or degree is quite common, I’d say that having the formal training is quite necessary to getting ahead in the industry. Going through the subjects and exams at design school also puts your interest to the test and allows you to gauge if you could pursue a career in that line of work.

JS: Working with Ann and Wykidd taught me the importance of branding in a fashion label as they focused a lot on cohesion on all their brand touch points.

FA: You are one of the most loved designers in Singapore, born and bred here. Did you ever feel immense amount of pressure from the media to produce stunning designs?

JS: I do have a perfectionistic streak and I think I am harder on myself than anyone else could be! I am very focused on producing what is VERY hansel (ie, VERY me) and that’s all I ever need to be.

JS: The answer is a pretty practical one! the immigration laws in London at the time I graduated in 1999 made it very difficult to stay on in the UK. I later got a visa to work in italy but I was living and working in a very isolated industrial town. It was very lonely to be there, despite working for a New York menswear label and being able to travel to Milan and New York regularly, so in the end I realized it was ridiculous for me to force myself to stay on just because I wanted to be in Europe, and decided to return to sunny Singapore!

FA: How have you found the local support for local talents in Singapore over the years? Is there anything you wish could be changed?

JS: Local authority support for local talent has increased tremendously over the past few years. Now we have the Design Singapore Council, TAFF , Parco NextNext and the upcoming star creation as well as blueprint as part of the asia fashion exchange – all different platforms that show there are real jobs out there to be got, in the fashion design industry. Local market support for local brands is also growing, with consumers becoming more sophisticated and rethinking the point of buying an international brand just because it is international. I hope that this continues to grow as a strong local market is what will sustain the fashion design industry in Singapore.

JS: While you’re a student, get as much work experience as possible in as many areas of the industry as possible to get a fair general understanding of the industry and the various roles that one could be in. Do not just be sucked into the image of being a fashion designer simply it is because it is one of the most admired roles. Find a role that makes use of YOUR unique talents – it could be in fashion retail, it could be in fashion journalism. Don’t refuse a work experience just because they don’t pay interns – work for free – the experience and insight that you glean from the companies that you work for is priceless (and can often times provide you with important contacts for your future career path).

Dawn believes in inner beauty more than outer. Yet, she sees Fashion as a way for women to exude confidence and be the star inside they were made to be. Lively, energetic and always happy, Dawn will always pick anything shiny and colourful over black. One day eventually, she hopes to be able to have her own label or make her own mark in local Singaporean fashion.