Get to know the Paris-based designer, who is the subject of the Asian Civilisations Museum’s latest fashion exhibition
Let it be known that Andrew Gn has good taste. You could pin it down to his family: the fashion designer was raised in Singapore by parents with diverse tastes in literature, art, fashion and furniture, and he had a Peranakan grandmother whose cooking inspired him just as much as her style.
When Gn moved to Europe in pursuit of a fashion career, and eventually made a home out of Paris, where he started his eponymous fashion brand, his passion for beauty only deepened. He has always kept an eye out for the finer things in life, be it another beautiful ceramic piece to add his collection, or a good bowl of chap chye, his favourite Peranakan dish.
If you’ve been to Gn’s retrospective exhibition at Asian Civilisations Museum, then you need no introduction to him as a designer. Here, get to know everything else about Gn as an aesthete with a good appetite, as he answers Tatler Singapore’s quick-fire questions about his favourite spots in Singapore, his go-to travel destination and what luxury means to him.
Read more: Singaporean designer Andrew Gn wants his fashion legacy to inspire a new generation of Asian talents
Favourite place in Singapore?
Singapore Botanic Gardens. It has one of the most amazing collections of tropical trees, plants and orchids. I love walking there. Nature is one of my biggest passions.
Favourite book?
Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin. It was one of my earliest encounters of descriptions of fashion and true luxury. The book has a lot of pages describing what women were wearing in 18th‐century China, as well as the interiors and food of the time. It created a whole fantasy for me and initiated me into everything that I love now.
Favourite restaurant in Singapore?
Candlenut. It’s important to be able to take something traditional and bring it forward—it’s like what we do in fashion. And I think chef Malcolm Lee is doing that very well.
Favourite travel destination?
Germany. I love museums, and Munich has a great accumulation of different ones.
Favourite scent?
Bois Santal, a perfume created by Serge Lutens for Shiseido. You can only buy it at a specific store in Paris.
Someone you admire?
Queen Elizabeth II. She had many great qualities. A lot of people think that she was very cold, but I think she had to hide her feelings to do her duty. It was her duty, not her job—she was born into her role. It’s very similar to how I treat my work. I’m very passionate about it. I love what I do. It’s also a duty; I’ve had to sacrifice many things in my life to make sure I do it right.
Best compliment you’ve ever received?
The greatest compliment is when I walk down the streets of New York or Paris, and I see a woman walking by wearing my design. That’s the highest compliment I’ve ever had. And after 28 years, I still feel happy about that.
Favourite gift from your mother?
For my 18th birthday, she gave me a white porcelain bowl from the Daoguang period in China. It had butterflies painted all over it, and that motif has always reappeared in my work.
Life motto?
I just want to have peace in my life. Luxury for me is not about staying in a five‐star hotel or travelling first class. It means to lead an authentic life where you can have great peace and beauty in your everyday life. You don’t need to buy a lot of expensive things to make your life beautiful. Simple things in life can make you very happy.