The 30-Year-Old Multi-Hyphenate Mae Tan Is Not Stopping Anytime Soon

Holding a photo shoot to commemorate a milestone isn’t all that uncommon these days. When you’re Mae Tan and that milestone is turning 30 though, the result is this Alice in Wonderland‑inspired spread of fantastic proportions that took nearly two months to conceptualise and put together (granted, she was toggling other projects at the same time). What you see here – offered exclusively to FEMALE – is just a fraction of the full suite of images she created with her regular collaborators for the occasion: photographer Feedbeng and stylist Tok Weilun – both known for their colour‑rich, larger‑than‑life aesthetic. 

“Turning 30 felt like stepping through a new door – a little surreal and a little magical,” says Tan. “I chose Alice In Wonderland as the theme of this shoot because it captures that beautiful tension between growing up and staying wildly curious. Creativity to me is keeping that childlike wonder alive and this shoot was a reminder that even as we evolve, the most powerful thing we can do is to keep dreaming with our eyes wide open.” 

Yeah, yeah, haters might be tempted to call her out as a nepo baby‑type figure (her dad’s the CEO of Richard Mille Asia) who can afford to do anything anytime she wants. In response to this, she ain’t throwing no holy airballs. “I’ve learnt not to take comments from people who don’t understand the nuances of real life too seriously,” she tells us. “My parents built everything they have from the ground up, and watching their journey instilled a strong sense of independence and work ethic in me from a young age. I started working at 14 and have never asked them for a cent – not because I had to, but because I wanted to earn my own way. That mindset has shaped everything I do, so it’s always surprising when people assume success happens overnight.” 

There’s also no denying her passion and unbridled creative energy – this production is just one example of how she has manifested them IRL. You see, Tan can be described as a serial creative. Since getting discovered through her personal blog to host a travel reality TV series titled Miss Korea (you can still watch it on YouTube) in 2013, she has dug her nails into just about every sort of creative endeavour, often sprinkling her distinctive brand of punk‑ish fairy dust along the way. 

In recent years, these include setting up her own creative consultancy MagicSystem (yes, one word), with clients spanning Coach to Crocs to The Standard hotel. She has also become the creative director of the Michelin‑starred Sushi Sakuta and the tempura‑focused Tenshima – Japanese restaurants that her family has a share in and are also among the most in demand in Singapore. So what else is she cooking and how does she prevent herself from getting cooked? Let’s hear it from this Red Queen. 

YOU’VE BEEN LABELLED MANY THINGS: FASHION INSIDER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, TASTEMAKER, ETC. HOW WOULD YOU LABEL YOURSELF AT THIS POINT IN TIME? 

“That’s such a serious question. Where am I right now? I feel like I’ve been trying out a lot of things for the majority of my career. I’ve always been in the creative scene, but in my 20s, there was a lot of fear and maybe even insecurity that stopped me from pursuing even more things … But now that I turned 30 in May, I’ve found new confidence… You can say I’m in a phase when I’m fulfilling what I’d like to and that’s within my capacity, whether it’s trying something new within the fields I’m familiar with, or exploring a new industry altogether. I haven’t told anyone yet, so you guys can be the first to know: I’ll be opening a second‑hand store in August on Ann Siang Hill. It’s my new project and I’m just going for it. I’m like, f*** it, let’s do it.” 

EXCITING! TELL US MORE ABOUT THIS SECOND‑HAND FASHION BUSINESS THAT YOU’LL BE LAUNCHING. 

“With my fashion retail background, opening a store feels like second nature to me. (One of Tan’s earliest involvements in fashion was working at the seminal but now defunct multi‑label store Surrender, which was eventually acquired by a distribution company owned by her family. Through it, she also helped to bring Off‑White and the cult Japanese label Christian Dada to Singapore.) This opportunity came up because I had to take over the lease of the space and thought, why not use it to re‑engage with my community and friends? I’ve been so caught up doing client work at my creative agency, so I’d now really like to spend some energy on my own project.” 

AS A CREATOR, YOU’VE OFTEN SPOKEN ABOUT USING CREATIVITY TO MAKE AN IMPACT. SHARE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU THINK YOU’VE DONE SO. 

“For me, creativity is more a way of thinking than a skill. Whether it’s pitching concepts to a brand, collaborating with people on my upcoming store, or doing shoots like this one, it all stems from having a creative mindset … My team and I would sit down and ask ourselves: How do we push boundaries and have more interesting conversations? One specific example is a project we did for Coach in 2022 in which we featured the brand’s retail staff and assistants as the models, and the photos were plastered all over Coach stores across Singapore … People asked, ‘How can the store staff be the models?’ My answer was, ‘Why not!’ Why put creativity in a box? It’s an ethos I apply to how I live, and manage people and run the company too.”

TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE AGENCY MAGICSYSTEM, WHICH STARTED FIVE YEARS AGO. 

“My business partner Jack Wang and I hadn’t planned to start an agency, but it was the period of the Covid‑19 pandemic and I had just left the family business. The lull made me want to start working on artistic projects again, whether that meant events, branding concepts or designing. I started to style artistes for their music videos and eventually, Jack and I thought we could work together on more creative projects and turn it into a venture. That was how MagicSystem came about. A big part of what we do revolves around encouraging clients to think in a new way and today, we offer services in PR, KOL management, events – anything creative.” 

YOU’RE ALSO THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF TWO TOP JAPANESE RESTAURANTS. WHAT’S WITH THAT? 

“Opening the restaurants were business opportunities that came to my family … I jumped at the chance to get involved because fashion to me isn’t just clothes. It’s culture. I wanted to push my own boundaries and try something new, and see what would happen if I applied the same attention to detail, visuals and storytelling that’s used in fashion to food. My role is largely managing the restaurants’ marketing, PR and overall creative direction. I’ve been doing this for the last two years now, and I’ll say I’m still figuring things out.” 

WHAT DOES A CREATIVELY FULFILLING DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU? 

“I’ve come to terms with the fact that there is no such thing as balance. I think the internet fools you into believing that there is life with balance, but I think when you have fire, and when you want to make use of your time and feel like you have no time to lose, you just want to utilise every minute. Balance becomes whatever you prioritise. I don’t really go out or drink as much as I used to, as I’m trying to use the majority of my time to be productive. There have been sacrifices I’ve had to make to achieve the things I want. I’m 30 now. I spent most of my teens and early 20s partying and doing just about everything. Now, I’m focused and trying to achieve something bigger before I hit 40.” 

AS A PUBLIC FIGURE BORN OF THE INFLUENCER AGE, DO YOU EVER FEEL PRESSURED TO PERFORM A CERTAIN VERSION OF YOURSELF ONLINE? 

“I ask myself that all the time … Authenticity has always been a core value for me, but it’s also one of the hardest things to maintain these days … Everyone is constantly being told what’s considered the right thing to do or wear, what the next trend should be, what the best relationship advice is … And as we try to fight social media algorithms, it’s hard not to think about and deflect towards what others are interested in and think is ‘good’ … To keep things real and try to make sure what I do is the best for me, I check in with myself all the time: Is something that I’m doing aligned with my values? From the clothes I wear to the brands I work with, I check myself.” 

WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU’VE UNLEARNT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS THAT HAS CHANGED HOW YOU APPROACH WORK AND LIFE? 

“That things have to be perfect … I think my resilience comes from having always strived for perfection, but recently – as I neared turning 30 – I adjusted my mindset. Now, instead of being impatient for things to happen or expecting things to be perfect in order for them to happen, I prepare myself so that things can happen … And I really believe in the magic of the universe. When you’re ready, things will come naturally to you.” 

WHAT ARE YOU CURIOUS TO EXPLORE, BUILD OR JUST VIBE WITH NEXT? 

“I have so many things planned – just saying them out loud sounds crazy … I feel like I have a new fire and want to try new things, whether that’s creating products, making music or going into a whole new genre of entertainment. Of course, I also want to sustain what we’re doing at the moment … Ultimately, I want to create my own little empire – a brand and a community of people who have the same vision.” 

SORRY, DID YOU SAY MUSIC? 

“Okay, so here’s the story: I hang out with a lot of people from the music industry and am always in the studio with them. On my birthday a few years ago, some of these friends told me to get into the booth to create something and I thought, why not? So I went in and recorded a song. It was just one verse with an R&B vibe and that has never seen the light of day, but it has allowed me to joke that I’m a recording artiste. Recently though, it seems to have leaked and I’ve already had two producers approach me to finish it … Now I don’t have a desire to be a pop star or even a professional singer; it’s more about creative expression, with music being the medium.” 

WHAT DOES OVERACHIEVING MEAN TO MAE TAN? 

“That it’s impossible to do so and have a balanced life. It would be chasing something you cannot chase … If you think about it, work‑life balance is something our parents’ generation and older never even thought about. They just did what they had to do. And they handled a lot more stress with a lot more resilience and tenacity because they didn’t grow up in a world that’s constantly trying to package everything into something beautiful and comfortable – basically what the internet is trying to do these days. So now I’ve decided: I’m not going to listen to the internet so much anymore.”

PHOTOGRAPHY FEEDBENG CREATIVE DIRECTION & STYLING MAE TAN & TOK WEILUN PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANTS FENGMAO & WEIKANG STYLING ASSISTANT CRYSTAL LIM HAIR JUNZ LOKE/35A MAKEUP KIMBERLY CHEE MANICURE REBECCA BOTANICAL ARRANGEMENTS SOUL FLORISTRY