Nicole Wong Is Our Resident TikTok Fashion Guru
She's your go-to girl for all things thrifting, vintage shopping and fashion related
Nicole Wong wears viscose-blend dress and matching Pantashoes tights, Balenciaga
NICOLE WONG, 35, CONTENT CREATOR AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF HER OWN EVENT AND PRODUCTION AGENCY NPLUSC
TikTok account: @ncwong
Started on TikTok: “December of 2022”
TikTok stats as of press time: 38.8K followers, 1.9M likes
Why know her: Who ever thought that this enduring Instagram-born fashion influencer best known for her edgy yet hyper-slick all-black style and growing collection of archival designer wares would find a second life online as the cool girl fashion guru on TikTok? From places to cop designer vintage at a bargain in Tokyo to tips on decorating one’s bag to recreate the viral bag charm-overload trend, she delivers insider style advice in an authoritative yet fun and down-to-earth manner. “The content isn’t so much about me, but what I can share with others,” she says. “Good things shouldn’t be kept to oneself.” Other KOLs, please take notes.
Her background and how it’s shaped her content: “I started social media via Instagram and most people say my content there is totally different from what I post on TikTok. I dare say that my TikTok content is truly me. For example, I’ve made it a point to mostly wear and showcase items from my own wardrobe (as opposed to Instagram, where her OOTDs often include pieces seeded or gifted by brands), and this has allowed me to build a community that goes beyond Singapore and comprises of people who like me for me and are in fact quite like-minded as me. Now I’m slowly taking this same approach to Instagram, and trying to be less dictated by clients and instead just be me.”
So how much of her TikTok personality is true? “99.54684168471687 per cent”
And TikTok is not just for the young? “Well, I am definitely not a Gen Z-er.”
Her best talent: “Finding the best thrift destinations of items around the world”
What fashion advice is she dying to get herself? “How someone who only wears monochrome can wear more colours and still be true to oneself”
Most memorable comment she’s received on TikTok: “Where, where and what – I think 70 per cent of my comments are all of this ilk.”
Number of hours she spends on her phone daily: “Seven on average according to my Screen Time”
Apps she spends the most time on: “Surprisingly it is tied between TikTok and WhatsApp. I guess I have a work-life balance?”
Best thing about TikTok: “My community has made it my safe space.”
Worst thing about TikTok: “I am addicted to it.”
If there was no TikTok: “Social media would never have known my true style.”
Advice on making it on TikTok: “It’s hard to not be consumed by social media and feel like you need to do what others are doing, but content that goes viral for them might not go viral for you. Just stick to what you love, trust your gut and go at your own pace. I’ve been through the whole process of trying to figure out how to so-called succeed on the platform, but have since learnt to value it most for providing a safe zone in which I can simply do what I truly love.”
THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR CLARITY AND BREVITY.
COORDINATION EMMA ASHLEE GOH PHOTOGRAPHY ATHIRAH ANNISSA STYLING DAMIAN HUANG, ASSISTED BY DANESSA TONG HAIR AUNG APICHAI/ARTISTRY STUDIOS, USING KEVIN MURPHY MAKEUP KEITH BRYANT LEE, USING NARS
This article first appeared in the June 2024 TikTok Edition of FEMALE