Singapore Fashion: A Conversation With Stylist Wei Lun Tok
For an edition centred around nostalgia, how could we not hear from the ones who’ve seen their respective industries change over time? Here, fashion stylist Wei Lun Tok shares his insights about the industry and its transformation.
His cred: Starting his career as an editorial assistant more than 18 years ago, this fine arts graduate has a reputation for atmospheric, narrative-driven fashion visuals. It’s an eye he’s honed not just through school, but also experiences such as working on set with Kim Kardashian and Liu Wen. Little wonder he’s also become a trusted stylist to high-profile, fashion-loving personalities such as Mae Tan and Kim Lim.
How he started: “I never thought I would work in fashion or as a stylist. I was introduced to the fashion world when I started working at the multi-label boutique store Front Row in the 2000s. It remains one of my favourite boutiques even though it’s no longer around. There, I got to work with +9, a collective of young and emerging Singapore-based designers who were being mentored by the well-regarded designer Jonathan Seow, whose label Woods & Woods was stocked in store. I also met a lot of magazine editors who would come by to pull looks for editorials. One of these editors reached out to me and gave me my first job as an editorial assistant at a local magazine and that’s where it all started.”
An image from one of Tok's earliest shoots - it was produced for Front Row, the seminal multi-label boutique he worked at during the 2000s.
READ MORE: A Conversation With Jonathan Seow, Singapore’s Most Mysterious Man In Fashion
What drew him to the field: “Mainly the effectiveness of photography in communicating a message or story and the creative-thinking process. To me, it is very similar to that when painting or creating an art installation. Styling and working with garments is almost like building soft sculptures to produce evocative imagery.”
Tok was entrusted with styling content creator Mae Tan for this series, shot by Feed Beng, which offers an abstract take on Greek mythology – specifically, the astrological sign Gemini, reflecting Tan's zodiac.
His creative approach: “I try to avoid looking at fashion magazines for inspiration. Usually I prefer looking at films as they tend to give me more ideas than fashion magazines. I also feel it’s important to find your community and think about what you want to say through your images: what makes you uncomfortable, what do you believe in, what are you passionate about, and so on. These are questions that usually pop up during the creative process for me and from there, I create a character for whatever project I’m working on: Who is this person that I’m trying to portray? It's important that my imagery conjures, evokes or challenges something – and perhaps even changes perspectives.”
On how he has evolved: “My styling is definitely more streamlined now. I tend to eliminate elements instead of piling things on. Part of it is due to where I am in life: I am older and feel calmer these days… I’m probably leaning into my Capricorn era too and being more ambitious and fearless. Besides, it’s interesting and important to experiment to not stagnate.”
On Singapore’s fashion scene when he started: “It was truly vibrant and there was a lot of buzz and support for emerging local labels. It felt like anything was possible and street fashion photography was starting to be a thing with publications such as Juice and Catalog."
Tok says the 2000s was a truly exciting time for Singapore's fashion scene - one of the reasons being that there was a lot of buzz for the emerging labels of the era. Pictured here is a prime example: a look from the Singapore label iamwhoaim at a fashion show in the late 2000s.
On what’s changed most about the industry: “Commercial brands have definitely grown bigger. At the same time, I am seeing a lot of younger independent designers and labels such as Closet Children, Denise Chong, An Asylum and Tirados gaining traction and creating a bit of an underground culture that mirrors what the scene was like in the 2000s when I started. Through their design, branding and community-building, they’re constructing a whole new fashion experience and this is so important. With so much going on because of social media, we all crave a stronger, more distinctive point of view.”
On the skills and qualities a stylist needs in 2024: "Having the presence of mind and ability to build a strong and consistent personal brand on social media is crucial. Getting your audience to resonate with you and building a genuine relationship from there is really important and an inevitable part of the job now.”
What people should know before entering the industry: “My only advice is to be open and go for whatever you’re aiming for. Time is the only thing we cannot afford to lose. At the end of the day, we create fantasies and dreams with beautiful clothes, and they end when we have to return the pieces. So at least make sure the dream was beautiful while it lasted!”
COORDINATION KENG YANG SHUEN PHOTOGRAPHY ANGELA GUO ART DIRECTION JONATHAN CHIA HAIR TAN ENG CHONG/KIZUKI+LIM MAKEUP SARAH TAN
This article first appeared in the September 2024 Nostalgia Edition of FEMALE