Carmen Dell'Orefice closes the max.tan show at Digital Fashion Week Singapore
Carmen Dell'Orefice closed max.tan's show on the opening night of the third year of Digital Fashion Week Singapore. It was a rare fashion moment, the kind that makes you understand what the word supermodel really means. The moment she appeared on the catwalk it was breathtaking - you felt you were in the presence of royalty, and she really was the Queen of the Catwalk. It wasn't a self-indulgent moment but rather one of gratitude and generosity. I was quite excited when I first read that Carmen Dell'Orefice would be walking that catwalk at DFW. I knew it would be great publicity but I didn't realize how special it would really be.Max Tan is known for maximizing on minimalistic ideas. His cuts look clean and simple but there is always something of interest, a twist or a quirky detail. His style combines tailoring with clever draping and luxury fabrics. He plays with volume, modified shapes, and his dresses and jackets are oversized or undersized but they all seem to work for a number of body shapes. It's quite exciting to see designs that can appeal to a wider market, and it's not surprising that he's already sells in Germany, Denmark, Norway, Kuwait and Taiwan.
Max was born to a working-class family in Singapore and he grew up watching his mother sew dresses to contribute to the family income. He graduated in 2006 at the top of his school in Fashion Design from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and showed his graduate collection at Singapore Fashion Week in 2007 where he was awarded the second runner-up position at the Singapore Fashion Designers Contest. Max then started his own label max.tan and continued to create one-off pieces and capsule collections.Max was the first Asian-based label showcased at Modefabriek in Amsterdam in 2010 . His A/W 2010-11 collection debuted in Amsterdam and also won second place at the China Fashion Creation Contest 2010.  Max also lectures at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and the Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore - and he plays in a band!
