BAZAAR Man Inspiration: Tok Wei Lun
“If I weren’t in this line, I’d be an artist or an interior designer. I’ve always dreamt of being an art squatter in Paris with a space and living quarters in the city.”
Trained in Fine Arts, Tok Wei Lun’s journey into the fashion industry started when he worked at local multi-label boutique Front Row. It’s been 17 years since, and the 37-year-old who is stylist to personalities and celebrities, as well as a creative director for editorials and commercials continues to find joy in fashion. Listing creative consultant Kyuhee Baik as someone he looks up to, he notes that one’s style cannot be boxed up, and should always be inspired and evolving for growth.
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“I was about 13 when I first stepped into Jean Paul Gaultier to buy a wallet—a white leather bi-fold number with a silver embroidered dragon. I don’t use it anymore, but its high nostalgia factor makes it so precious, almost like a scent.”
Tok’s treasured Jean Paul Gaultier wallet
“My style heavily depends on my mindset, and it’s constantly evolving, and it tends to be either very eclectic or monochromatic. But I would say my constant inspiration is my mother, and the women around me.”
Tok and his mum
“Yohji Yamamoto is a pure visionary. His poetry through clothes make his collections so human, vulnerable and tangible, which is what resonates with me. He does it so consistently and effortlessly as well.”
Yohji Yamamoto men’s fall/winter 2023
“I hold pieces by +9 designers and Woods & Woods very dear. It was a reflection of the Singapore fashion scene at that time: it felt free and exciting. It was liberating for me to be part of that—to be able to see how their minds worked. I’ve not seen any other garments conceived or constructed the same way.”
YoviaJogia designs for +9 Darken Blue Fashion Show by Front Row
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“If I weren’t in this line, I’d be an artist or an interior designer. I’ve always dreamt of being an art squatter in Paris with a space and living quarters in the city.”
Art on the street of Paris
“My dream dinner companions would be Miuccia Prada and Friedrich Nietzsche. It’d be at a charming family-owned restaurant in Milan where Miuccia is a regular, and there would be an endless supply of red wine and great Italian food, and we’d chat till daybreak without realising. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be a witness as these two great minds collide?”
The beloved Miuccia Prada
“While I would love to continue working with di erent creatives, I would also love to curate exhibitions for museums or become a consultant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, like Diana Vreeland.”
Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel, AppleTV+
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“If I could choose collections to wear for the rest of my life, it’d be Helmut Lang’s spring/ summer 1998 collection for day-to-day and work, and Haider Ackermann’s fall/ winter 2012 collection for dressier occasions. Helmut Lang’s pieces are so understated yet captivating, while Haider Ackermann’s are extremely chic and sublime.”
Haider Ackermann fall/winter 2012