Singaporean Star Designer Jon Max Goh On Staying Local And Finding Success Abroad
The rising star catches up with BAZAAR after a recent showcase at FashionCONNECTS
Sometimes we travel the world in search of something new, only to come right back home at the end of it all. That was certainly the case for Singapore-based designer Jon Max Goh, who first graduated from The New School's Parsons School Of Design in 2015, where he earned a B.F.A. in Fashion Design, fresh off winning the CFDA Scholarship Award in 2014. Many awards and years later, Goh now works as a designer for homegrown fashion retailer Love, Bonito, on top of staying busy curating designs for his own independent label.
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It's been many years since we last caught up with the rising star, who recently showed a collection at FashionCONNECTS' Catwalk with a Conscience runway presentation at the National Museum of Singapore. Below he tells us all about his most recent design inspirations, how he hopes to represent his country on a global stage, and the advice he has for young aspiring designers here in Singapore.
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I’m inspired by many different mediums. Sometimes it’s pop culture, other times it could be a film or a sculpture. An example of this would be my collaboration with Bright Ong’s performance of The Beast at FashionCONNECTS Museum*Takeover where the performers were dressed in JONMAXGOH. This mutually inspiring process created a breathtaking masterpiece that challenges the artistic boundaries by integrating art and fashion.
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What’s different in a larger and more commercial brand is the beauty of working with many other cross-functional teams who help to oversee the planning, execution, and communication of collections. At the end of the day the central passion is the same — to express something beautiful, thoughtful and of value to the end user, be it a mass market consumer or an art viewer.
My time at Parsons helped me build the foundations I have explored while studying in New York. This includes the fantastical alternative future where the clothes that we wear speak a more Asia-centric language - the basis of this is used widely in my line of work. My advice would be to have fun, don’t be afraid to simply try, make friends of different nationalities and walks of life. Be inspired by the world and find what connects you to home.
I hope my work is able to inspire a generation of designers and viewers who care deeply about the narrative behind the garment, to be able to use fashion not just as a commercial piece to be worn, but as a visual language that can be used to express our world and society as we see it - what we hope, fear and dream of.
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