THESE WOMEN ARE WHAT CREAT IV ITY LOOKS L I KE
Confident, self-assured and abundantly creative, these six women embody the qualities of a Céline woman. And just like the fashion house displays incredible passion for detail and timeless modernity, these brilliant minds share with Melissa De Silva the d
things. I believe it’s the things you do compulsively, obsessively and relentlessly that define you.” After her double major in studio art and writing from Georgetown University and the University College London Slade School of Fine Art, she got her first job in advertising in New York. “I suppose I was always fixated by the craft of storytelling, which remains primordial in my work even today.” She says that she has never kept to one medium, format or style for the very reason that she believes each idea, story and concept informs the manner in which it comes to life, not the other way round. “I personally enjoy this challenge of starting at ground zero each time I embark on a project. It’s both a humbling and thrilling process to master a new material or undertake a fresh modus operandi.” When asked what is the most rewarding aspect of her artistic practice, she says, “Making the intangible tangible.”
Being part of groundbreaking clinical trials focusing on heart disease in Asia is what Carolyn Lam is proudest of. The professor, who was part of the inaugural Generation T list last year, explains that this was previously uncharted research territory. A clinician scientist with the Singhealth DUKE-NUS Cardiovascular Academic Clinical Programme, Carolyn glows with positive energy as she describes her work leading the Asian Network for Translational Research and Cardiovascular Trials since 2015 as “a privilege”. The network builds upon a larger network spanning 11 Asian countries and embracing 50 institutions including the Genome Institute of Singapore. Some key findings of the trials are that heart patients in Singapore are younger than those in the West. Also, as the relation between diabetes and heart risk is explored, their findings reveal that diabetes in Asia is not always related to obesity, unlike in the West. These findings are important because it points to a future of individualised medicine, she says. “In the history of medicine, people with diseases are all treated in the same way. We need to go into the genomic approach of treatment for all kinds of diseases. We want to get down to a precision approach.” Her strategy is to be authentic about her goal, roll up her sleeves and do the work, which ties in to the stethoscope she is pictured with. “It symbolises the heart and what it represents, to be authentic, to be true.”
n 2011, Marianne Fabre Le Sand started lifestyle brand Akar de Nissim with her husband, Richard, and it is the creation she is most proud of. “We wanted to launch our own luxury lifestyle brand that is refined and soulful with an exquisite sense of restraint,” says Marianne, who is the brand’s international sales director. Her husband had always thought of undertaking something in home decor after spending years as artistic director for different furniture brands, and with her background in sales in the luxury hospitality industry, they felt ready to start their own business. The most challenging aspect was being able to deliver high-quality products within a short period of time. To achieve this, they hired French master craftsmen, who spent months in their factory in Vietnam, to implement the processes and training programmes for the artisans and give the new brand an edge to stand out from the competition. Among the brand’s product range, which includes the chair Marianne is pictured with, she is especially proud of the Oscar sideboard, which pays tribute to Brazilian architects Oscar Niemeyer and Marcio Kogan, representing the old and the new generations, respectively. “They mesmerise me when I look at their works over the past 50 years,” says Marianne, describing their works as masterpieces in terms of perspective and achieving a sense of balance. “The sideboard was a real technical challenge for our design team because of its panels, which are made of solid travertine or marble.” Being an entrepreneur has taught Marianne that “positive thinking is essential to self-confidence and overall health. The more you practise positive thoughts and behaviours, the more confident and self-assured you will feel. When you are an entrepreneur, this mindset helps a lot on a daily basis”.