LEAP OF FAITH
There are very few places in the world where a rush of excitement and a jolt of energy become palpable the minute you walk down the street. For me, and I suspect many others, nowhere is this best experienced and epitomised than in New York City. French writer and intellectual Simone de Beauvoir once noted that “there is something in the New York air that makes sleep useless”—an apt description of the relentless ambition encapsulated in The City that Never Sleeps. To this day, even with the rapid rise of many cosmopolitan cities on our side of the world, New York retains its distinct allure and continues to capture the imagination of the bold and adventurous. It especially draws the dreamers, who come in droves in hopes of making a mark on the global stage, or at least learn in the school of life. One of them is local fashion favourite, social media influencer and retail maven Mae Tan, who is moving to New York soon to be “completely out of her comfort zone”. Ahead of her big move, digital content director Daphne Chen-cordeiro and fashion director Desmond Lim travelled with Mae to New York for her first-ever overseas cover shoot, where she reunited with friends (and twins) Brandon and Julien Leo, who are currently studying at New York University. The families of these three scions share many things in common—including their parents’ influential retail backgrounds in Singapore—but each of them have chosen to carve their own path and take a bite of the Big Apple on their own terms. Read more about their game plan on page 118.
Right back on our sunny shores, we profile three young leaders—biomedical engineer Dean Ho, fashion e-commerce entrepreneur Ankiti Bose and lawyer Amanda Chong—who are making an impact in Singapore and beyond. These driven achievers are part of our Gen.t List 2019, and you can discover more inspiring entrepreneurs, creatives and innovators in the maiden issue of the regional Gen.t magazine enclosed here. The Bold Issue this month is not solely about living in the fast lane. We also explore the spiritual side of Japan’s ancient capital, Kyoto, where centuries-old ryokans and charming temples help travellers adopt a slower pace (page 134). Whatever rhythm your life is at the moment, take a cue from the people we celebrate in this issue and march to the beat of your own drum.