Where In The World Are You (and what are you doing there!):
Singapore, Switzerland mainly and all over the place designing watches, jewellery and tech to fill my spare time.
How do you define being ‘creative’?
Doing things differently for the sake of it. Always take a moment to look at everything from a different angle or tackling the problem in a way contrary to conventional wisdom and being open to experimentation.
What drives your creative process and where does the inspiration for new ideas happen for you usually?
Usually I like to draw inspiration from the things I see around me – always keep your eyes open and look at nature, buildings and other designs – Whenever I see something that catches my eye I snap a photo and save it to my journal with a note on what it was and refer to it the next time I’m designing.
Who’s inspiring you big time right now in the watch/tech industry?
I’m a huge fan of independent watchmakers and designers. You’d be surprised at how many established big name brands actually get their designs made by indie designers.
The brand I like the most right now is H. Moser & Cie (they’re really making beautiful watches) and an indie designer Sebastien Perret who I’m really blessed to be working with on my watches.
What is the biggest influence Brunei has had on your collections/work?
From an early age being from Brunei I’ve had the unique opportunity to see first hand some of the world’s finest jewels and amazing watches, which was a great start, and with Brunei being so small it’s very easy to get your work seen and supported. There is so much support available if you’re hungry enough to chase it.
And nowadays when travelling around the world, saying “Hi, I’m a designer/app maker/entrepreneur from Brunei..” is such a unique opening line it helps so much in opening doors, getting noticed and meeting other creatives.
