Eugene Lin

It is his attention to detail and urban refinement that sets Singapore-born London-based designer Eugene Lin apart. Having studied at Central Saint Martin’s and interned for Rosanda Illincic and worked with Vivienne Westwood, it is understandable that Lin is able to straddle the tricky precipice of sophistication and edginess.

Spending time, like all Singaporean men, in the army, then being launched into the most prestigious fashion school in Europe must have been quite the culture shock, seemingly, this has only informed Lin’s designs further. As has, his stint as pattern cutter. Working as a pattern cutter limits ones creative output, ultimately the cutter is just producing someone else’s dream design - as Lin alluded to this in previous interviews, saying “the creativity is strictly limited to a purely technical process”.  No wonder, Lin set up his eponymous label two years ago.

Taking inspiration from unusual places -, Eugene Lin constantly turns out intelligent designs with as much focus on quality and craftsmanship as design – a rarity in our over saturated fashion market. Lin’s SS11 collection takes its cue from Stephen King’s horror classic ‘The Dark Half’ while his AW11 takes heed from Greek siren, ‘Medusa’. Varied, sure, but Lin’s collections always keep up their high level of quality and feminine allure, be it with horror inspired tailoring or Medusa snake-inspired digitalised prints.

Shot by Paolo Zerbini, of GQ and Volt, and styled by Nobuko Tannawa, of Another and Dazed and Confused, the AW11 lookbook is directional. Striking silhouettes, shadow play and layered prints reflect the collections detailed touches and structured shapes.

By Lucy Morris