An interest in fashion was sparked early for 23-year-old Kristel Ong. Born and bred in Singapore, she had many creative interests and pursuits, which ultimately led her to find middle ground in fashion, and she enrolled to do a diploma in fashion design at Lasalle College of the Arts. During her time there, she became fascinated by Victorian mourning garments and their associated traditions. These influences found their way into Ong’s graduation project in 2020, as she worked on her final year submission. In particular, the designer fully focused on reimagining the corset silhouette as a symbol of empowerment, sexual freedom and control.
With no way to showcase her works due to the ongoing pandemic, Ong took to Instagram where she posted images of her graduation collection. She was subsequently commissioned to craft a custom corset by a follower, and soon, she began receiving more orders. She realised that she could monetise her passion and craft, and it was then that Age of Aquarius (AOA) was born. The name itself was inspired by her own horoscope sign, the free-spirited and highly creative Aquarius.
Post-graduation, Ong continued AOA on the side as a part-time passion project, taking custom orders for corsets to make a side income, even as she continued with her day job — a full-time position at a local fashion company. It soon proved untenable and Ong left to begin her quest to realise the full potential of AOA. “It took three whole years to take this venture seriously and it’s been a tremendously turbulent journey,” she reflects. “But I’m grateful for the lessons I’ve learnt through these experiences.”
With Ong fully focusing on the brand, AOA’s growth, while slow, has been steady and organic. When asked about her biggest obstacle in brand development, Ong’s response is surprising. “I’m a painfully introverted person so [I don’t go out and] seek opportunities,” she says candidly. “I’ve been fortunate enough to have people reach out to me first. Embarrassingly, I think this may be my biggest challenge.”
When looking at AOA’s designs, it is clear that Ong’s creative vision is to craft garments that integrate historical silhouettes, softness and self-expression. She also strives to practise thoughtful and conscious garment construction and techniques in order to produce quality pieces that are enduring and timeless, without getting caught up in the cyclical nature of fashion and its algorithms. “Because I work on a made-to-order basis, sourcing for materials typically consists of fabric shopping in Chinatown, where I’ll buy a small yardage of fabric; which essentially makes each batch ‘limited’ and unique.”
Each garment starts from a memory or a dream, which then materialises into various sketches. From there, Ong draws from her own treasure trove of personal references before working on the pattern. While her designs are often an ode to historical dress codes, the founder also loves to lean into hyper-feminine traits or themes that would stereotypically be defined as “weaknesses”. “Ultimately, I want my clothes to allow women to reclaim our bodies and take control of the narrative.” Ong’s socio-political approach to her creative process is simply an extension of who the founder is. “It makes sense, considering that my designs usually juxtapose sexuality and empowerment.”
While the fashion scene in Singapore has drastically evolved over the past decade, with an increase in independent brands that make references to the local culture and communities, not much has been done to create an incubator-like space that nurtures and supports rising brands like AOA. But that hasn’t deterred Ong from setting big goals for her brand. Some of her dreams include dressing singer-songwriter FKA Twigs (a big source of inspiration for the designer), having AOA stocked at Dover Street Market Singapore and lastly, to simply sustain her brand in the long run.
On her dreams for the future, Ong shares, “I hope to see a fashion landscape where opportunities are abundant and budding designers are not afraid to share their talents. Hopefully as opportunities arise, more young people can develop an interest in fashion despite it being a less conventional career path.”
To read more visit – https://www.instagram.com/ageofaquarius.studios/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=cff5c6f6-c1f5-4fdc-9ea2-9f7100b50095
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