Latest news with #FurryTales
New Paper
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Paper
Singapore's Daniel Boey launches first clothing brand after 35 years, inspired by his late dog
After 35 years in the industry, Singapore's Godfather of Fashion is finally launching his own fashion label. Nicknamed that by peers in the industry, Daniel Boey has, since 1990, spent his entire career producing fashion shows for other people. From international brands such as Cartier and Louis Vuitton to home-grown efforts by the Singapore Fashion Council (SFC), he has been the creative puppeteer behind the scenes. Now, for the first time, the fashion veteran - who turns 60 in December - will get to stage a show starring pieces he designed. Because what better time than SG60 to do so? Describing it as "a label that non-fashion people can relate to, but has an edge to it", Boey tells The Straits Times that the timing finally felt right in this milestone year. Furry Tales combines the three things he is most passionate about: fashion, rescue dogs and eczema, he adds with his signature wide-toothed grin. Aside from his known advocacy for pet adoption, Boey is also an advocate for eczema awareness. He authored the 2017 book Behind Every *itch Is A Back Story, a tell-all about his experiences living with eczema. The name Furry Tales is an extension of his Furry Tales By Leia anthology of children's books released in 2020, told from the point of view of his late fur kid Leia. Fashion show producer and director Daniel Boey with his dog Luna. He is wearing a T-shirt with a print of his late dog Leia, from his new clothing label Furry Tales. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG One-half of Boey's Instagram-famous doggy duo Leia and Luna (@look_its_leia_n_luna), the 10-year-old female weimaraner died in December 2024. It was an excruciating loss for Boey, who adopted the former breeding dog in 2017 after she was rescued from a puppy mill in Pasir Ris. Launching in August at Furry Tales' pet-friendly pop-up concept store at CQ @ Clarke Quay, the label's first collection will be dedicated to Leia, he says, blinking back tears. "Without her, I don't think I would have had the courage or impetus to do this. She was such a stabilising force in my life and this crazy industry." Before, Boey had toyed with the idea of designing T-shirts to raise money for animal shelters. "I enjoy clothes, but to start a label, you need to have a certain signature, and a message and reason. After Leia passed, everything just fell into place. "I wanted to start a label where I could collaborate with artists I'm inspired by, to turn their artworks into fashion; and also use my voice to advocate for adoption, rescues and responsible dog ownership," he adds. Furry Tales showcased at Fashion For All in June. PHOTO: GODERIC TIA Priced below $200, the 38-piece collection spans T-shirts, hoodies, scarves and tote bags. Boey will set aside a portion of profits to donate to local animal shelters including Voices For Animals, which rescued Leia. He has already teased Furry Tales in two runway shows he produced in the past two weeks: Pasar Pink in end-May and Fashion For All on June 6. At Pasar Pink, he sent 19 rescue dogs - including his six-year-old female miniature bull terrier Luna - down the catwalk alongside models and non-models wearing his pieces. Even though his brand is not just for animal lovers, each piece was inspired by and named after a rescue dog. For instance, the Obi-Wan Draped Hoodie ($169) is named after SFC chief executive Zhang Ting-Ting's rescue golden retriever. Furry Tales' Leopold Link Tee, modelled alongside rescue weimaraner Xena. PHOTO: RUI LIANG Boey adapted the cover artworks done by Singaporean artist SKL0 for his anthology books, We Adopted! (2019) and We Adopted! Too (2023), and turned them into a signature print within dog silhouettes for the T-shirts. There are "Daniel Boey" touches too. The Leopold Link Tee ($109) comes with links the wearer can style by hanging chains, ribbons, pearls and other accessories, while the Uno Oversized Tee ($99) features exaggerated shoulder pads. Addressing sensitive-skin types, the clothes are fully cotton, cotton jersey or cotton satin to allow the skin to breathe. Even the bags, such as the Luna Scarf Tote ($149) and Leia Weekender ($159 to $189), are made of cotton canvas or cotton and denim. Furry Tales' Luna Scarf Tote. PHOTO: RUI LIANG He hopes to use his label and fashion shows to set a good example for responsible dog ownership, ensuring only safe leashes and harnesses were used at Pasar Pink. He has already received interest from pet-focused advocacy groups and multi-label stores to work together. Furry Tales' IYKYK Schedule B Tee and Lulu Pocket Square. PHOTO: RUI LIANG "I figured if fashion is what I'm known for, then maybe I can use it as a platform to draw awareness to rescues, and maybe eczema as well," he says. "It's taken me 35 years to start a brand; this is the beginning of the journey. The key to being successful is to be adaptable. "I thought 50 was the turning point. But no, 60 is." Outside looking in Though Boey had been courted with offers to start his own label, he never had the impetus to design and fancied himself "a better stylist and curator". Besides, many of these offers came from "business people", including friends, who did not understand the stakes. "I told them, if you want an industry that will allow you to make a quick buck, fashion is not it," says the fashion director, who has been staging Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts fashion shows since the 1990s. His own rise in the scene was unprecedented. As a geography and literature major from NUS, he was considered an outsider in the world of fashion. But that did not keep him from nudging his foot in the door. Daniel Boey and his rescue dog Luna modelling his label Furry Tales in a fashion show at Pasar Pink in end-May. PHOTO: SUNDAY SOCIAL MARKET He recalls how, as a junior college student in the 1980s, he would loiter outside Hemispheres - a now-defunct boutique at Delfi Orchard celebrating young local designers, founded by Singaporean singer-musician-designer Dick Lee - too intimidated to enter and join the "in" crowd hanging out inside. He did this every day until, eventually, a kind salesperson invited him in. Boey was later introduced to home-grown entertainment veteran Najip Ali, a prolific show producer and fashion personality, who became his first mentor and encouraged him to make fashion his career. Strength in numbers It is partly why Boey is so passionate about inclusivity and taking young creatives under his wing. Passing it on, the bachelor, who regularly mentors several young designers, will launch a collective of up-and-coming Singaporean designers in tandem with Furry Tales. Called dBX, it is meant to provide community and mentorship for designers, and is loosely inspired by Hemispheres. Tapping strength in numbers, the collective label would reduce pressure on the designers to put out large collections multiple times a year. Launching in tandem with Furry Tales is dBX, a collective of young designers started by Daniel Boey. PHOTO: BRANDON TAN The starting slate of five are those who were "business-ready": Joanna Lim (M0NSTER By MIRL), Esther Choy (ESH By Esther), Vouss Yang (Ther Yang), Joanne Quak (Jojo Quo) and Griffith Lim (Voiddeck). They will retail with Furry Tales at the CQ pop-up store and online. Helming it is Boey as curator. He has set key performance indicators for the quintet, including a set number of collections a year. They had to present to him business plans to prove they are in this for the long haul. The collective is also an evolution of The Front Row, the virtual-turned-phygital fashion festival Boey pioneered in 2020, in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic. "The Front Row was relevant only during Covid-19. What was next? I thought, let's be relevant today," he says, adding that he has learnt just as much from the young designers about the digitalisation of fashion. Furry Tales in a fashion show at Fashion For All in June. PHOTO: GODERIC TIA Womenswear designer Choy was eager to work with Boey, owing to his "deep understanding and vast knowledge of the fashion industry in Singapore". "Sometimes, you have to know where we have been to know where we are supposed to be headed," says the 32-year-old, who has been working on her label since 2016. "As a young designer, one of the bigger challenges is the opportunity to be 'seen'. Visibility is very important in an industry like ours. Being part of this collective would enable people to take note of designers who are ready and hungry. Moreover, doing it as a team would make the journey seem less lonely, as we are all striving towards the same goals."
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Fashion show producer Daniel Boey launches Singapore collective for up-and-coming designers
Fashion show producer Daniel Boey and his dog Luna (centre) with dBX designers (from left) Griffith Lim, Joanne Quak, Esther Choy, Joanna Lim and Vouss Yang. ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG SINGAPORE – Local fashion show producer Daniel Boey is marking his 60th birthday – and Singapore's – with the launch of his first fashion label, Furry Tales, as well as a collective bringing together young designers. Called dBX, it aims to provide community and support to up-and-coming Singaporeans in fashion , who will receive Boey's mentorship as well as tangible resources such as production contacts, to navigate the cut-throat world of fashion . Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
