Self-taught Designer of Coupé-Cousu, Alex Yeo Speaks to Us

As part of 20byTWO held at Red Dot Museum, Coupé-Cousu was one of the many talented designers who exhibited their designs. Understated elegance would be the 2 essential words to describe the brand. Despite having no formal training in fashion design, Alex Yeo and Xie Shangqian followed their love for menswear and began creating their first shirts. Coupé-cousu was founded in 2008 with one goal in mind, to create clothes for the urbanite who is constantly on the move. In 2009, Coupé-cousu nominated as one of 25 young designer labels to participate in the inaugural Fashion Incubator Project spearheaded by TaFf, SPRING Singapore and Parco Singapore.

Alex Yeo was a trained accountant but has always been interested in changing the waves of men’s fashion. He doesn’t follow the modern styles but panders to the beat of typical Singaporean men. The Singaporean man aims to be sophisticated and stylish but yet not over the top. Their brand is characterized by smart work attire and simple colours. Seeking inspiration from architecture and art, Alex and Shangqian opt for a sophisticated, minimalistic look, and do not seek to follow the latest fashion trends.

For their FW 2012 collection, they explore the “Contrast” between black and white. Black could be said to be the most basic yet the most complex at the same time. To bring the garment’s intrinsic beauty, they use a pure black canvas and precise tailoring to define the clean lines of the wearer. “Where white purifies, black adds the richness of intrigue.” On the opposite end of the colour spectrum is white, and the duo have ingeniously paired these two colours together resulting in a refined finish.

Coupé-cousu stands for cut and sewn in French – the fundamental basis of garment-making. The name of the label reflects the duo’s approach to menswear is a pragmatic one. Always at their top of their heads is the combination of form and function, and are never carried away from design for design’s sake. The precision of engineering details and tinkering of the shirt’s construction is able to give their clothes an edgy depth. The marriage of tech and classic materials provides contrast that is easily and sensibly worn by the modern Singapore man, who would require a versatile wardrobe to take him from work to after-work.

Most recently, Coupé-cousu showcased their SS 2013 collection at Seoul Fashion Week. Inspired by outer-space, this collection imbued touches of gold and the use of clean, structured lines. The brilliant use of belt-buckles which resembled car or airplane buckles successfully conveyed the futuristic elements of this collection.

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Coupé-cousu is stocked in Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and Kuala Lumpur. It is available online at www.Gnossem.com and at www.coupecousu.com.

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