Fashion’s new face: Aupen’s Singapore founder Nicholas Tan lands British magazine cover (2025)

SINGAPORE – Mr Nicholas Tan, the Singaporean founder of viral bag brand Aupen, can now add “cover star” to his growing list of achievements.

The 35-year-old has become the first Asian designer to front the cover ofMan About Town (MAT), a London-based biannual fashion and lifestyle magazine for men that is known for its cinematic editorial spreads and high-profile tastemakers.

Previous cover stars include American punk rock musician Travis Barker, American actor Jeff Goldblum and Oscar-winning Vietnam-born American actor Ke Huy Quan.

In the latest issue released on April 22 that features an interview with Mr Tan,MATdescribes him as a designer at the industry’s apex.

“Tan’s trajectory has always ultimately pointed in one direction – skyward – but now, having arrived at fashion’s apex, he’s finally pausing to take in the view,” says the online and print publication.

Mr Tan’s international magazine debut – featuring a series of gritty and cinematic images of his bare, sculpted physique – is a bold statement not just of fashion, but also representation.

“Asian males are often portrayed with a slim, quiet demeanor. I wanted to show a stronger, more sensual side, especially on a Western platform,” he tells The Straits Times, adding that the cover was created in collaboration with British stylist Luke Day.

When MAT first reached out in early 2025, the Paris-based fashion entrepreneur – who was a former national swimmer and professional model – did not hesitate.

“I was extremely excited. I jumped at the opportunity,” he recalls. “I’d done some modelling during my swimming career – including a Dolce & Gabbana campaign – from 2007 to 2014, but this was different. That was me as the subject, not promoting someone else’s vision.”

While fitness has always been part of Mr Tan’s lifestyle – he works out five to six times a week no matter how busy he is – he did prepare for the shoot in other ways.

“There wasn’t a special training programme, but I was conscious about food. And I definitely practised my poses and facial expressions in the mirror,” he says.

He used the opportunity to collaborate with an Asian creative he deeply admired – Chinese photographer Win Tam, whose bold visual style matched the shoot’s raw, expressive energy and who helped him feel at ease during the session.

Mr Tan flew to Beijing, China, for the shoot, which unfolded over a full day on March 22 at a local production studio.

“They sprayed me down with oil. It looks heavy, but it wasn’t uncomfortable at all,” he says with a laugh. “My skin felt amazing after.”

While he cuts a confident figure, he admits the shoot stirred up self-doubt and he felt nervous as he had “never done anything like this before”.

“I know I might not look like someone who struggles with insecurity, but I do – physically, and even creatively, when I’m designing,” he says. “For this shoot, I had to face those insecurities head-on and really show up.”

Mr Tan, who started accessories label Aupen in Singapore in 2022 and has fast become a favourite among Hollywood A-listers and regional trendsetters, is also busy behind the scenes working on the brand’s next drops.

New jewellery designs are in development, alongside a highly anticipated line of bags created in collaboration with multinational luxury conglomerate LVMH, slated to debut in the third quarter of 2025. Both parties have had an ongoing partnership since July 2024.

Mr Tan says in his MAT interview: “For me, especially as a Singaporean, it feels surreal. When I started this, I never imagined, in a million years, that I’d be sitting here in Paris having these conversations. And now, I know this is just the beginning.”