From fitted dresses with swirling colors to a looser, gorgeously layered monochromatic selection for his upcoming Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer 2012 collection, expect the unexpected from this innovative 27-year-old fashion upstart, who recently showed at the Asia Fashion Exchange and the modefabriek fashion event in Amsterdam. He lets us in on his design, philosophy, working technique and future plans.

What is your design philosophy?
I start with soft geometrical forms; basically working on the concept of maximizing on minimal ideas. I aim to construct clothes using different methods, often starting from very simple ideas. For example: How I can make a jacket lapel by using just rectangles? I’m in love with drafting, but I can’t resist breaking the rules. I long for freedom but can’t live without a little control in my life. Basic “boring” geometric shapes are huge building blocks for my collections. “How I can give ‘life’ and change these fixed shapes?” is a question I ask myself all the time. I always look at my garments as three-dimensional sculptures as opposed to flat jigsaw puzzles.

What are the inspirations behind your upcoming collection?
Spring/Summer 2012 is my 10th collection and I’ve titled it “Liberate.” The collection melds eastern understanding of drapery with the precision tailoring of the west. I suppose the easiest way to think of it is to imagine a monk on Saville Row in London! She wants to shed her robes for the tailored look in the stores and I’ve expanded this idea to bring a new masculine take on womenswear. I took the square-ish geometry of the monk’s robe and the purity of the faith and re-imagined it in new ways using calculated draping. I exaggerated the jacket collars of Saville Row to take on new identities as waistbands, sleeves and pants. With this collection, I “liberated” the strict tailoring rules using free-form draped garments.

How long does it take for you come up with a collection each season?
What many people don’t realize is the amount of work that goes into putting a collection together. We have to work over a year in advance: The initial research, concepts and sketching, then sourcing and drafting, before producing the finished collection that you see. It takes me about two months to conceptualize a new collection where I do a lot of research and sketch and drape my ideas. It’s very important. As much as I am drawn to conceptual pieces, I always try to maintain and strike a balance in commercial viability. Art comprises fashion, fashion however is not art.

Where do you make your clothes?
Quality and construction has always been an important value for me. I source my fabrics personally and they mainly originate from Korea, Japan, Thailand and India. In order to control the entire production process to ensure the quality and finishing I need, I still produce all my garments in Singapore.

Thoughts on the local fashion industry.
Singaporeans are starting to have better knowledge of cult labels. I think this is very encouraging. However, one thing I hope for is the opportunity to showcase more homegrown brands at our fashion festivals, instead of relying on an all-international brand show to pull in the crowd and buyers. I don’t think you need to step out of Singapore to be recognized. We have received really positive global exposure thanks to the international press such as Stylesight.co, the Vogue Paris blog or the Vogue Nippon magazine. But with Singapore’s limited market size, we certainly need to step outside of Singapore to grow the business.

Future plans?
I really hope to continue to grow to become one of Singapore’s most internationally recognized womenswear fashion brands alongside international greats. I hope to be able to show internationally as well, and my dream is to be a fixture at the on-schedule main fashion show in London. But the eventual goal is to try to expand to countries in Europe, Middle East and the Asia Pacific.

Famous last words.
Fashion at its purest form must begin and end with construction.

Max Tan’s Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter collections ($210 upwards for a top and $699 upwards for a coat) are available at Blackmarket and Zouk Boutique