Aupen’s Nicholas Tan is on the cover of a British magazine, somewhat scantily clad

Singapore’s overnight star in the leather accessories business, Nicholas Tan, is featured on the latest cover of Man About Town, looking less man about town than man of the jungle. The British bi-annual print title has scored quite a scoop, considering that the Aupen owner/founder has remained rather elusive until recently when his identity was uncovered. Aupen bags have steathily gained visibility in the past two years through celebrities using them. But when blogger and YouTuber Tanner Leatherstein questioned the production provenance of the bag last September, To seal the brand’s reputational fate, Michael Kors mentioned them in court last year when he appeared before the judge to convince him that his Capri Holdings deserved to be aquired by Tapestry Inc (the merger was blocked). Before you knew it, Nicholas Tan and his brand Aupen were the talk of the town. In no time, the bag seller became man about town.

On the cover of the magazine, Mr Tan does not appear as a successful businessman of bags, with LVMH supporting his venture. Looking extremely tanned, he passes off easily as an exotic dancer in a state of undress. He wears a leather gilet that hangs unzipped to expose his heaving chest and powerful arms, and matching high-waisted shorts unzipped and peeled down on the left side to reveal a pair of briefs, possibly jockstraps. On his nose, a Hello Kitty plaster—a touch of the campy than whimsy. His upper body is oil-irrigated to suggest sweat of some blue collar type, further confirmed by the work gloves he wears, holding on each hand what could be outers or protective garments, with the pockets of one stuffed with tools. Mr Tan reprises his old job—modeling. But the audience now is into something less conventional, possibly deviant.

Looking at the cover image and the 10-page fashion spread inside, it is hard to see him as the chap behind Aupen. The interviewer found him to be “far from the typical, arrogance-fuelled fashion mogul”, even when he is far from home and the peaceful amenity of undiscovered existence. Little is revealed about Nicholas Tan. Or mention of how tariffs will affect his business. Just that Aupen is an explosive success for him, more so, considering that fame for the brand was achieved within two years of the bags emergence in the market. Referring to the rapid success of Aupen, he tells the magazine: “I think more people knew us from those celebrity sightings, but, in reality, it was really the culmination of the foundation and brand-building we’ve been doing behind the scenes for the past two years.” Augmented by the images that are styled to show his solid body, that business talk escapes sounding trite.

Photo: Win Tam/Man About Town