After a gag order was lifted, the ex-MediaCorp actor was identified as the star to have had intimate relations with an underaged girl. The news have gone viral. Amid the shock of his crime, no one, it seems, remembers that he once had a fashion label

Ian Fang promoting his brand’s hair wax in 2022

Many Asian actors/singers think they have enough style and know-how to start a fashion label, and they have attempted. But a significant number of them are unable to see their labels through to some measure of success. One of them is China-born, Singapore-based actor Ian Fang Weijie (方威捷, his birth name, although, at a time, he went by 方伟杰 [both monikers share the same pronunciation]). The news of the moment is that Mr Fang was identified as the chap who was charged in January with penetrative sex involving a minor last year. He was named after the victim agreed to the lifting of the gag order as she was now “emotionally stronger”, CNA reported, and could deal with the result of her being known once Mr Fang was identified. Appearing in court this morning in an oversized black T-shirt and Nike khaki track pants, the perpetrator pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 40 months (or about three years and three months) in jail.

The charge sheet revealed that Mr Fang, 35, was suspected of sex intercourse with the 15-year-old student at least six times (some reports said nine) between June and July 2024, at three fancy locations: Marina Bay Sands hotel, Mount Elizabeth Novena hospital, and his reportedly S$1-million condominium home. The pair apparently met at an “entertainment event”—what kind that was or pleasure it afforded, or if it was permitted to admit those below 16 is not known. Both of them exchanged contact details, and subsequently chatted nearly every day, and “grew closer”, The Straits Times reported. According to the prosecutor, Mr Fang indulged in raw sex with the teen. Nearing the end of their sexual relationship, she was diagnosed with the sexually-transmitted human papillomavirus. A police report against Mr Fang was made by the girl’s mother in August last year.

Ian Fang as Luo Zhaolong in 2011’s TV series C.L.I.F. Screen shot: mediacorpdrama/YouTube

On his music video of his first single, First Attempt. Screen shot: thecelebrityagency/YouTube

Ian Fang was born in the Chinese city of Shanghai on 13 December 1989, six months after the infamous Chinese students protest and massacre in Tiananmen Square. When he was four, his parents divorced, and he was brought up by his maternal grandmother. His mother moved him to Singapore in 2002, when he was 13. Interestingly, he was enrolled in Stamford Primary School in the Bugis area when he should be in Secondary school. He did go to Bendemeer Secondary School, and finally graduated from Republic Polytechnic. He joined MediaCorp in 2009 and debuted in the Crimewatch-ish 2011 Channel 8 TV series 警徽天职 (jinghui tianzhi or C.L.I.F. [Courage, Loyalty, Integrity, Fairness]) in which he played 罗超龙 (Luo Zhaolong), a rich kid who single-handedly planned a series of destructive bombings. Some followers of the police drama at the time thought his “Ah Beng look” was right for the role.

Three years after that small television part, Mr Fang started a streetwear label First Attempt, and he made sure it looked to be so. The clothes offered no point of view, let alone design credibility. They were mainly T-shirts with inane messaging on the chest, such as the tired cliché, “Work Hard Play Harder” (which now appears to be Mr Fang’s troublesome motto). It is unknown if the actor designed the clothes or the graphics himself, but as with many such celebrity brands, including China-based Singaporean actress Eleanor Lee’s fate-unknown No Labels, the products rely less on design merit than the actors’ appeal, underscoring a common dynamic in celebrity-created brands: The initial lure often hinges more on the famous names’ existing fanbase and recognition than on the intrinsic design quality or unique brand identity of the products themselves.

In 2015, Ian Fang with Zoe Tay, who was wearing a First Attempt T-shirt with the Roman numerals representing 19

Ian Fang showing off his ‘Work Hard Play Hard’ T-shirts in 2015

First Attempt (also known in Chinese as 初壹, chuyi) is also the title of his debut rap single, launched on the first anniversary of the brand. In 2016, Mr Fang told the now-defunct StyleXStyle that he was “inspired by Japanese style icons such as Takuya Kimura (actor/singer), as well as my favourite K-pop and R&B music.” It is hard to determine from the small output of T-shirts, caps, and “essential kits” of towels, water bottle, eating implements, and even hair wax if the language of streetwear was well uttered, or if his output reflected the sources of inspiration, but there was a discernible lack of the deeper currents of contemporary youth culture that emphasise genuine self-expression. In fact, it was hard to make out what Mr Fang was trying to say with his graphics, among them the Roman numerals representing the number 19, filled with A Bathing Ape-style camouflaged jigsaw shapes. Mr Fang claimed in 2015 that the Japanese brand desired to work with him, but nothing came out of that.

It is easy for brands such as First Attempt to materialise with scant attention to design value. Mr Fang is from China and it is likely he had contacts there that could supply those very generic T-shirts and caps on which he easily slaps on the logo and such. Additionally, the ease of creating and selling merchandise online (the clothes were briefly available at the now-closed Alcoholiday) has lowered the barrier to entry. Platforms such as Instagram allow for quick creation and distribution, even if the designs are not polished, as is the case with First Attempt. With celebrity culture and online commerce, the traditional rules of branding and design are no longer crucial. However, without strong visual signatures or clever marketing, or engaging social media content (their last IG post was on March 2023), Ian Fang’s now-quiet label might have easily been a Lazy Attempt.

Update (16 June 2025, 20:00): Earlier today, just before noon, Ian Fang surrendered to the State Court to begin his sentence of 40 months in jail. Accompanied by his mother, he told the members of the press waiting for him to appear: “I definitely will try my best to be a better person, a better version of myself. It is an expensive and very huge mistake that I need to pay off”

Photos (excepted indicated): firstattemptxix/Instagram