WANDERWONDER, one of the designer labels under the PARCO Next Next Fashion Incubator program, constantly pushes the boundaries of male fashion design but still maintains the clothes’ functionality. We had a short chat with Daniel, 1/3 of the creative force behind the label to tell us more about the label and whether there will be a female line from them soon.

What inspired you to start this label? Was it a spur of the moment or was it your dream all along?

It was a mix of both, the three of us met through mutual friends and everything just came naturally. As for myself, I’m a designer by day so having to market/art direct a men’s label was something I wanted to do. Operationally, Lenz & Kenny are the driving force of the label and I’m the ‘instigator’ in the partnership, occasionally throwing a spanner in the works to challenge ourselves creatively in the process.

WanderWonder was born out of the desire to create something different but unpretentious for the menswear market. We spent most of the time traveling in our day-jobs and we were exposed to the different styles and cultures from emerging fashion designers that were making their mark on the industry. I guess we looked at a lot of vintage shirts, pants and shoes; the classic silhouettes and the like. A lot of what we do is not very far from the traditional product. We’re making use of a heritage that’s been out there for a very long time and giving it a twist in the modern context. Sometimes it’s also a little more adult and also sort of a boyish theme running through them. We’re still conservative in some ways.

What are your most memorable experiences so far?

We had a recent showcase at Zouk Club’s ‘Wardrobe’ project sharing the runaway with local label OwnMuse. Prior to that, our inaugural flagship store at Parco’s NextNext.

Wander Wonder currently specializes in men’s clothing, are there plans to go into womenswear?

We’ve toyed the idea before but having observed the current market sentiment, it’s ideal to stick to what we do best and get brand leverage locally & overseas. But surprisingly we do get women customers asking for sizes but to be candor about it, it’s not an everyday affair. So we don’t see ourselves immersing to the women’s range anytime soon. That is unless we do a collaboration with a women’s label and launch it as a permanent collection, now that would be our dream project.

Are there any celebrities that you will want to be seen in WanderWonder?

Funny that you asked, it never crossed our minds. But we’re musically inclined so we’d prefer bands to wear our label. If you followed our Facebook posts, we actually have a list of bands we’d love to ‘dress up’.

What is a must have item in your wardrobe?

Clean underwear, ha! Well, it definitely has to be the white classic oxford button-down shirt, you can wear it anytime anywhere. Best to wear ours to meet your partner’s folks!

If you can be a superhero, what will it be?

Doraemon. I can get away from not doing anything at all with a pair of ball hands and you have a magic pocket at my disposal. What else can I ask for?