Naiise Conversations With Linda Hao

You won't always understand them fully, but you love them unconditionally anyway. Express your love to that unique, free-spirited, wild at heart creative, one-of-a-kind soul in your life with these gift ideas curated by Linda Hao.

Hailing from Shanghai, Linda is a DJ, fashion designer, model and blogger who runs her own clothing label, YESAH. We chat with her to find out more about Linda, her creative pursuits, her favourite artsy picks from Naiise, and design that inspires her daily.

1) Who is Linda Hao, and how did the website come about?

23yo, Founder/Designer of Yesah, 1/2 DJ collective TWOFACE. Yesah was created first in 2012 as a platform for Chinese independant designers to get exposed out of China and as the brand grows, I started designing my own collections and eventually by mid 2013, I've turned Yesah into a designer label.

2. Thank you for curating our Valentines' Day collection. How do your picks reflect your personal style?

I'm a sucker for all cute things, so even if it's for the office or home, I tend to pick whatever that's practical and cute... hahaha

3. Top picks from the collection?

Definitely the fed5 gold camera!!! It's toooooo dope, if you're gonna get a present for you loved one, go allll the way and get the best!!!

4. Why is design important to you in all the different creative avenues you pursue?

Design is basically everywhere. It's the fundamentals of life to me. Being creative is not that important but being able to create something by myself is a kind of living basics. It proves me of life and freshness. I'm someone who get bored of things easily so that's one reason I'm creating new things all the time. I've to keep myself on the go because being able to inspire myself I can then inspire others.

5. We also understand that you run an online clothing store. Tell us more about how this is going, and how it has impacted your life.

Yesah was created first in 2012 as a platform for Chinese independant designers to get exposed out of China and as the brand grows, I started designing my own collections and eventually by mid 2013, I've turned Yesah into a designer label. It has a huge impact on my life so far because I started running it not long after I graduated from Temasek Polytechnic (Fashion Design) , so I rarely got to 'rest' and spend my life as a 'kid'. After launching it in 2012, my 24/7 has been dedicated to it. It's really my blood and flesh! I've never been so confident to say I'm a very responsible person until I started running my own business. It's crazy how much I've grown over just 1 and a half years. Sometimes I even joke with my friends that I mentally feel like a middle-aged lady. haha

6. Favourite creators and designers that inspire you?

One of my favourite must be Opening Ceremony. It is always so fresh to see their curations and interesting collaborations with not only young designers but also scene makers. I really like how a creative community can influence the way people dress and even the way people pick up trends. That's something I aim to create- a community of my own.

7. What can we look forward to from you in the year ahead?

I've just launched my SS2014 capsule collection in collaboration with local illustrator, Teresa Lim. The launch has been really good so far, and I'm already on the plan to bring the collection overseas in the next 2 months. Hopefully by July, you will be able to see my A/W 2014 collection!