What do Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Madonna have in common? Apart from being some of the brightest stars in pop music, they are also fashion icons in their own right, producing incredible style moments, whether on or offstage. And lately, they have all been spotted carrying a unique bag.

Dubbed the Purpose bag, it is one of the signature styles of Singaporean accessories label Aupen. Launched in 2022, the brand quickly became part of the global fashion scene thanks to its asymmetrical, architectural silhouettes. The said bag now becomes the nucleus for its designer and brand founder Nicholas Tan’s latest creative pursuit.

Nicholas is in Manila now, not just to bring Aupen closer to Filipinos, but to mark a new chapter in his life as he fully steps into his artistic side. You see, Nicholas has achieved what others simply dream of in their lifetime: to be more. In his formative years, he represented Singapore as a national swimmer. He earned a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree at Harvard after studying Biology, and later became a model and fashion retailer for global brands. Eventually, he took the courage to start his own brand and present his designs.

“I had a showroom and distribution company where I brought over labels to Asia,” Nicholas muses. “That experience taught me a lot about the industry and how things worked in fashion and the arts.”

As Nicholas opened his first exhibit at 125 Project in NBS Park, Mandaluyong City, last Aug. 18, he also officially added a new feather to his cap as an artist. The exhibit, as mentioned, centered on his Purpose bag, deconstructed to its most basic form: its silhouette.

“Most of the pieces are investigations of the shape of the Purpose bag. I designed it in 2023; this has been an integral part of my career,” Nicholas tells Manila Bulletin Lifestyle. “For this study, I took away the function of the bag, and what’s left is just the shape. I applied it to different mediums.”

The wedge shape of the bag has been iterated into printed fabrics, painted onto sculptures, and used as a canvas for other media. What binds them together is the artist’s use of the color purple, which reflects his new creative energy. For Nicholas, these art pieces aim to further transcend his creativity beyond his bags, echoing his journey and the lessons he picked up along the way.

Nicholas took a retrospective journey in mounting the exhibition. One of the pieces on display is a heart sculpture made of wood, which reflects his first heartbreak. A dried calabash gourd becomes the canvas for his angular painting, an ode to his grandmother’s home in Singapore, where he started to establish his brand.

A purple rendition of the Eiffel Tower sits in the middle of the gallery. There are also his versions of the iconic sculptures Venus de Milo and David, adorned with a scarf and a Speedo bearing his print design.

The exhibition also features immersive elements. Visitors can play ring toss on the said European-inspired sculptures and snap photos of the exhibited texts in the space.

“I want people coming here to create more experiences with their friends,” he says. “That’s how people understand objects and products.”

The last bit of the exhibit features two purple editions of the Nirvana bag, one embossed with the bag’s geometric shape, the other dotted with gleaming stones. It brings the exhibit full circle; it is the return to shape and back to function. The bags are also Aupen’s Manila-exclusive pieces, which guests can pre-order at the gallery.

While the exhibition is his first holistic offering as an artist, it is not the first time Nicholas has presented his art pieces. In the past, he has also collaborated with LVMH Métiers d’Art. When asked why he selected Manila as the host of his first exhibition, the artist couldn’t help but look back at his past visits to the capital.

“In my teens and early 20s, I’ve been to a lot of places in Southeast Asia because of the competitions and championships,” he recalls. “I have really good memories of Manila. After the games village, I would sneak out with the other teams to explore. Coming here is a little bit nostalgic for me. The creative scene here is really strong. A lot of talent here can really go global.”

For Nicholas, the exhibit chronicles his evolving approach to design, where the bag becomes more than an accessory—it becomes a medium for expression.

“I don’t see designing bags and creating art as two different approaches. I see them as putting your expressions and thoughts onto an object,” Nicholas muses. “As I am exploring more, I think the bag is the vehicle and the canvas for me to put out my message.”