Mr. Shenzi Chua, founder and director of NewUrbanMale.com was featured in the latest article of The Nanyang Chronicle, a student-run campus newspaper from Nanyang Technological University. Read on to find out what the article is about."DRESSED in faded blue jeans, a simple t-shirt and cap, he certainly does not look like a person who has revolutionised casual wear for Singaporean men.
Meet Mr Shenzi Chua, 39—director, designer, and the brain behind leading home-grown retail chain NewUrbanMale.
More commonly known as NUM, these retail stores—15 local branches in all—cater to the rising needs of men in areas of fashion and lifestyle.
Though it first targeted men only, NUM has won the hearts (and soles) of men and women alike since its creation in 2003, raking in $8 million last year.
“Our initial intention was to cater to men. However, we soon realised that women too loved shopping at our stores,” said Mr Chua.
Despite graduating from NTU with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1994, he chose a career in fashion and retail after finishing his internship with a local engineering company, realising it was not his cup of tea.
Instead, he worked in web technology upon graduation, recognising that living and shopping online would be popular.
What started out as an online men’s lifestyle magazine quickly turned into a successful business recipe for Mr Chua.
From his website NewUrbanMale.com, he built a loyal base of about 10,000 readers.
The strong numbers made the expansion offline a lot smoother.
Step into any NUM branch today and the first thing you’ll probably notice is its “mandatory wall of flip-flops”.
A palette of colours against a clean, white wall, these flip-flops have become synonymous with the brand.
The attractive NUM staff may also catch your eye.
Mr Chua revealed that when picking its staff, NUM looks out for many things such as personality and sincerity in serving, not just looks.
“Everybody likes to be served by good-looking people. But good looks alone, without any character, will only turn people off.”
Mr Chua’s days in NTU played a part in his understanding of Singaporean tastes in fashion.
“NTU students have always been viewed as being slightly less trendy and ‘hip’, as compared to other campuses.
Even when I was in school, I noticed how students loved wearing their hall and faculty t-shirts to classes,” he said.
Despite his disapproval, it was this same observation that made Mr Chua realise the Singaporean preference for casual wear. Bearing this in mind, he aspired to promote a style that was casual yet trendy and sophisticated at the same time.
This remains the approach NUM takes when designing its own clothes and deciding which international brands to bring in. Most of NUM’s products—from its famed Havaianas to its notorious party tanks and vintage tees—are either selectively imported or designed with the purpose of allowing wearers to be “who they truly are”.
The simplicity that the brand advocates stems from the man himself.
Despite his current success he does not believe in flaunting his wealth.
Instead, he holds true to his guiding principle, which is to live as minimally as possible.
This probably explains why you won’t find him driving around town.
“The only form of driving you’ll see me doing is driving people crazy,” he jokes.
Seeing how down-to-earth this fashion mogul is, it is no wonder that his young employees, many of whom are tertiary students, look to him as a role model.
Still, this does not change the way Mr Chua views himself.
In fact, he makes it a point not to think about shouldering the responsibility.
“I try to live life as best I can, and if it influences others in the right way, then that’s good,” he says.
Despite his public persona, Mr Chua insists that he is a private person who dislikes social events such as launch parties.
“When you attend such parties, you realise that people are very pretentious. They do and say things that they’re not sincere about, and that’s not something I know how to do.”
What he does like, though, is having some quiet time to himself.
Early nights are much hoped for, as it allows him to clear his mind before beginning the next day anew.
This habit is one that has stayed with him since his equally hectic undergraduate days.
Nonetheless, the phenomenon of dressing down in NTU, which has managed to sustain itself over the years, still amazes Mr Chua.
“Tell NTU students that it’s time to stop wearing their hall tees, faculty tees and university tees to school,” he said.
“It’s not fashionable.”"
