April 6, 2009
the monday interview with Moe Kasim
He's got it all sewn up
The self-taught tailor and designer made the most of his humble background with hard work
By andy chen
One day after celebrating the first anniversary of the opening of his costume boutique, Mothar 'Moe' Kasim attended the 9th Life! Theatre Awards on March 30 with four nominations for Best Costume Design.
It was entirely reasonable to think he was in high spirits, in anticipation, perhaps, of a double celebration. There was only one other nominee in the category. With an 80 per cent shot, surely he had the award, pardon the pun, all sewn up.
Alas, the 39-year-old bachelor lost to Natalie Hennedige for Temple. It would have been his fourth win at the annual awards ceremony, after taking home the costume honour in 2005, 2006 and last year.
He has accepted the loss in good humour, though many in the industry still feel outraged on his behalf.
'You should see the reaction on everyone's faces when the award was announced,' he says with a laugh. 'They were all so shocked. Someone came to me and said, 'Don't worry, lah. We all know you're so good already. Give others a chance.' I said, 'I'm okay, really!'
'Anyway, I kind of expected it because I thought the judges wanted something different from glamour and sequins. Natalie's style is very minimalist and maybe they were looking for that.'
And Moe's aesthetics, as everyone in the local theatre scene knows, are anything but minimalist.
After all, in 2007, he became the first Singaporean costume designer nominated for a Golden Horse Award, for conjuring up about 60 cabaret-worthy, getai- licious showgirl outfits for the musical drama 881, a film where apparel speaks louder than words.
'Moe will make something out of nothing,' says 881 director Royston Tan. 'He is like a child who runs wild with his imagination. He doesn't like boring stuff.'
Chuckling, Moe admits he had far more fun designing the carnivalesque costumes worn by actresses Mindee Ong and Yeo Yann Yann in the movie, rather than the simpler, modern outfits paraded by May and Choy in the same film.
'Simple is boring, lah. I love to play with loud and bright colours,' says the fan of American designer Bob Mackie, who is known for his flamboyant costumes worn by stars such as Cher.
'And I don't deny that I love to use feathers and sequins. I was trained in the army's Music and Drama Company, which is a very cabaret background with musicals and things like that. So I have trouble doing minimalist.'
No, less-is-more is not his style. It would seem that he has never settled for less. One of Singapore's most famous costume designers whose credits include the World Expo in 2005, the opening show of the 117th International Olympic Committee Session which was held in Singapore, and the National Day Parade in 2006, he has always aimed to get more from less.
He has arrived at where he is today because he has had to make the most of his humble background, stitching together a glorious tapestry from meagre material.
Growing up in a three-room HDB flat in Queenstown, Moe, the second youngest of six children - four boys, two girls - never attended fashion or design classes. But that did not stop him from making money with a needle and thread.
The self-taught, 'trial and error' tailor and designer says: 'I have always loved beautiful things. When I was five, I bought Vanda Miss Joaquim and jasmine flowers with my allowance and threaded them together. I was happy to see that they looked so beautiful.'
By the time he was about 16, he was skilled enough to sew his own shorts and pants as well as curtains to sell to friends and relatives during Hari Raya.
He now commands a fee of $4,000 and above for a theatre production and runs a thriving costume rental business, Moephosis, which recouped its $30,000 starting costs within months of opening.
'Although the downturn has affected us, business has been good,' says Moe, who has a partner in the shop, aptly located in cross-cultural Joo Chiat, where the rowdy variety of businesses matches Moephosis' eclectic riot of colours.
'We don't depend on walk-ins, but on projects, such as Singapore Youth Festival for schools and I get a lot of support from theatre companies such as Wild Rice. Some people say to me, 'Business comes to you, you don't have to go looking for business.' '
If he had to source for business, it would probably be a cinch for him.
From an early age, he and his siblings learnt to be independent. His father, a driver, and his mother, a domestic helper, were too busy to do the household chores, so they had to look after themselves.
Again, despite the lack of formal culinary lessons, Moe got so good at baking and cooking, he sold cookies and cakes during Hari Raya and, at other times, peddled nasi lemak from door to door.
While he was studying for his A levels at New Town Secondary School, he even baked a wedding cake for one of his brothers - a grand two-tiered creation.
'Maybe I knew I was not going to get married, so this was my chance to bake a wedding cake. I baked it in my home oven, piece by piece, and assembled them,' says the designer who laughs easily, whether in slight embarrassment at talking about himself or in fond remembrance of things past.
By any standard, Moe, a student of Mei Chin Primary and Secondary School, has always had street smarts, never mind that he was not book-smart.
'I was not a very bright student. I was not the type who went home to study. Pass, can already, lah,' he says.
He was more interested in extracurricular activities. When he was not cooking, baking and sewing, he was heavily involved in choir, dance and drama in school as well as joining the drama clubs in Queenstown library and the defunct National Theatre.
'Sometimes, yes, I did feel different from the other kids, but I didn't really care,' he says. 'In primary school, I mixed around with the other boys. We played in the longkang (Malay for drain) and caught spiders. But as I grew older, I became more domesticated, especially since my mum left us to do a lot of things at home.'
His singing, dancing and acting experience stood him in good stead when he auditioned for the Singapore Armed Forces' Music and Drama Company (MDC) during national service. The only problem was, he was combat fit and had completed Basic Military Training as well as the sergeant's course. Unless he signed on full time, the authorities could not justify a transfer to MDC.
So he put pen to paper in 1992, and for the next 12 years, he sang, danced and acted with MDC, where again his resourcefulness led him down the costume designing path which would eventually bring him the fame he enjoys today.
'In MDC, we were allowed to do outside shows, but we could not use MDC costumes. When I used MDC costumes for outside engagements, I got caught. After a few warning letters, I started designing and making my own costumes.
'The collection I have now at Moephosis started from 1993 or 1994. In total, the costumes probably cost at least $60,000 to $80,000.'
Among the external functions he performed at during his MDC days were getai shows during the Hungry Ghost Festival.
'There was no choreography - you just had to watch one another as you went along,' he recalls. 'You have to keep your eyes on the leader all the time. If he performs a move - bird step or cha-cha - you just follow quickly. That's why when Royston asked me to do 881, I already knew the culture of getai very well.
'The money was not fantastic, but the shows were a lot of fun to do.'
This heart-over-wallet philosophy is Moe's guiding principle in life and work. If a theatre company's budget is too small, he will lend it costumes from his own collection - for free.
'I don't like to talk about money first. The theatre companies are like my friends and family. If they didn't give me the opportunities, I wouldn't be where I am now.
'Besides, I just want to work as a team, I just want my vision for a show to come true. How much you put into your work from here,' he says pointing to his heart, 'really shows on stage.'
That is why he could produce 60 fabulous camp-glam costumes for 881 on a $30,000 budget. He personally sewed the beads on all the outfits for Wild Rice's production of Beauty World, which got him one of the four nominations at this year's Life! Theatre Awards.
Almost literally, he pours his blood, sweat and tears into his work.
Beauty World director Ivan Heng remembers a particular costuming disaster during pre-production: Moe had to go overseas for one week and left the bales of silk he had painstakingly sourced to an intern and a tailor.
'When he came back and saw that the outfits were cut all wrong, he just burst into tears. He was sobbing,' Heng says.
'He is a very sensitive soul. When he talks about costumes and he is excited by the ideas, you can see tears well up in his eyes.'
Another theatre practitioner who vouches for Moe's unbridled passion is Richard Tan, a former artistic director of the Music and Drama Company and the current artistic director of the Main Wayang Peranakan cultural arts company.
Says Tan, who has become a friend of Moe's over the years: 'He will race to all corners of the world to get what is required. He would fly to source for his creations, out of his own pocket.'
In contrast to his kaleidoscopic creations, Moe's personal life is quiet and family-oriented. He is no longer big on shopping and he does not party up a storm.
A self-confessed 'T-shirt and jeans guy', he drives a company van and has bought over the Queenstown flat he grew up in, although he mostly lives on the second floor of the Joo Chiat shophouse Moephosis is located in.
'I used to spend on branded labels like Prada, but as I grow older, I realise these things are not important to me anymore. Now I'd rather spend money on my business, costumes and food. Last time, everything must be branded. I was willing to pay $800 for a pair of shoes.'
His father's death late last year at the age of 79 has affected him greatly. Talking about it now still brings tears to his eyes.
He says: 'I've come to see what the more important things in life are. It's not about fame. Family is very important. My dad and I got closer only in recent years. When I was younger, I was closer to my mum.
'When I was nominated for the Golden Horse, my father saw me on TV and he cried. He was very proud. I'm glad I did him proud in his last few days. This shop, too - he managed to see this shop before he passed on.'
There is more to come from Moe. For the rest of the year, he will be working on four big theatre productions, including Zebra Crossing's Victor/Victoria starring popular 1990s Dutch jazz singer Laura Fygi. ('She's a diva, in a good way. She will tell you directly what she likes and doesn't like about her costumes.')
There is most likely a movie project in the middle of the year, but he has not officially signed on yet. Look out also for a modern Peranakan haute couture show he will be staging later in the year and a retail line some time in the future.
'I don't want to stay a costume designer. I want to move a little bit higher, so that people can wear my clothes as well. So retail wear is another area I am considering and which I want to move into slowly.
'Sometimes, when I am thinking about something, I dream of my father and in my dreams, he just looks at me and smiles. I think my dad is looking after me.'
my life so far
'My job is already so stressful. So I love to watch romantic comedies with happy endings that make me cry. I love Sandra Bullock, especially Miss Congeniality'
Moe with his youngest brother, Mokhlas, on his favourite movie
'Doing a cabaret comdey show was fun while it lasted, but the excitement faded away after a while. It was very hard work. You had to put on make-up for two hours and you had to bind yourself very tightly. And it was frustrating to tell jokes people didn't understand'
On performing a Boom Boom Room-type show in drag in the mid-1990s
'At getai shows, a lot of people thought I was Chinese. They talked to me in Mandarin and I would tell them, "Wo bu shi hua ren. Wo shi ma lai ren (I'm not Chinese, I'm Malay)"'
On how he has picked up a little conversational Mandarin from years of dancing at getai shows. Moe with friends backstage at one of many outside engagements during his Music and Drama Company days
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