Christinna Kuan’s resume as a content creator runs pretty long, and she’s been in the game for nearly a decade now. Those who have been following her rise to fashion fame in Malaysia since the beginning will know that she has been morphing with the different social platforms, starting out as a blogger to growing on Facebook, then Instagram and YouTube. 

Now, she is beyond just a content creator. Christinna has her own brand, The SIS Club; a creative agency that she runs with her siblings, UFCO Media; and she also recently performed at Waterbomb 2024 in Singapore. All this to say, she is still only 27 years old—a baby by all means. As we sat with her, she recounted her very first foray onto the internet: “I started a Blogspot then because everybody had one. It was a platform that you could write your thoughts on.” It was a nice escape from studying, which added to the appeal, she explained. 

However, she was only on that platform for several months before she decided to move on to Facebook—and that was actually how the moniker Ms Kuan came about. “I wanted to create a new album [on Facebook] to upload my outfit pictures. My Facebook name was Christinna Kuan and I felt that I needed a different name for this outlet. Hence, I stylised it as ‘mS KuaN’. It was something popular to do back then, and that was how that nickname stuck for my online persona,” she explained. 

The rest, as they say, is history. Eight years later, she’s doing her makeup at a GRAZIA Malaysia photo shoot, chatting to us about fashion. She is a confident young woman in her twenties, ready to try anything and everything—evidently with all the roles she’s taking on. Dressed in gorgeous designer gowns from The Ivory, Christinna tells us all about her journey through fashion, taking risks in her 20s, and more.

“I appreciate beautiful dresses for their craftsmanship since I study fashion design. For me, it’s more of an appreciation for fashion designers because the first thing I do when I see a beautiful dress is, ‘Oh, that must have been difficult to make.’” she laughed. 

What made you want to be more serious about fashion?

I like multitasking. When I was in school, I found studying pretty boring so I wanted to find a hobby that I really liked, and fashion was it. I remember going to five different cafes in a day back then just to take outfit photos. That was dedication! I would change outfits at every cafe. I had classes back to back on the weekdays so I could really only do this on the weekends. And my dad was my photographer!

Tell us about the first time you went for fashion week. 

It was honestly a crazy idea because I had no clue how it would be and I just went for it unprepared. My eyes were swollen, I didn’t bring certain things with me, and because it was my first time, I didn’t allocate any budget for my team. It was just my manager and I. Looking back, I don’t know how we did it, honestly. But I have no regrets; it is one of my life’s goals to attend fashion week. 

Looking back, I would place more importance on mental preparation. Going to fashion week, you have to be fully focused on the looks you’re wearing and the shows you’re attending. You also need to brush up on your fashion knowledge; it’s not just attending a fashion show. On the flight there, I actually printed out a bunch of articles about the brands whose shows I would be attending! 

After your first fashion week, did it make you feel as though you wanted to be more serious about fashion?

Fashion is something quite personal. Most importantly, it’s about finding your own identity, because there are so many trends out there. I think being serious about knowing what you want is very important, and for me, that’s a balance between what I’m most comfortable wearing and taking on some trends. 

What is something you would never wear?

Polka dots! It’s just a no-no for me; I tried but I dislike it. 

Despite being in the scene for quite many years now, you’re still in your 20s. Do you feel that, since you’re still young, you may have plenty of things you’d still like to explore?

Yes, I do have a lot of things that I’d like to explore. But when I first started out, it was just me. I had nothing to lose, hence I was willing to try anything and everything. Now that I have a team, I feel like I need to be on the right track and be responsible for all the decisions I make as I have their livelihoods to be mindful of. 

If you’re in your 20s and reading this, I’m telling you: just do whatever you want. I’m 27 years old now, and I’m just trying to overcome the challenges and obstacles that come my way with work. However, I feel that if you spend most of your 20s working, that’s when you’ll need to find a different type of balance—your mental health specifically, by balancing your work and personal life. Whatever I have today is from hard work that came with some sacrifices. For example, I didn’t get to spend that much time with friends—I just kept taking photos and creating content. But in the past two years, I came to appreciate the scenery for what it is, and not think of it as a nice spot for content. 

Was it difficult for you to just enjoy the moment?

It used to be that way for me! I guess you could say it became second nature for me to do that—it’s not that I wanted it or that it became a burden, it was just second nature to me. But now I’m trying to slow down and get into some new hobbies, such as pickleball and reading books—it makes me think that life can be pretty fun actually! It’s not all about content-taking. 

The Ivory is a Singaporean-based brand specialising in designer couture gowns and ready-to-wear wedding dresses. Their Kuala Lumpur boutique is located at The MET Corporate Towers in Mont Kiara. Book an appointment with them here. 

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Photography: Chuan Looi
Creative Direction: Ian Loh
Hair: Cody Chua, Ckay Liow
Makeup: Bao
Styling: Sarah Chong
Art Direction: Shane Rohaizad
Models: Sebastian Comann / WU Models, Kris Lim / WU Models, Bruno Santana / Icon Models KL