LSA100: Tastemaker Christinna Kuan takes time for her brand, her followers and herself

From content creation to curating a coherent sense of style, Christinna Kuan — better known as “Mskuan” in the social stratosphere — is truly making waves in the fashion world. She’s made appearances at all of the acclaimed Fashion Weeks, and is set on much bigger things for herself. In her own words: “Stay tuned!”

Christinna Kuan is in the pink of condition. That is, to speak literally, she’s all dolled up in a baby pink dress with feathered ruffles, pink buckled Mary Janes (sans feathers) and a clutch to match. Her hair, pulled back in a classic Barbie-esque ponytail, is held in place only by a pink headband.

“I just came back from a Barbie party!” she announces to the roomful of hushed wows. She’s turning pink herself, but it does not stop her from doing a little twirl to show off her look. “So, you guys know the dress code lah, right!”

Career-wise, Christinna aka “Mskuan” has certainly been living pretty in pink. Known as the fashion icon of the Kuan siblings — alongside the entrepreneurial Jestinna and DJ Perry K — she has been making waves internationally at the New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks in the past two years alone. She has been seen cosying up with the big hitters including Anne Hathaway, Vanessa Hudgens, Willow Smith, Dahyun, Conan Gray, Brooklyn Beckham and even Avril Lavigne.

“I’m just really, really grateful for where I am now,” Christinna says, positively glowing. “I’ve got what I wanted.”

The 26-year-old has come a long way since I last spoke with her, earlier last year. She’s much more at ease with herself, leaning back in her chair and eagerly catching me up to speed with what she’s been up to. Back when she and her siblings had graced Lifestyle Asia’s March ‘22 digital cover, it’s clear that the bond and reliance between them is unbreakable. A year and a half later, the love is as strong as ever, even as Christinna is whizzing between countries to make waves in the fashion scene.

Though Christinna didn’t necessarily aspire to be a model — she first made her start through vlogging before jetting off in the route of fashion evolution, á la Emma Chamberlain — she did work very closely with various fashion brands and made headlines for herself as a growing fashion icon. She has been quietly building on her own sense of fashion, curating a style that fits the “Mskuan” persona whenever she decides to embark on her journey.

A lot has happened with you since we spoke last year, right? How has the past year been for you? Any standout moments that meant a lot to you personally and professionally?

I think this year I’ve kind of shifted my focus. Because I have been such a workaholic these years. I feel like in life, you know, for success, we tend to sacrifice a lot of things. So to me, I’m shifting my focus more to the people around me — those who matter most to me. I’ve decided I wanna spend more time with them, instead of just working nonstop. This is something that I still have to balance out in my life.

Yeah. So, you’re not really working so much all the time now?

For this period of time, yes. But of course, we’re gonna be running our own company soon — me, my sister and my brother, I mean— so we would be capable of hiring even more people now. There will be more of a work-life balance also lah, because they can help to lighten the burden.

When it comes to the world of fashion, you’re one of the foremost Malaysian representatives on the global stage. You’ve already made your mark in New York, London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks. That’s huge! How has it all been for you so far?

I remember the first time that I went [to New York Fashion Week], I was pretty lost because it was right after lockdown. And it was just me at that point of time, with a few members of the media. And for the press, it was also their first time being there as well. So, it was everyone’s first time at Fashion Week. But everyone pulled it off pretty well, because we love fashion and we have the same passion for this thing. It was really nice to explore things outside of Malaysia. It’s different. You really get to see everyone in such different styles, and all of the fashion mavericks. It was truly eye-opening! [Laughs] Because I’ve never thought I would attend this Fashion Week, so it was a fun and really interesting experience.

Can you tell us a bit about your relationship with fashion, and how it has transformed throughout your career so far?

I think it’s important that you feel genuine and personal to ‘your’ style. Because a lot of people tend to get lost halfway through, maybe because they want things that are just trendy. And when you try to put yourself on that track, you might be lost. Unless you feel that you are moldable, then you can adjust yourself to different kinds of styles. But it’s very important to actually know what you want, and also what you like.

According to you, what does it mean to have a personal style? Like, how do you curate your own style?

Well, actually, I don’t know how to ‘label’ it out, like, ‘Okay, that’s my style.’ [Laughs] But I do have a hashtag called “#mskuanstyle”. I think I just realised that I like similar styles. That’s when I feel like, ‘Oh, okay, this may be my style.’ It could be, like, certain things that I don’t really put on, maybe, things that could be a little too ‘out there’. I’m still the kind of person who’s willing to try and explore, and be adventurous with it. Experiment with different things to discover what resonates best with you. 

You started out with content creation, and you also have your business, SIS, with your sister Jestinna. Now, you’re making waves internationally. What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned throughout your journey in your career so far?

Follow your heart. I think it’s very important. Through the journey of achieving what you want, it may be very hard because people might think you’re crazy for having big dreams; they’re unreachable, they’re impossible. And it can be very hard to insist that you can sometimes, because you’re on your own — it’s your dreams and goals anyway. Don’t let that play with your mind. To be able to have people to support you, it may not be like you planned. Like, you know how you can sense if a person is truly supporting us or not? So, I feel you should just follow your heart and believe in yourself. You got to listen to yourself first. It sounds so cliche, right? [Laughs] But it is true! That’s life.

And what are some of the challenges that you’ve faced throughout your journey?

There are a lot of things that people don’t really see. I think it’s very important to know that with the things you do, it’s not to impress other people. It has to just genuinely be from your heart. Because sometimes we can get stuck between trying to get things right or impress others. And there’s a borderline between these two things. It’s really important to remember that I’m doing it because I love it, and not because you want to impress those around you. That’s something hard to juggle, even for me personally. For example, the definition of ‘nice’. You know, if other people think it’s not nice, but to you it’s nice, it’s very hard sometimes, right? It’s subjective and personal. That’s something that I consider a challenge.

As one of our ‘Tastemakers’, how do you think your personality and your career resonate with your followers?

I feel that there are a lot of different types of fanbase. And I think you have to really spend time studying your fan base as well. Anyhow, anything that relates to your income is a business. It’s not easy but because we don’t have a tutor or a mentor to teach us — as influencers, we are basically considered like the ‘leader’ — so, everything is on us. Mmm, I wanna say ‘follow the flow’, because we have to take one step ahead of others. I mean, if we want to ‘lead’ others, that’s what we have to do, right? And sometimes it’s not good to overthink if we want to resonate with the followers. Really, just do it.

Being a public figure such as yourself, what are the challenges of juggling between the public persona you put out, while still staying true to yourself?

I love this question! [Laughs] Last time, I used to think that this question was a trivial kind of question but when I really think about it, I realise that I actually have two sides to me. I have a ‘Mskuan’ side and a ‘Christinna’ side. I think in 2023, I did spend a lot of time really understanding these two personas. So, ‘Mskuan’ is someone who — people think she’s strong-willed, she knows what she wants. But then ‘Christinna’ is like a baby to me. I feel like she’s still looking for room to improve, always wanting to learn, and hungry for new experiences. And I think time will take her there.

Work-life balance is just really important, I think. We should put more effort into ‘studying’ ourselves. Like right now, I’ve picked up reading. It’s very important because knowledge will help you out in every way. Or you know, do something outside of just creating content, I feel. Do that thing not ‘for the content’. It’s hard sometimes, because for us, like, we live in the moment and the moment is always the ‘content’. Everything we do and we see, it’s just, “Oh, it’s content! Can do content!” [Laughs] So, that’s the tricky part. Draw the line. 

I can imagine, especially because your family members — The Kuan Family — as a whole are content creators. So, how do you, as a family, find that balance then?

The family is still okay. Because the time we spend with each other [outside of content creation] is actually a lot more, so it’s all good. I think it’s something more of a personal challenge, to kind of drag yourself out of the social media world. Even though I am here speaking as a social media content creator. [Laughs]

LSA100: 100 Malaysians, 100 Milestones

Lifestyle Asia KL introduces LSA 100, an annual list that recognises Malaysia’s most influential names and celebrates their talents, contributions, successes and milestones. As the bellwether of style, travel, design, entertainment, business, sports, and more, these 100 Malaysians represent the next generation of go-getters who are paving the way for sharing their know-hows with the world through the power of digital media. LSA100 comprises five categories namely The Rising Aces, The Trailblazers, The Disruptors, The Tastemakers and The Navigators. Find out more about LSA100 Class of 2023, HERE. 

editor-in-chief & creative direction MARTIN TEO | interview PUTERI YASMIN SURAYA | assisted by RONN TAN & MALLIE MARAN | photography EDMUND LEE | videography SIMON TAN | video editing JACKIE MAH | makeup KF BONG using YSL BEAUTY | hair MEI CHOI | stylist AZZA ARIF | wardrobe MARC JACOBS