Nicholas Tan isn’t your average fashion person. That’s probably because he doesn’t come from a fashion background. The Singaporean entrepreneur and founder of the cult-favorite handbag brand Aupen is a former national swimmer who represented his home country at the Southeast Asian Games and World Aquatics Championship. He also majored in biology at Harvard. But it turns out his heart was in accessories—and now jewelry—all along.
After honing his creative and commercialization skills at a showroom in Asia, Tan decided to bet on himself and go off on his own. “It was really about finding that final last bit of courage to ask myself, Do I have what it takes?” he tells me over coffee in a hotel room in Paris. “If I wasn’t under that umbrella, to just do what I was already kind of doing. In November 2022, I finally found that last ounce of courage.”
That, of course, is when he launched Aupen. A portmanteau of the words “authentic” and “open,” the name is meant to signify “a brand and a project that’s meant to open your heart and open your mind,” Tan says, noting that he is one of the few Asians who’s been able to break into the accessories market. Chalk it up to his business savvy, but it only took Tan a few months to start rolling out product. The fact that Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, and every other It girl on the planet has been seen wearing an Aupen bag didn’t hurt either.
This time he has the help of a luxury goods giant. LVMH Métiers d’Art, a division of the French company geared toward supporting craftsmanship, has partnered with Aupen to launch the brand’s first-ever jewelry collection, starting with the Sinner Earrings, which feature an S-curve design as a subtle homage to the Year of the Snake, and are handcrafted using gold-tone metal with crystals.
Below, more from Tan on the rise of Aupen, expanding into jewelry, and what’s next.
Aupen’s Sinner Earrings are the first drop from its jewelry collection.
What made you want to start your brand?
The brands we represented at my showroom were doing very well, because of that, you get to the point where you ask yourself, Could I do that well if I was the lead singer and not doing backup? It’s that Dreamgirls moment with Beyoncé; if you step to the front, the audience will come to your show.
Why handbags?
When a woman is wearing something simple, like jeans and a white T-shirt, a bag, if it’s designed right, is something she can just throw on and it will change her whole outfit. When she walks out, people are going to wonder, Who’s that girl?
A ton of celebrities have worn Aupen, from Hailey Bieber to Lucy Liu. Who is your ideal customer?
Through [our celebrity customers], you can see that the bags are being used from the red carpet to after-parties, with Hailey [Bieber], to during the day, with our recent Lucy Liu moment. The versatility and this day-to-night element of our designs is something that the customer loves, and when we design, [it’s something that] we do take note of. I want Aupen bags to be able to fit into any capsule wardrobe that any girl may have. To see celebrities really use [the bags] in a daily setting means they’re functional. Every time [someone famous] walks out, I’m still so excited. It warms my heart that they wear it again and again.
What is your design process like?
I take a sculptural approach to imagine [the bags] as clay. Sometimes, I make paper molds for them to stand [on]. That is a method for how I’ve been coming up with these designs [at this rate]. My journey has been so crazy. When I started, I think a lot of people were skeptical…I didn’t think I was going to be where I am today. This whole experience has been surreal.
Affordable bags are on the rise right now, with Manu Atelier, Polène, Cuyana, and others. Why do you think that is?
I think having a unique design, a point of view, and design integrity are things that customers today are looking for. We have a wave of asymmetrical bags that break away from convention—they really become eye-catching and add that pop.
Do you have a favorite style?
Definitely The Nirvana. It’s the most popular, and we launched it in early 2023. It took a few tries, but I approached it, again, with an eye for sculpture. We put in the braid because we wanted to play with texture. I think that’s what makes this bag really interesting. The charm was the last piece that pulled it all together. It’s a seed, because it represents the start of the brand—a little idea you plant and then you slowly water it. Now it’s evolved, so the seed is sprouting. As the brand develops, I think we will slowly see how the charm also develops.
Which brings me to my next question: What made you decide to expand into jewelry?
Similar to bags, jewelry is something you can put on and [it] changes your look immediately. It’s an understated, elegant transformation.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned while launching Aupen?
LVMH really taught us about quality control systems. Sometimes, leather can rub off on your clothing. There are strength tests and metrics for hardware, like oxidization, to make sure it doesn’t tarnish. We’re learning a lot of this now, and we’re going to put [these systems] in place to make the overall quality of our products even better.
What’s next for you and the brand?
We design by drops. Aupen is quite disruptive in nature—I don’t come from fashion school, we don’t follow the fashion calendar—we are releasing products with the goal of giving the girl what we think she’ll enjoy at any point in time. It could be something else in the future. For me, the streets of Paris, New York, and Singapore are the best inspiration.
Kylie Jenner carries her Aupen bag.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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