“I used to be very big on dark colours. If you saw my closet back then, it would be all black! But right now, my style is quite feminine,” declares It List Fashion Icon Cindy Angelina in a conversation with Ajeng G. Anindita about style, fashion designers, shopping, vegan cosmetics and adorable puppies!
Life is treating Cindy Angelina pretty well these days. She’s been busy lately with a lot of cool stuff, from her pioneering work at Esqa, a hip vegan cosmetics brand she started with Kezia Toemion, to travelling in Europe with her best friend and recently becoming a “mom” to her new 4-month-old “baby”: an endearing Bichon Frise puppy called Leo.
Our bubbly 28-year-old It List Fashion Icon has found a new love in her pet puppy, and whenever she has time she keeps herself busy taking care of him. “He’s really so cute” says Cindy. “I’ve always loved dogs. I haven’t had any pets to look after in a while, so Leo is quite time-consuming. But it’s great fun having him around. I really can’t complain!”
Cindy and Kezia’s cosmetics business has been hustling as well. Aiming to revolutionise Indonesia’s cosmetics industry, Esqa is one of the first vegan cosmetics brands to be launched in the archipelago. Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products. To assure customers, the brand details all of the ingredients used in its products, and also cites its safety certificate serial number from the Indonesian Food and Drug Administration.
Esqa launched a new collection, in collaboration with singer and actress Bunga Citra Lestari, earlier this year. And there’s more to come. “We’re launching a lot of new things,” says Cindy. “We have a mini collection coming up: mini lip gloss set, cheeks, eyes. We’re also launching another cheek palette collection with BCL. Inside the box are all her daily essentials: a bronzer, a highlighter and two blushes. I’m really excited about this collection. As I always say to our followers online, do look forward to more surprises!” Esqa is now available both online and off, from outlets including Bonheur, Sephora, Sociolla, Tokopedia and Shopee.
On the subject of her own daily staples for work, Cindy, a graduate of Pepperdine University in California, says these items are “quite easy and wearable. The culture at Esqa is quite casual, just like at any other start-up company. On a daily basis, I would wear a pair of jeans, tuxedo pants. I also wear sneakers a lot lately because I have to juggle around between meetings. I like to be comfortable, but still chic, so I wear lots of flats or sneakers every day. So, on a daily basis I would wear all of those, paired with a simple camisole and blazer.”
Her style changes from time to time, of course. Cindy admits that she used to have a quite sombre taste in colour. “I used to wear black all the time. I used to be very big on dark colours. If you saw my closet back then, it would be all black! But right now, my style is quite feminine. I’ve spent quite a bit of time in the UK this year and I feel that English dresses have really inspired me. They are very big on prints and bold colours over there. If you have seen my Instagram page lately, I’ve been wearing eye-catching colours like yellow, red, blue and florals – just like an English garden,” she says with a bright smile.
Her work and business also influences Cindy’s look. “As I get older, I like to look nice and chic. When I was younger, I liked to dress more casually. I think I didn’t really care so much about making an impression back then. But now I’m an entrepreneur, so I feel like it’s important for me to represent my brand. I just like to dress nice and be more corporate, I would say.
“The other day, having lunch with my girlfriends, we scrolled through our old Instagram pictures. Suddenly, I came across this photo of me on my 21st birthday. The funny thing is that I look younger now than I did seven years ago!” she laughs. “I used to use a lot of makeup. Smoky eyes were the trend at that moment. So, if I were to I advise the old Cindy about fashion and beauty, it would be to wear less makeup – to look more natural and to be more creative. Wear colours, Cindy! Be more creative. Colours are fun!”
Fashion has always been a big passion for Cindy. She remembers playing dress-up in her mother’s room, using her makeup and wearing her heels, “My mom would catch me doing that when she came home from work, and it was just such a good memory of me having fun with fashion since I was a kid.” She smiles while looking back on her childhood memories.
The conversation moves on to Cindy’s favourite designers. “Didit Hadiprasetyo is a very good friend of mine. I love his work, as it’s very uncomplicated – modern yet chic, and yet also made with amazing quality.” She also admires the late Azzedine Alaia’s work. “It was heartbreaking when he passed away because he truly was an amazing designer and simply no one could compare to him,” says Cindy. “I think his dresses were very straightforward and timeless. The fit of one of his dresses simply makes your body look amazing. His signature A-line pieces are still relevant and timeless. I think his A-line is one of my favourite dresses of all time.”
Cindy looks back on her first designer bag. “It’s so funny you ask about this because I just had this same conversation with my girlfriends. We remembered the first time we got the Dior Saddle bag – and now that bag is being reinvented! It’s making a comeback now. It makes me think: ‘Fashion is really a cycle’. So keep everything, don’t throw it away!”
The Saddle was first designed in 1999 and made its debut on the spring/summer 2000 runway, when John Galliano became Creative Director. It became the it bag of the season with its equestrian-inspired shape and was notably worn by Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and The City. Now, the iconic bag is reincarnated by Maria Grazia Chiuri on Dior’s fall/winter 2018 runway.
The conversation shifts to Cindy’s shopping habits, and then Indonesian design. In spite of all the new online stores and brands that have popped up in Indonesia in the last five years, her shopping routine remains quite traditional. “I’m very old-fashioned when it comes to shopping,” she declares. “I like going to the store, feeling the fabrics, seeing the quality and trying things on before I purchase anything,” she says. “I know that online retailing has become very big lately, but I still prefer to buy things in the store – especially fashion items.
“I’m so proud of all of the Indonesian designers that are making names for themselves overseas. They’re getting more and more exposure from the international market, which they deserve – such as the Christie’s sale of Rinaldy A. Yunardi designs. I’m just so fascinated by his designs, you know. He’s very creative, always thinking out of the box. His designs are so unique – truly one of a kind. You would be bursting with pride when wearing one of Rinaldy’s creations.”
As our shoot with her wraps up, the young entrepreneur broaches her future projects. “I’ve been working on something with one of my good friends. It’s to do with franchising an F&B brand from Paris,” she tells us. “The brand is quite big in the worlds of fashion and music, and it’s going to open in Jakarta and Bali next year. So stay tuned!”
FULL PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARIO ARDI
STYLED BY PETER ZEWET
MAKE UP: JENNIFER ANGELA (62 81) 3226 1222
USING SELECTED PRODUCTS FROM ESQA COSMETICS
HAIR: KRISTIN (62 81) 7605 3766
STYLIST ASSISTANT: LINTANG HUTAMI
SHOT ON LOCATION:
GOODRICH SUITES JAKARTA
PANGERAN ANTASARI NO. 60,
CIPETE, SOUTH JAKARTA
phone: (62 21) 2793 8999
GOODRICHSUITES.COM
BVLGARI IS IN PLAZA INDONESIA,
PACIFIC PLACE & SENAYAN CITY
FENDI IS IN PLAZA INDONESIA & PLAZA SENAYAN
GIVENCHY IS IN PLAZA INDONESIA
LANVIN IS IN PLAZA INDONESIA
PRADA IS IN PACIFIC PLACE
VALENTINO IS IN PLAZA INDONESIA
The post Cindy Angelina’s Confessions as #PrestigeItFashionIcon 2018 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.