A decade in the industry, Juwei Teoh has done it all; pageantry, singing, acting, making content and starting a business – not playing by the books but living every moment in her own ways.
It was gloomy. Two days before the Onitsuka Tiger AW25 show at Milan Fashion Week, the sun stubbornly hid behind the clouds, refusing to break through the grey sky. Mornings were just dreary – thick dark clouds and perpetual drizzling rain. The sky was so pale that the Duomo seemed to have lost its charm. And coming into the shoot, let’s just say we were absolutely worried.
The morning of our cover shoot, it was still cloudy with no signs of the sun — the smell of petrichor was still lingering, as strong as I remembered. It wasn’t until half past ten that the temperature started to feel warmer. We were just walking to meet the crew when the windows of an old building glinted. And there it was – sunlight.
Juwei Teoh walked out of the hotel lobby glowing. Her nose, still blushing pink from a little bit of sniffles the night before. She waved hello, affable as always. Her complexion offered a beautiful contrast against the all-black Onitsuka Tiger SS25 fit. “Black looks good on me,” she reassured as a random stranger passed a compliment.
The sun continued to shine as we zipped across Via Gaspare Rosales and Corso Como to Porta Garibaldi. It didn’t take long for Juwei to nail the shots. She understood the brief, and she delivered – it showed in the way she moved and listened.
But deep down on the inside, Juwei notes: “There’s still a void.” She finds herself chasing the inevitable especially when she can’t really find her focus. Yes, there’s truth in that sentiment. Being in the world of content creation, at the very least, feels very much like dealing with a shape-shifter. It keep changing and moving… it’s hard to keep up.
At present, she takes it one step at a time – living her life in her own rules and at her own pace. A piece of chicken karaage and a salmon rice bowl later, Juwei was ready to open up. At the corner of a Japanese restaurant in Milan, she clasped her hands… “Let’s get to it!”
She’s so Lucky, She’s a Star
“I think I’m really lucky,” confides Juwei.
Since day one entering pageant and her acting debut to where she is today, Juwei has had a lot cut out for her since she started. “But as years go by, you have to realise there’s so much more work that you need to put in in order to remain relevant. Look around you – everyone is a creator of sorts and aspires to be one. You’re not the only one doing this.”
After ten years being in the industry, Juwei understands her place with a clear mind.
Juwei reiterates: “Just because you’re in this industry for years, you can’t have the mindset that you are some kind of ‘big shot’ – you are not! You cannot feel privileged or think you deserve to be treated a certain way. Don’t feel entitled.”
The industry on its own is an intangible matter – it poses itself as a shape-shifting ‘creature’. Even for a seasoned creator, Juwei has to bite her tongue. “Honestly, you can’t really point your finger on it… there’s no focus point. And you question the end goal sometimes… does it even exist?” she questions.
She explains how everything is evolving and changing every single day. “Who you were at the start isn’t what you are today,” she muses. Juwei says that your perspective – as an influencer or not – has to constantly change with time. It is a form of evolution and adapting to change.
“Nothing is definite,” she adds. “So, be self-aware of where you are in the present time.”
She paused for a few seconds, peering upwards to the wooden ceiling.
“I think I still have a long way to go… I’m always not satisfied. I have a lot that I’ve not accomplished and a lot more to do,” she ponders. “Sometimes, I will question or doubt myself. I will never think I’m the best.” She keeps her glass half full with an open mind to keep learning and better herself in all aspects.
Juwei opines that one should learn how to build something that is tangible. Whether it’s a product, a business or a brand, it is important to find something that you can fall back to – unless you’re someone who prefers the stability of a nine-to-five desk-bound job.
“Find something that you can hold on to – even if it’s something small. You never know how big it can become,” she says.
Keeping the Glass Half Full
But it’s rather bizarre to think that this established creator who has experienced so much feels like she’s only done this ‘little’. On the outside, we see Juwei as someone who has done it all – a highly sought-after personality in fashion, beauty and lifestyle. She’s also a businesswoman with multiple ventures including Gumme Beads.
“When I started Gumme Beads, there was a Y2K movement that was trending – I hopped on that bandwagon. But now, I think the Y2K trend is slowing down and I’m also starting to not like this trend anymore… I need to pivot. When it was very Y2K, I made sure to differentiate what I like personally versus business strategies. I need to think from a business standpoint to make the right decisions,” she explains.
With Gumme Beads, Juwei currently focuses more on workshop services – selling the concept of ‘experiences’’ rather than the end product. This allows consumers to be part of the process while offering a different perception altogether for Gumme Beads. She adds that every workshop isn’t the same. Juwei and her team constantly innovate and come out with something new for every customer to keep their creative approaches fresh and novel.
As a business owner with multiple ventures, Juwei stresses on building something long-term and sustainable. “For those who are thinking of starting a brand or a business, you need to really think properly before you start. Always think a few steps ahead and how you want to maintain the business in the long run.”
And as cliche as it sounds, you never know until you start. “If you got nothing to lose, go ahead and try. But once you’ve started, think of how to sustain the business. Every decision must be considered and thought through,” she offers.
She finds inspiration from everything and everywhere. Juwei confides that friends, conversations and the environment that she is in inspire her. But she still relies on herself as her pillar of strength.
“I like to talk to myself,” she reveals. “I’m not someone who like to confide in others. I internalise what I’m feeling and process them internally.”
The Sagittarian has always been an independent person. Juwei admits that she is someone who prefers to focus on herself than depending on others, even though it can get a little bit extreme at times. While she manages most of the daily matters and deal with them herself, she sometimes feel a high level of self-sufficiency.
“It’s just me, myself and I,” she says.
Work Hard, Play Harder
“I’m happy to be back… it’s been great!” Juwei laughs. In the fashion world, experiencing fashion week is something that you’d want to cross of your bucket list. And then you go on and cross all the shows on your to-go list. Having been to the Onitsuka Tiger shows in Milan since 2023, Juwei has been grateful for the opportunities she has been given.
“Milan is really about coming together. Coming back here, it’s like a little reunion when friends and people from all over the world gather for fashion week. We are all here to create something cool together,” she muses. “The energy… that inspires me!”
She recalls the high-octane performance by Japanese dance group Avantgardey last year as one of the best show experience.
“My life needs to have the right amount of play and work… it needs to be really balanced,” she expresses. “I split my time well… between work and play, personal time and with my partner.”
“I don’t limit myself because of conventional mindsets… just live in the now.” She retorts all forms of ‘silly questions’ that come the way of women her age. “Don’t ask me when I’m getting married, have kids and all of that. I don’t live by the rules… and I don’t intend to.”
When it comes to her ultimate advice, Juwei sums it all in three words: GO. FOR. IT.
“You really don’t know where you will be but once you have an idea, start working on it. Passion is something else but when you know what your main goal is and what you want to achieve, you go for it,” she expresses. “It’s like starting a fire. After you started the flame, you think how you keep it burning and how big you want the fire to grow.”
There’s no perfect word on why some things aren’t meant for you. There’s no perfect time on what’s coming next for you. In her words, you just got to seize the moment!