What began as a handbag is now becoming something much bigger.
Singaporean designer and AUPEN founder Nicholas Tan is taking his signature “Purpose” silhouette out of the fashion world and into contemporary art, marking a major new chapter with his first solo exhibition in Manila.
Presented by 125 Projects, the exhibition transforms the familiar sculptural shape associated with AUPEN’s Purpose bag into a series of artworks and objects—challenging visitors to look at a fashion accessory not simply as something to carry, but as a form capable of existing on its own.
The exhibition is running until August 30, 2026, at 125 Projects in NBS Park, Mandaluyong City.
From Celebrity-Favorite Bags to Gallery Art
Tan is best known as the founder of AUPEN, whose sculptural handbags have been seen with international stars including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Olivia Rodrigo. The brand launched in 2022, with its distinctive asymmetric designs quickly gaining visibility among celebrities and fashion audiences.
But Tan’s latest project represents a departure from the conventional fashion-brand playbook.
Instead of simply creating another collection, he is questioning what happens when the recognizable shape of a handbag is stripped of its original function.
In the exhibition, the Purpose silhouette is reinterpreted through different forms, including sculptural works that no longer function as conventional bags.
Tan describes the transition as moving into a different medium and using a different canvas—an idea that allows the shapes he developed through fashion to exist independently as art.
Why “Purpose” Matters
The exhibition is more than a fashion crossover.
At its heart is a question: If an object loses the practical function it was originally designed for, can its shape, memory and meaning still stand on their own?
One work takes the recognizable form of the Purpose bag and transforms it into a vase, removing the bag’s everyday purpose while preserving its visual identity.
That idea mirrors Tan’s own creative journey.
Before entering fashion, he was a competitive swimmer who represented Singapore. He later moved through modeling, business and design before establishing AUPEN.
Tatler Asia reports that Tan won gold in the men’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games, adding another unexpected chapter to a career that has moved across very different fields.
Manila Is More Than Just an Exhibition Venue
The choice of Manila also carries personal significance.
Tan has longstanding connections to the Philippines through his years as a competitive swimmer. He told GMA News that he used to swim in Manila and described returning for the exhibition as feeling somewhat like coming home.
His latest Manila appearance therefore brings together several parts of his story: sport, fashion, design and now contemporary art.
For 125 Projects founder Gwen Bautista, the collaboration reflects the gallery’s interest in creative practices that move beyond traditional categories.
That makes Tan’s project particularly timely as the boundaries between fashion, design and contemporary art continue to blur.
The Exhibition Also Brings Exclusive AUPEN Pieces
The Manila project isn’t limited to artworks.
GMA News reported that the exhibition also features two Manila-exclusive purple Nirvana bags, including a version associated with the bag famously carried by Taylor Swift during her first public date with Travis Kelce.
One of the purple Nirvana editions is limited to 125 pieces worldwide and is available at 125 Projects.
The combination of gallery works and exclusive fashion pieces effectively places Tan’s two worlds—AUPEN and contemporary art—in the same space.
A Different Kind of “Purpose”
Perhaps the biggest story here is not the bag itself, but what Tan is doing with it.
The Purpose silhouette has already traveled from fashion runways and celebrity appearances into popular culture. Now, Tan is asking audiences to encounter that same shape without necessarily thinking of it as a handbag.
His philosophy is rooted in reinvention.
As reported by Tatler Asia, Tan believes that sometimes a person has to break themselves down, examine what remains, and rebuild to discover who they really are.
That idea seems to define the exhibition itself.
The Purpose bag remains recognizable—but its purpose has changed.
And that may be the point.
For Nicholas Tan, the next stage of his creative journey isn’t necessarily about designing a better handbag.
It is about discovering what else that idea can become.
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