Our latest digital cover celebrates Michael Rider&rsquo;s debut collection for Celine.

Back in July, creative director Michael Rider unveiled his first collection for Celine to much anticipation &mdash; a masterclass in modern dressing where structure met subtle sensuality. The pieces redefined everyday polish through a sharp yet effortless lens, speaking to a new generation that works and lives beyond the confines of a traditional office.
Fast forward to today, as the Spring/Summer 2026 pieces are scheduled to arrive in stores, we reinterpret the collection through the confident presence of Janice Low &mdash; a Malaysian model whose quiet allure mirror the spirit of the current Celine. Set against an office-inspired backdrop, Janice embodies the new language of workwear with attitude and ease.

Welcome back, Janice! Now that you&rsquo;re back in Malaysia, how does it feel to reconnect with the local fashion scene? Hey L&rsquo;Officiel Malaysia! It&rsquo;s been a while! I&rsquo;m so happy to be back on my home ground and to see all my favourite people again &mdash; it feels really grounding. Coming home after working abroad reminds me why I fell in love with this industry in the first place &mdash; the people, the warmth, the creativity. There&rsquo;s something very raw and real about the Malaysian fashion scene. It&rsquo;s growing, but it still feels like family.
You&rsquo;ve spent years modelling overseas. How has that experience shaped your perspective on fashion and the way you approach your work today? Working overseas taught me that fashion is more than just clothes &mdash; it&rsquo;s culture, attitude, and energy. But beyond the work itself, what truly shaped me was living in those countries. I&rsquo;ve always said that I don&rsquo;t just enjoy travelling through a city; I love living in it &mdash; blending into the rhythm of its daily life, understanding how people move, dress, and express themselves.
By immersing myself in local routines and cultures, I felt closer to the real inspiration behind fashion &mdash; the human stories, emotions, and lifestyle patterns that shape style in every place. Those experiences deepened my appreciation for the meaning behind each image, and now I approach every project with that same awareness, not just how it looks, but how it feels.
What&rsquo;s the biggest difference you&rsquo;ve noticed between working in international markets and here at home? Overseas shoots tend to be more structured and fast-paced, while in Malaysia, things feel more personal and collaborative. Both have their strengths, but here I love how the community is growing together, supporting one another, and finding our own voice in the global space.

What&rsquo;s one important lesson you&rsquo;ve learnt throughout your years in modelling? That confidence doesn&rsquo;t come from being perfect &mdash; it comes from being comfortable in your own skin. The camera always catches authenticity. The moment you stop pretending and just be, that&rsquo;s when your presence really shines.
What do you think makes a model truly stand out &mdash; beyond just good looks or great photos? It&rsquo;s the energy you bring. A model who understands emotion, who can tell a story through their eyes and movement &mdash; that&rsquo;s what makes an image unforgettable. Looks fade, but connection doesn&rsquo;t.
Let&rsquo;s talk about fashion. Describe your off-duty style. Very simple and effortless &mdash; lots of neutrals, clean silhouettes, and comfort pieces. I like mixing vintage finds with something structured, maybe a bit boyish. It&rsquo;s important for me to feel like myself, not just like I&rsquo;m dressed for a show.

What&rsquo;s one fashion rule you never follow? I take inspiration from trends, but I don&rsquo;t let them define me. Trends come and go, but personal style stays. It&rsquo;s something you build through time, experience, and emotion. For me, fashion should reflect who you are in that moment &mdash; not what everyone else is doing.
Which Celine look from today&rsquo;s shoot is your favourite, and why? It&rsquo;s hard to pick just one, but I&rsquo;d say the long streamlined coat with leggings, and the one with the white blazer and black belt. Both have that clean, powerful silhouette that I love. There&rsquo;s a balance between strength and softness &mdash; the sharp tailoring gives this masculine confidence, while the fitted leggings and subtle lines still feel feminine and quietly sensual.
I&rsquo;m drawn to looks like these because they reflect how I see myself now &mdash; grounded, composed, but also embracing both sides of my energy. I like when an outfit feels effortless yet powerful, where you don&rsquo;t have to say much, but the presence speaks for itself.
Celine has such a distinct attitude &mdash; confident, effortless, and a little rebellious. How do you bring that energy into your own style? By trusting my instincts. Celine&rsquo;s attitude is about not trying too hard &mdash; it&rsquo;s confidence that comes from knowing who you are. I like adding small details that feel mine, maybe a vintage ring or slightly undone hair to keep things real.

If you weren&rsquo;t working as a model, what do you think you&rsquo;d be doing instead? If I weren&rsquo;t modelling, I think I&rsquo;d be acting or doing something related to interior design. Acting somehow feels similar to modelling, but with even more emotional depth &mdash; it gives me a safe space to express emotions that are sometimes hard to voice in real life. When I&rsquo;m in front of the camera as a different character, I can let go and feel deeply, yet it&rsquo;s not entirely my story. It&rsquo;s a kind of emotional relief &mdash; being seen and heard through someone else&rsquo;s journey.
And on the other side, interior design fascinates me because it&rsquo;s another form of storytelling &mdash; exploring how space shapes the way we live, feel, and connect. After working in different countries and experiencing various cultures, I&rsquo;ve become more aware of how the environment influences our state of mind. Both acting and design, in their own ways, are about creating feeling and presence &mdash; something I&rsquo;ve always been drawn to.
If you could give your younger self one piece of advice when you were just starting out, what would it be? Don&rsquo;t rush to be perfect. Take time to live, to feel, to make mistakes. Everything you experience will eventually become part of your depth &mdash; and that&rsquo;s what truly makes you beautiful.
Looking ahead, what kind of projects or collaborations would you love to explore next? I&rsquo;d love to work on projects that mix fashion with storytelling &mdash; something that carries emotion, purpose, or sustainability. Maybe a campaign or film that connects people through real human stories.
And someday, I hope to create something of my own, whether it&rsquo;s a space or a brand that reflects the balance art and lifestyle. Something that invites people to slow down, feel, and reconnect with what&rsquo;s real.

Photography: Lock Chee Wei Creative direction, styling &amp; words: Joan Kong Makeup: Gan Chu Fan Hair: Juno Ko Model: Janice Low Styling assistance: Amelia Tan Location, special thanks to: Wilson Lee All clothing &amp; accessories: Celine Spring/Summer 2026 collection

Digital cover: Work mode — on — feat. model Janice Low in Celine

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