Cailas is my middle name, I used to be embarrassed by it.

It’s derrived from Mt. Kailash, a sacred mountain in Tibet. In school, I told classmates it was pronounced “Kee-las,” shortened Kee. It felt softer, easier to wear. The more masculine “Kai-las” just felt too strange. As I grew older, I started to embrace its uniqueness:

original, meaningful, mine.

Three core values I like to express in my work.

Zoë Cailas Tan. Creative, Designer & Photographer