AUPEN founder Nicholas Tan is expanding his creative practice beyond fashion with his first solo exhibition in Manila, where familiar elements from his work as a designer take on a different form.
The exhibition, presented by 125 PROJECTS, runs until August 30 at NBS Park on Pioneer Street in Mandaluyong City. It opened for preview on August 18.
Tan was given the gallery’s entire exhibition space for the showcase, which marks one of his first comprehensive presentations outside fashion.
Rather than treating the exhibition as a departure from his work in fashion, Tan uses the show to explore the relationship between fashion, design and contemporary art.
At the center of the presentation is a shape based on the silhouette of AUPEN’s Purpose bag, which Tan designed. The form has been separated from the bag itself and appears throughout the exhibition as sculptures, visual elements and other works.
The Purpose bag has been carried by celebrities including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Hailey Bieber and Olivia Rodrigo.
By taking the silhouette away from its original function, the exhibition explores how an object can take on another meaning once it is no longer being used for its intended purpose.
Tan’s work extends the sculptural approach he developed through AUPEN’s accessories into sculpture, canvas and text, allowing the exhibition to examine his design language outside the context of a functional product.
The showcase also marks the beginning of Tan’s practice as a contemporary artist while continuing to highlight AUPEN’s position in the luxury fashion space.
AUPEN maintains limited distribution worldwide and is available exclusively at Le Bon Marché Paris, the Singapore Workshop, and 125 PROJECTS for the Manila showcase.
The fashion house is also supported by a craftsmanship partnership with LVMH Métiers d’Art. According to the release, AUPEN recently ranked third on eBay’s S/S 2026 Watchlist, with market search demand increasing by 317%.
AUPEN bags make their Manila debut
The exhibition also doubles as a designer pop-up featuring selected AUPEN pieces, including two Manila Exclusive purple Nirvana bags.
One of the purple Nirvana versions is limited to 125 pieces worldwide, with each piece signed by Tan as an homage to 125 PROJECTS.
The Nirvana bag gained attention after Taylor was photographed carrying the model during her first public date with Travis Kelce.
Also featured is AUPEN’s Purpose bag, which will be available exclusively through the exhibition in three colorways: Black, Tweed Blue and Tweed Sakura.