Bernard Chandran

Bernard Chandran (Tamil: பெர்னார்ட் சந்திரன்) (born 27 February 1968) is a Malaysian fashion designer.^[1][2]

Bernard Chandran SSAP DIMP
பெர்னார்ட் சந்திரன்
Born	(1968-02-27) 27 February 1968 (age 56) Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Education	Paris American Academy
Spouse	Datin Sri Mary Lourdes Chandran
Website	bernardchandran.com

Chandran is also a Malaysian television personality. He is known as the chief designer of the reality television show Project Runway Malaysia, since its debut on 8TV on 3 August 2007.^[3]

Chandran was a guest judge on Britain's Next Top Model, Cycle 6, Episode 12. The top three models were given a chance to model for Chandran's fashion show during London Fashion Week.^[4]

Early years

Bernard Chandran was born to P. Ramachandran and Chow Yook Lin.^[5]

In 1991, he won the 'Open European Contest for Look of the Year 2000'. He was the first non-European to win the title.^[6]

Fashion business

#BlackLivesMatter Controversy

In 2020, Chandran released a line of designer face masks and promoted it with an Instagram post featuring a black face donning a yellow mask, with Bernard Chandran branding and the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter on the mask. Netizens accused Chandran of blackface and of profiteering off the Black Lives Matter movement.^[7]

Family

He is married to Datin Mary Lourdes Chandran (a Malaysian of ethnic Indian origin). She is a former model and was one of the most successful Malaysian models in the 1980s. They have five children.

Chandran wants his children to be grounded in Hinduism.^[8]

Awards

• He became the first Malaysian to win the 'Open European Contest for Look of the Year 2000' in 1991.
• He was voted Designer of the Year by the Malaysian International Fashion Awards in 2003.
• He received his honorific, Dato', in 2006 when he was awarded the Dato' Indera Mahkota Pahang (DIMP) by the Sultan Ahmad Shah Sultan Abu Bakar, the Sultan of Pahang, Malaysia.^[8]
• Chandran was awarded Malaysian International Fashion Alliance's [MIFA] Special Achievement Award 2009.^[9]
• He carried honorific title Dato' Sri, in 2016 when he was conferred the Darjah Sri Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (SSAP) by the Sultan Ahmad Shah Sultan Abu Bakar, the Sultan of Pahang, Malaysia.^[10]
•  Pahang :
  • Knight Companion of the Order of the Crown of Pahang (DIMP) – Dato' (2006)
  • Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2016)

References

1. Huxley, Phill (19 April 2004). "BBC - Lancashire - Life & Style: top fashion designer comes to Preston". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
2. Zaidan, Fairuz (5 November 2009). "Father vs Son". Berita Harian Online. Archived from the original on 5 November 2009.
3. Khoo, Rubin (3 August 2007). "Fashion TV show to unearth talents". The Star Online. Archived from the original on 21 May 2011. Retrieved 21 May 2011.
4. "Grazia Daily reviews Britain's Next Top Model: Episode Thirteen!". Grazia Daily. 28 September 2010. Archived from the original on 2 October 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
5. Yin Fong, Pang (18 June 1998). "Daddy dearest". New Sunday Times. p. 1. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
6. Hua Chee, Kee (29 December 1991). "Malaysian designs on Paris". New Straits Times. pp. 12–13. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
7. Chalil, Melanie (28 August 2020). "Malaysian fashion designer Bernard Chandran accused of blackface, cashing in on Black Lives Matter movement to promote face mask | Malay Mail". www.malaymail.com. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
8. Low, Sandra (1 November 2009). "Bernard Chandran, unmasked". The Star Online. Archived from the original on 2 November 2009.
9. "MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL FASHION WEEK 2009" (PDF). Malaysian International Fashion Alliance. 8 November 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 February 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
10. "Fashion designers honoured by Sultan". The Star. 25 October 2016.

External links

• Official Webpage of Bernard Chandran
• Yahoo! group for Bernard Chandran
• Official Facebook Fan Page for Bernard Chandran