When Ben met Ronnie and Lu and Melvin and Giant and ND

Melvin Chua is head of InkPak Communications, Shanghai, and marketing director of WestEast magazine. Born in the Philippines but raised in Canada and US, Ivy Leaguer Melvin was managing director of McCann Erickson China for six years before starting InkPak. He heads the creative hurricane that will catapult Bench to its niche in the vast Chinese market.

He says of Ronnie Salvacion: "Ronnie has been great. He is very patient with us. We work very slowly, very meticulously, and we take loads of polaroids. And he understands why that matters."

Giant is a giant in Japanese fashion – he is a top stylist in Tokyo, having worked with the most innovative designers and publications of Japan. His work has taken him around Asia and Europe. ND, his translator, said of him: "Giant is very professional. But he’s also very humorous; he makes fun of things; he’s different everyday; he always has to create something new."

ND Chow is a Singaporean photographer based in Japan, and works in close partnership with Giant. He has left his native Singapore in search of a bigger market, a bigger population, and a country with four seasons!

He says of Ben Chan: "What I like about Ben is that he gave us 100 percent trust. He’s willing for us to cut up the clothes, to be as outrageous as we want to be. It’s very important when you go global that you have a free mind."

Lu Yan is the most sought-after Asian model in Europe today. Her success story is legendary˜from her humble beginnings as a poor farm girl in a Jiangxi Province to her hand-to-mouth existence as an aspiring model in Paris, she is a symbol of success in her native China. The 5’10" 21-year- old Lu Yan possesses an unconventional beauty that makeup artist Patrick Rosas describes as truly "global."

She says of Giant: "It’s my first time to work with him. He’s really, really good. His styling is amazing. He can make normal clothes really cool and desirable – he makes everything look special. I’d love to work with him again." – Paula C. Nocon