4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
Pat Kraal on style, strength, and the power of ageing on her own terms
A radiant force in the world of fashion, 63-year-old Pat Kraal is reimagining the narrative of ageing in style. Three years after co-founding and now helming the modelling agency Platinum Angels Management (PAM), Kraal is not just reflecting on her decades long journey with fashion but actively reshaping an industry still largely fixated on youth. Her approach is a masterclass in quiet rebellion, using clothing and her platform to dismantle outdated perceptions of what it means to grow older with grace and audacity.
'Fashion has been part of my life since I was 19,' Kraal shares. 'Back then, it was about trends and trying to fit into the mould, but today it feels much more personal and empowering.' Having spent over three decades in Paris, she inadvertently cultivated what she describes as a 'Parisian flair: chic, refined and projecting confidence. It's no longer about following fashion, it's about owning it.' Pat Kraal is the managing director and booker of Platinum Angels Management, a modelling agency for those aged 50 years and older. Zantz Han
The impetus to launch PAM came at a pivotal moment. 'After dedicating more than 25 years to raising my children and going through a very difficult divorce, I was ready for a new purpose,' Kraal explains. Brought in by co-founders Beatrice Andre-Besse and Brandon Barker, she found herself aligned with the agency's goal. 'What drew me in was the agency's mission to offer those over 50 a second chance at life, helping them embrace the beauty of ageing with confidence.'
This dedication to empowerment threads through Kraal's evolving style. 'My style has become more intuitive,' she notes. 'It's no longer dictated by what's 'in' but by how something makes me feel. There's a clarity that comes with age. I know what works for me and I have no interest in dressing for anyone else's expectations. It's less about impressing, more about expressing.'
'There's this outdated idea that style has an expiry date. If anything, we become more ourselves.'
Fashion, for Kraal, also became a conduit for self-expression. 'Growing up as a tall, lanky girl in Singapore wasn't easy. I often felt out of place, but modelling gave me the confidence I needed,' she reflects. 'It became a way to embrace my height rather than hide it. Then I went to Paris and felt empowered in a way I never had before.' This spirit fuels her challenge against prevailing assumptions 'that older women should tone it down, blend into the background. There's this outdated idea that style has an expiry date. If anything, we become more ourselves.'
Navigating an industry that has been 'youth-obsessed for decades' while championing age inclusivity has been like 'swimming against the current', Kraal admits, 'but I've never been one to shy away from a challenge.' While she observes a positive shift with more brands embracing older models, she believes 'true change means integrating age inclusivity at every level, not just in campaigns, but behind the scenes too'.
'I want to show that age is a strength and a unique asset that belongs at the heart of fashion'
For Kraal, ageing in style means 'evolving with grace and confidence, and embracing who you've become and owning it'. Her clothing is a testament to this philosophy. 'I don't blend into the background. I stand out like a sore thumb and I love it,' she declares. 'Clothing is my way of declaring who I am without saying a word.' A particularly transformative moment was walking for Givenchy in Paris. 'I wore a haute couture dress that cost a few million and I've never felt more alive.'
Looking ahead, Kraal's hope for PAM is to continue illuminating the path for mature individuals. 'I want to show that age is a strength and a unique asset that belongs at the heart of fashion,' she asserts. 'The future of our agency is about creating more opportunities for older talent to shine, proving that ageing doesn't mean fading into the background, but stepping into a new, luminous phase of life with style.' Her vision is clear: for age to be celebrated not as an endpoint, but as 'the start of something truly exciting', a golden chapter of life.
Photography Zantz Han
Styling Nicholas See and Maya Menon
Hair and make-up Marc Teng using Chanel Beauty and Goldwell Professional.
Vogue Singapore's June 'Gold' issue will be out on newsstands from 13 June and available to preorder online.
