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Vogue Singapore
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
A Singapore style story: Finding self in a city of influence
For years, the notion of a distinctive Singaporean question. As with the Big Four—New York, London, Milan and Paris—Fashion Weeks have long served as a stomping ground for individuals to express a sense of vision, often reflecting the broader cultural or national mood. And then, of course, there is reference to some of the most creatively defining eras that are often credited with setting in motion the landscape we have today. Deeply rooted in the idea of community, our culture has seen an overarching evolution, spanning from the Centrepoint Kids in the '80s—known for their rebellious, out-of-the-box styles that defied norms—to the subculture movements in the '90s and early noughties, from punk to streetwear. To date, we've seen Singapore Fashion Week, Audi Fashion Festival and Digital Fashion Week Singapore, to name a few. And while there have been many expressions of personal dress over the years, a succinct, overarching definition has remained elusive. And maybe, as most things are within fashion, the absence of a definition is a great thing. To me, more than anything, it signifies a continuous well of potential. A bustling Singapore street scene, where diverse individuals navigate the balance between personal style and cultural assimilation in the city's fast-changing landscape. Getty 'Singapore style in general is casual and comfortable but these days we are starting to evolve our own tropical style, for example, T-shirts and shorts but more stylish,' notes Singaporean singer, playwright, songwriter and director, Dick Lee. 'Since we don't have a national costume, we've basically had to make do with convenience. But as we've become more of a global city, international trends have influenced and inspired us to dress better. Since we can't really adapt ethnic dress and fusion styles have been tried but look forced, we will probably evolve a tropical look that has strong Asian undertones in the future,' he notes. 'There is a strong focus these days not to follow rules. The days of assimilation as a conscious effort are over, as I believe we have evolved our identity to the point of having a stronger sense of our being Singaporean.' Lee boasts a distinct style of his own, and over the years has become known for his sharp yet vibrant take on traditional suiting and shirts, spanning striking prints, pinks and reds. 'My personal take on Singapore style is to embrace the tropics, which translates to colour and vibrancy, reflecting the spirit of our environment, multi-ethnic and urban. My signature is colourful prints and I love silk,' he shares. 'It's encouraging to see people dress according to how they feel, with no one pointing and staring. Individuality is finally accepted and normalised. There is a strong focus these days not to follow rules. The days of assimilation as a conscious effort are over, as I believe we have evolved our identity to the point of having a stronger sense of our being Singaporean.' Former supermodel Pat Kraal, who is now owner of Platinum Angels Management, started modelling at the age of 19. She became one of the earliest Singaporean faces and top models to represent brands like Givenchy and Balmain on international runways. She shares: 'Singaporeans have grown up in a culture that values harmony and that can make standing out feel uncomfortable. But I see change, especially with the younger generation and with older women too. At Platinum Angels Management, our over-50 models are embracing their individuality more than ever. There's real beauty in no longer needing approval. You start dressing for you, not the crowd.' Kraal brings a distinct perspective to this, having lived in both Singapore and Paris, but being at the forefront of trend production, literally wearing creations fresh off the runway and also seeing these trends trickle down to the rest of the world, having developed her own sense of sartorial structure in the process. 'When one puts an outfit together and is proud to wear it and identify themselves as a Singaporean, that is defining local style.' As she reflects on the growing definition of what Singapore style looks like, she says: 'Singapore is still discovering her fashion identity. The mix of cultures here is rich and inspiring, but it also creates this tug of war between tradition and modernity, East and West, blending in and standing out. And maybe there's still a bit of fear around being 'too much'. But fashion should be daring. Style is born from taking risks, not repetition.' Crowds moving through Singapore's urban fabric, reflecting the city's dynamic mix of identities and the ongoing search for a uniquely local expression in dress. Getty For creative director and fashion show producer Daniel Boey, who recently launched a designer collective called dBX and a fashion label called Furry Tales, his 35-year trajectory in the industry gives him an incredibly overarching and nuanced view of what fashion looks like on our shores. 'Singapore style is individualistic and varies from person to person. It has to develop organically and from the ground up, not through officially sanctioned design competitions that profess to 'search for the Singapore dress', which have all missed the mark spectacularly,' he explains. 'Singapore dress is not just an emblem—like slapping an orchid on a print or an outfit—nor is it a confused smorgasbord of different ethnic elements in one ensemble. It is all of the above, but it has to evolve from the streets, from the people who adapt different styles in order to identify as Singaporeans. When enough of those begin to adopt a style or an identity, then we are on the road to discovering a Singapore identity.' A proud supporter of local and Asian designers, Boey makes a strong effort to bolster visibility as well. 'When one puts an outfit together and is proud to wear it and identify themselves as a Singaporean, that is defining local style. For me, it means wearing Singapore designers when I am attending events, locally and overseas, especially at Fashion Weeks, when the look I have put together identifies me as someone who proudly comes from Singapore. It always makes me so proud when someone stops me and asks me who I am wearing, and I say 'I'm wearing a Singapore designer'.' 'To dress with a sense of self here means embracing your roots, your influences, your stories—and allowing that to inform your aesthetic.' And finally, for fashion designer and couturier Frederick Lee, who sets and defines looks from his drawing board, there is a sense of hopefulness when it comes to the future-facing notion Singapore has become known for. Having launched his label in 1990, he has conceptualised the shifts in his vision, while having a consumer-focused lens on what it is customers are buying into. 'To dress with a sense of self here means embracing your roots, your influences, your stories—and allowing that to inform your aesthetic. It's about creating new mythologies rather than following fleeting trends. My creations don't follow trends; they create stories that feel personal and relevant to today's audiences,' he notes. As for what's to come? 'The future of Singapore couture will be shaped by the harmonious integration of technology and traditional craftsmanship, resulting in innovative, sustainable and breathtakingly beautiful creations.' Vogue Singapore's July/August 'Home' issue is out on newsstands now and available to order online.
CNA
30-06-2025
- General
- CNA
Commentary: Some call us the loser generation, but we've survived just fine
SINGAPORE: Lately, it feels like my generation – Gen X – is utterly doomed. If you believe the headlines, our careers and finances are tanking; we are overlooked, overburdened, forgotten. 'The Gen X Career Meltdown', says The New York Times. 'The Real Loser Generation,' says The Economist. There's data too to map out the middle-aged misery of those born between 1965 and 1980. According to a 30-country poll by Ipsos, 31 per cent of Gen Xers say they are either 'not very happy' or 'not happy at all', the most of any generation. And on top of that, nearly half of Gen Xers surveyed by Natixis Investment Managers feel it's going to take a miracle to retire securely, with the average Gen X household having squirrelled away only about US$150,000 for retirement - far less than the US$1 million figure commonly bandied about. And yet, you don't hear much complaining from Gen X about being downtrodden or even deleted. Maybe because most of us have already gotten bored with posting on social media. But the bigger reason could be that we have never stopped dealing with relentless change and disruption. CENTREPOINT KIDS AND THE SLACKER GENERATION The 45 to 60 age group is a relatively small cohort in Singapore; there are roughly 900,000 of us residents. Gen X is just one of our many labels. In the 1980s, young people who hung around Orchard Road were called 'The Centrepoint Kids'. Globally, we were also known as 'The MTV Generation' - the analog pre-cursor of TikTok - which broadcast non-stop music videos during its heyday. In the 1990s, people started calling us 'The Slacker Generation' that was said to be cynical, apolitical and just fond of doing nothing. Our best-known label came from the 1991 novel Generation X: Tales For An Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland, and 'X' referred to a desire not to be defined. But why this desire? Was it our natural reaction to growing up in an environment of increasingly rapid change? The outdoor seating area at McDonald's Centrepoint — remember that? (NAS Photo) Posted by The Long and Winding Road on Thursday, September 16, 2021 MULTIPLE LEARNING CURVES First, we have gone through many market upheavals. Many 1965-ers entered the workforce around the 1987 Black Friday stock market crash. Younger Gen X members then encountered the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the 2000 burst of the dot-com bubble, the 2008 global financial crisis, and the pandemic-induced stock market crash of 2020. The April 2025 market plunge (due to Trump tariffs) seemed to arrive on schedule. Second, our world view was forced to expand when war and conflict invaded our consciousness. The 1991 Gulf War was the first heavily televised and live-broadcast war. Then, I remember sitting in a public bus watching the two World Trade Center towers in New York collapse on 9/11. In recent days, we have seen footage of Israeli strikes on Iran, Iranian strikes on Israel and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Third, and perhaps the most disruptive of all, is how quickly technology has advanced in our lifetimes. We grew up with primitive typewriters and cassette tapes, and it has been a dizzying journey of adapting to personal computers, smartphones and then, the Internet (hands up if you remember the excruciatingly slow dial-up modem in the early years). Now, we happily embrace Generative AI apps which leapt straight out of our childhood science fiction movies. CONSTANTLY FIGURING IT OUT To cope with the constant upheavals, Gen X is often locked in a 'let's figure this out' mode – quickly discarding the past to adapt to the uncertain future. Some say this is also the trait of many Gen Xers who grew up as 'latchkey kids', being left to fend for ourselves by our busy parents. For example, if the cassette tape stopped playing in our Walkman, we had to find a pencil to untangle the noodle-y audio tape. When we started using computers, we had to figure out how to type cryptic text commands such as 'C:\LOTUS' and 'CHKDSK' to get software to work. As we grew up, we learnt how to thumb-type on phones and replaced our scratched Compact Discs with Spotify playlists. We embraced Facebook in the late 2000s, but now, we have mostly migrated to Instagram to feel less obsolete. We are also always learning new vocabulary. In the old days, we did not use today's lexicon like 'toxic' or 'mental health wellness', but that did not mean we did not fight against bad bosses and stifling office culture. We began pushing for work-from-home policies and work-life balance. Now, as people live longer and AI reshapes the workforce, we must figure out the current phase of being the 'sandwich generation' (yet another label!) where we provide for both aging parents and growing children. But guess what, we will simply deal with this problem, just like the ones that came before. Gen Xers' economic troubles are nothing to sniff at – I have over a dozen friends who have been laid off in the past few years. Yet, I have observed how these friends have gotten up and reinvented themselves. And from our vantage point, we can see that every generation before and after us has their own unique set of challenges. The Boomers risk getting left behind by technological shifts. Gen Z is entering the workforce as the global order is shifting and climate change is getting worse. With one foot in the past and another in the future, many Gen Xers who are now in leadership, coaching and parenting roles can show others how to 'keep calm and carry on'. Even if we are forgotten, know that we are not finished.
