Spotlighting Southeast Asia, Singapore Fashion’s Cure?
“Nobody reads, nobody cares about fashion”
Foreword
When I started my blog almost 4 years ago, I sought to write fashion stories for non-fashion people. I remembered a fondness for profiling industry veterans during my time at NYLON Singapore, and decided I’d build my name as the go-to interviewer of creative, entrepreneurial, stylish youth culture in Singapore. Think Evan Ross Katz meets Mel Ottenberg meets Kara Swisher, among my other favourite interviewers/journalists, but sat in the Katong Square Starbucks typing furiously to meet my two articles per week posting goal.
Side note: I want(ed) to dress like these men.
Initially, I was plagued by the belief that nobody reads, nobody cares about fashion. Over time, it freed me to do whatever I wanted, and without the expectation of succeeding. It’s why I love fashion and refrain from calling myself a journalist: on an individual level it’s about clothes; I value facts but am equally if not sometimes more interested in thoughts and opinions.
After speaking to creative directors and editors in chief who have worked for decades in fashion, some of whom have graduated to other industries, a common “solution” to apathy for fashion in Singapore recurs: view fashion through an everyday Singaporean perspective. It’s a similar criticism many netizens had of Singapore Social, which featured only “westernised elites”, and the unconventional, “uninteresting” focus of Apparently, a curation of 360 garments from 60 Singaporean women.
M: What do you study?
K: English literature and art history at NTU. I was introduced to SEA art history, from pre-modern to contemporary, realised my conception of the subject had been largely Western: Van Gogh, Picasso, Warhol, Damien Hirst, Takashi Murakami, the Nanyang artists. There’s so much SEA art not discussed in mainstream culture.
I’ve noticed an effort among researchers from the late 1900s piecing together decolonised SEA art history. I was surprised how SEA was interpreted by the West in art history through colonial times. This representation continues to shape our thoughts about the region.
M: Are there general differences between approaches, philosophies between Western and SEA art?
K: Prior to photography, the West had a history of using art for realistic depiction. It hierarchised ranking fine art above crafts, which pre-colonial SEA art history does not share. In SEA, everyday decorative objects, textiles, and religious sculptures were respectable. There was no gender-specific association either.
M: Are the main functions of fashion in art to depict culture and hierarchy?
K: Edoardo Gelli’s The Siamese Royal Family comes to mind. The family portrait of the Thai monarchy showed them dressed in the style of British aristocracy instead of traditional Thai dress, suggesting they wanted to show how they were on par with the West, of high rank, “modern”, siwilai (“civilised” in Thai).
M: How did your fashion interest develop?
K: Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster and Born This Way. She used the paparazzi to present a different side of herself, fashion to communicate ideas: her meat dress, 2009 VMA performance where she “died”, 2011 Grammys entrance in an egg, McQueen collaborations led me to the Savage Beauty exhibition, YouTube videos, McQueen documentaries, Mugler, Dior, etc.
Fashion is part of everyday life. Curating my closet helps me explore who I am, how I want to portray myself. I like the theatrics of wearing clothes, changing the way I look. It’s how I perform gender identity. I got over my introverted, anxious self through campy, dramatic clothes. They’re armour. I can feel like myself in.
M: The louder you dress, the louder you’re allowed to be?
K: I get attention. People question what they see. That’s power. When I dyed my hair blue, people asked me how I pulled it off, said it was so weird, etc. I like my blue hair a lot. I can colour coordinate it with outfits. I wouldn’t want to change my look just because it someone else uncomfortable.
M: Before discovering fashion curation, what did you want to be?
K: I didn’t know that art history, material objects like costumes and jewellery, and fashion curation were proper fields that existed until I was in university. My younger self wanted to be an accountant / STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Maths) person. But I grew up surrounded by pop culture. I stuck to my love for literature and creative arts.
M: Did school help nurture your interest in fashion?
K: I recently took a school module, “Art In The Age Of Colonialism”, which covered Japonisme, 1800s Western artists who depicted European women in “oriental” Japanese kimonos. That module also briefly touched the terno dress and María Clara gown, which reflect the Filipino history back to early Spanish colonial time.
Other modules on contemporary art exposed me to artists who critically use the medium of textiles: Jakkai Siributr from Thailand with his embroidered military jackets, Yinka Shonibare in the UK who uses ankara fabric to deal with themes of cultural identity and colonialism. When I analysed their work, looked into the history of the textiles and garments the artists referenced and searched the accurate garment terminology.
No module focuses on fashion and art movements. I wish some would. They’re connected, reference each other. There’s surrealism within Schiaparelli, Piet Mondrian influenced Yves Saint Laurent’s 1965 Fall/Winter collection, etc.
M: Do you “introduce” fashion to other creative, non-fashion people?
K: Sometimes. It can be as simple as sharing about why wearing a piece of clothing that fits right is important, the notion of creating an everyday wardrobe that reflects the self.
M: Is SEA fashion entrenched in the past?
K: If that means a one-dimensional, fixed idea of what SEA fashion should be, I hope not.
M: What are stereotypes associated with wearing SEA dress?
K: There is general belief that SEA dress and styles are costumes reserved only for cultural holidays or Racial Harmony Day.
M: Is there a consensus to be historically accurate in the designing of traditional clothes, e.g. Qi Paos that have become sexier with higher slits?
K: It’s interesting to see traditional cultural garments reimagined. There’s no need to replicate the past for 100% historical accuracy. But it’s important not to disrespect culture and designs that feed into Orientalism. Qi Paos’ cultural significance has been diluted by globalisation, translation in the West. Online fast fashion Qi Paos are “trendy”, sexy costumes made with cheap fabric, exotic patterns, higher slits, large keyhole cut-outs at the bust. In that way, the Qi Pao’s history and original design elements like pankou knot buttons and edging techniques are lost.
M: Is there career potential in pursuing an interest in SEA fashion?
K: I hope so. Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) has a gallery for Fashion and Textiles. Costume exhibitions pop up every now and then in Singapore. The turnout for Guo Pei: Chinese Art & Couture shows Singaporeans are interested in Asian fashion. There’s potential for costume exhibition ideas: Singaporean fashion in the 1970s to 80s, costumes from local theatre, film productions, etc. I’m sure there’re historical pieces in inventories waiting for curators to display them.
M: Why don’t Singaporean fashion content platforms embrace SEA fashion, look inwards more?
K: To embrace SEA fashion / look inwards requires a change in thinking. SEA fashion doesn’t have to follow the standards of the West to be taken seriously, validated.
M: How’d you get involved with The Artists Village (TAV)?
K: My classmate’s sister, who happens to be friends with a TAV member, passed them my contact last October. I worked with them on Epilogue for Singapore Art Week (SAW) earlier this year. From there, I started to know and meet more artists.
M: I want to learn more about SEA fashion. Who should I know?
K: In research: Weiqi Yap, Peter Lee, Jackie Yoong, Courtney Fu. On Instagram: @asianfashionarchive, @kebaya.societé, @ a_stubborn_bloom, @nusantara.archive. NLB and the National Archives of Singapore have material on historical fashion.
