Finding Meaning In Different Paths

Two groups of individuals from shimmering communities translate forms of expression through unexpected mediums, reasserting that the desire for sincerity and passion is truly a path worth taking, as pieces from the Ermenegildo Zegna XXX Spring/Summer ‘22 collection — the Chore Jacket and Triple Stitch sneakers —reiterates that very mission.

- Asaph Low

IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE EARLY 1990S THAT SKATEBOARDING BLOOMED IN SINGAPORE. BACK THEN, THE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL STIGMA SURROUNDING THE SCENE HINDERED ITS PROGRESS, OUTLAWING TEENAGERS TO FORM CLOSELY-PACKED COMMUNITIES DETERMINED TO PERFECT THE CRAFT. THE SCENE HAS PAINTED BITS OF MISCHIEF, AND AT TIMES A REBELLIOUS STREAK, INTO THE ORDINARY LANDSCAPES OF THE CITY AND SUGGESTED COMPELLING INSIGHTS INTO THE EXPERIENCE OF SINGAPORE’S TEENAGERS DURING THE TURN OF THE NEW CENTURY. BUT AFTER A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF TIME, SKATEBOARDING WAS REGARDED OFFICIALLY AS A SPORT FIRST AT THE 2019 SOUTHEAST ASIAN GAMES FOLLOWED BY THE TOKYO 2020 SUMMER OLYMPICS. FIVE SKATEBOARDERS DISCUSS THE AGE OF ACCEPTANCE AND EMBRACING SKATEBOARDING IN SINGAPORE AS IT BECOMES MORE VISIBLE AND INCLUSIVE.

TRISTEN TIO AND CHRISTINA LAI ON THE SKATEBOARDING SCENE TODAY: Tristen: “I would say the skateboarding scene in Singapore has grown a lot in recent times, however, with the pandemic, there’s been a pause button being hit within the community. Before COVID-19 hit there were many skate events and skateboarders hanging out but with the various restrictions, they have presented themselves as obstacles for us to overcome. In a conservative country such as Singapore, skateboarders already have a hard time navigating boundaries so I’d say the scene is very resilient when most of these people are just trying to have fun.”