GET READY FOR THEM

IF NOT FOR TIKTOK, THRIFT CULTURE WOULD NOT BE AS EXPLOSIVE AS IT IS TODAY AND -CORE AESTHETICS MIGHT NEVER HAVE BEEN A THING. THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THE PLATFORM HAS BEEN A PLAYGROUND FOR SARTORIAL SELF-EXPRESSION AND WITH IT HAS COME A LEAGUE OF STYLE STARS WHO IN COMPARISON TO THEIR INSTAGRAM COUNTERPARTS OFTEN COME ACROSS AS QUIRKIER, MORE EXPERIMENTAL AND, SOME MIGHT SAY, A WHOLE LOT MORE INTERESTING. MEET FOUR IN SINGAPORE WHO HAVE WON US OVER WITH NOT JUST THEIR FIT CHECKS, BUT ALSO THEIR FERVOUR FOR DRESSING UP AND BELIEF THAT IT CAN EMPOWER ANYBODY.

- PAIGE BOON

NATASHA ALIYAH DAWSON, 15, SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT

HER TIKTOK ACCOUNT: @wut_uluvovo IF WE HAD TO SUM UP HER STYLE: Hardcore decora – the cute, childlike, maximalist aesthetic that originated in Harajuku in Tokyo, Japan, in the 1990s and is the sartorial equivalent of Rainbow Brite on overdrive (the term comes from the English word “decoration”). WHAT GOT HER INTO IT: “The decora icon cybr.grl (the Texas‑based, Filipino Harajuku fashion YouTuber, designer and self‑proclaimed “human rainbow” Kristina Elle) was the one who inspired me to try it out! I started watching her tutorials and went from there, posting my own decora content on TikTok in 2022. I was really inspired by her then, and I still am today!” HOW TIKTOK HAS INFLUENCED HER STYLE: “I love being involved in the decora community on TikTok. Whenever I post, I find other people who love the same things as me, and it’s always nice to see people on TikTok complimenting my outfits and asking me how to get into decora fashion … There’s a J‑fashion community in Singapore, but not specifically for decora. I only know two other people in Singapore who are into this aesthetic.” HOW DRESSING UP MAKES HER FEEL: “I don’t do it for content, but for my own happiness. Though there aren’t many occasions or days for me to be free enough to wear full decora, I still incorporate the look into my daily life through little ways such as collecting stickers or keychains, and decorating my room. I’d say I wear decora at least once every two months. It keeps me happy and feeling charged up.”

SITI NADHRAH, 20, PROSPECTIVE UNIVERSITY STUDENT

HER TIKTOK ACCOUNT: @nadddwa