“Maybe it’s a subjective thing, but you always think your own culture isn’t as interesting as other people’s because you grew up with it,” Elon Koh muses after a brief pause, as though the thought has only just occurred to him. It is a curious observation coming from the Singaporean designer behind Suppcultures, a video series devoted to discovering how people wear their culture. Yet the more he explains, the more his answer opens up a much bigger Singaporean story.
Like many Singaporeans, Koh is a third-generation Chinese Singaporean whose grandparents came to Singapore from China and lived through the war. Over time, his family lost contact with their roots there, leaving him with a relationship to Chinese culture that can sometimes feel more like a question than an inheritance. “I never really had that when I was growing up, which is why it’s nice to reconnect,” he says. What may seem ordinary to him speaks to an experience many Singaporeans will recognise: growing up with a culture shaped by migration, then working out what parts of it still belong to you.
That very realisation became the spark for Suppcultures, where each video begins with a guest sharing their memories before Koh translates the conversation into streetwear. Through Supp Design, the label he founded, each piece is made for the person whose story inspired it, with shifts in silhouette and proportion allowing familiar cultural references to take on a contemporary form. The “Supp” stands for supplementary, a word that neatly captures how he approaches cultures that are not his own. For Koh, each piece is a personal contribution that sits alongside the tradition already there. “It’s just my contribution,” he explains.
@suppcultures♬ original sound – SuppCultures
The series began after Koh made his first utility vest and realised he wanted to design for somebody else. “Design is such an intimate, almost romantic hobby, because you’re making for someone,” he says. One Wednesday evening, he called his friend Syafiq and asked if he would sit down to discuss his culture while Koh made him something. Syafiq agreed immediately, giving shape to a format that Koh has since continued with people from Singapore and beyond.
With each episode, Koh began to understand what he wanted Suppcultures to add to Singapore’s fashion landscape. While designers here have long drawn from culture, he was interested in building a platform where the stories surrounding the clothes could sit at the centre. “I’m not really a designer. I’m a storyteller, and my medium of storytelling just happens to be clothing,” he says. Now, after speaking with guests whose backgrounds stretch from Singapore to Nepal, Koh dreams of taking Suppcultures global and making even the most unfamiliar traditions feel exciting to someone watching from the other side of the world.
@suppcultures Embracing our childhood with this one 🔥 #avatarthelastairbender ♬ original sound – SuppCultures
Could you introduce yourself and tell us a little more about Suppcultures?
It started after I made my first utility vest. I realised I wanted to create something for another person because design is such an intimate, almost romantic hobby. You are making something specifically for someone. I called my friend Syafiq one Wednesday evening and asked if he would come on camera to speak about his culture while I made him something. I had recently left my job and was trying to start something new, so it meant a lot that he trusted the idea immediately. After that first experience, I knew I wanted to continue.
How did the idea for Suppcultures first come about?
It started after I made my first utility vest. I realised I wanted to create something for another person because design feels very intimate to me. You are making something specifically for someone. I called my friend Syafiq one Wednesday evening and asked if he would come on camera to speak about his culture while I made him something. I had recently left my job and was trying to start something new, so it meant a lot that he trusted the idea immediately. After that first experience, I knew I wanted to continue.
Tell us more about your design process.
I used to draft a pattern for everything and plan the entire design before touching the fabric. Over time, I realised that every Suppcultures piece is being made for one person and one story, so the process should feel unique to them too. I still begin with a sketch, but now I often drape directly onto the fabric and make changes as I work. I might realise that a panel needs to sit differently or that the proportions feel unbalanced. A lot of it comes naturally from my art background, and I let the piece develop along the way.
What did you hope to contribute to Singapore’s fashion landscape through the series?
I was not very immersed in Singapore’s fashion industry when I began, and I still consider myself new. Every video shows viewers my learning process in real time. As I continued, I realised that there are local designers who use culture as a foundation for their work, but I did not see many platforms focused on the storytelling surrounding it. That is what I am trying to build. I often tell people that I’m not really a designer. I’m a storyteller, and my medium of storytelling just happens to be clothing.
“I’m a storyteller, and my medium of storytelling just happens to be clothing.”
Why is it storytelling important for you when it comes to clothes?
I think one way to move away from fast fashion and constantly chasing trends is to add value back into clothing. When every design decision has a reason behind it, people can understand why a piece looks the way it does and what gives it meaning. Clothing has always been closely tied to culture and tradition. I want to bring some of that value back and translate it into something people today can understand and appreciate.
Tell us about some of the stories that have stayed with you most.
A recent guest from Nepal came to Singapore and brought traditional handwoven fabrics with him, including dhaka fabric. He is a fashion designer as well, so we had a really interesting conversation about the differences between the fashion scenes in Nepal and Singapore. He told me about the amount of unused fabric produced by clothing manufacturers in Nepal and how he turns some of those discarded materials into new garments. He also showed me the different looms used there. It was one of those moments where I thought, wow, I cannot believe I have the opportunity to learn about this.
We do not often see younger Singaporeans wearing traditional clothing casually, what do you think about the relationship between Singaporean style and tradition?
I think one way to bring culture back into everyday dressing is to modernise the silhouette and make it feel more natural for a younger generation. Sometimes I create pieces that are reminiscent of a traditional garment, then adjust the proportions so they feel easier to wear. A lot of people want to represent their roots, but traditional clothing can sometimes feel connected only to older relatives or special occasions. Giving it a contemporary twist can create a bridge and help younger people see themselves in it again.
@suppculturesWhat should I make next?♬ original sound – SuppCultures
How would you describe your relationship with your own culture?
I have made a hanfu for myself as an experiment, but I have not really explored my own culture in a deeper way. My grandparents came to Singapore from China and lived through the war, but over time, we lost contact with our roots there. I am a third-generation Chinese Singaporean, and that is basically where the story ends for me.
Maybe it is because I grew up with it, but other people’s cultures have always seemed more interesting. I think many Chinese Singaporeans can relate to that distance. Creating something inspired by Chinese elements could be a way of asking myself whether this is part of my culture too, which is why it’s nice to reconnect.
And lastly, what’s next for Suppcultures?
I want it to go global and become mainstream. I would love to travel around the world, meet people and make clothing inspired by their stories. I would do it even if I were not being paid because it is something I genuinely want to pursue. I want someone in Canada to watch me travel to India, or somewhere they may know very little about, and think, “That’s fire.” I want people to see how cool culture can be, wherever it comes from. That is the goal.
