This month, Vogue Singapore celebrates its third anniversary. Since its launch in October 2020, the magazine has held on to a dual mission—to push the boundaries of fashion with innovation, while championing regional talent through representation.
In its October 2023 issue, Vogue Singapore weaves these pursuits together. Themed ‘Voices’, the issue tells the stories of a diverse constellation of Southeast Asian personalities—from designer Kel Wen of Malaysian fashion label Behati, who has found a bold voice for traditional Malay clothing within a contemporary fashion space, to veteran local radio DJ Yasminne Cheng, who opens up at 45 about why she has chosen not to have any children.
On the cover, you will see two enigmatic faces that hail from our part of the world. Styled with a gender-neutral approach in the season’s most striking offerings, Indonesian model Rizal Rama and Malaysian model Vanizha Vasantha Nathan showcase the sheer vibrancy of a region that, for a long time, had been left out of the global fashion conversation.
If the pages of Vogue Singapore look a little different as you flip through the magazine, credit that to Yah-Leng Yu, Singaporean creative director and co-founder of local design studio Foreign Policy, who took on the task of reinvigorating our design DNA with her inimitable eye. Inside the issue, read about her journey bringing forth design democracy to Jakarta through a landmark design conference taking place this month.
Experience our interactive cover
Finally, this issue brings yet another Vogue first—an immersive soundscape embedded right into the cover itself. Produced in collaboration with Spatial Labs, an NFC-enabled Continuity™ Chip is integrated into the cover (labeled ‘Tap Here’). Tap the chip with your smartphone, and it will instantly unlock an exclusive soundscape experience bringing together the voices of preeminent Singaporean poet Alfian Sa’at and local award-winning artist Jeremy Sharma.
Hear Sa’at’s recital of Pemergianmu, a poem of love and longing penned by him in Malay, Singapore’s national language. The recital is accompanied by the artistry of Sharma’s piece titled ‘Fidelity’, which transports listeners to the heart of Southeast Asia with melodies and rhythmic chants dating back to the 16th century. Taken together, the soundscape is a celebration of the best of what our region has to offer: an amalgamation of ancient cultures, spirited modernity—and a fine balance of everything in between.
Photography Zantz Han
Fashion direction Desmond Lim
Make-up Marc Teng using Nars Cosmetics
Hair Yuhi Kim using DunGüd from Woorailoora and Dyson Hair Pro
Poem and recital Alfian Sa’at
Soundscape Excerpt taken from ‘Fidelity’ first shown at Aloft at Hermès (2018) by Jeremy Sharma
Kuala Lumpur (through the Malaysian Relief Agency), Ustaz Hamidullah bin Dudumiya with Razik, Zubair, Kamal, Faydullah, Sharifuddin, and Anamuddin in the Rohingya language
Johor, Jahan bin Tom in Slitar
Yogyakarta, Wahyuningsih in Javanese
Mixing Engineers Brandon Leo and Julien Leo
The October anniversary ‘Voices’ issue of Vogue Singapore is available for sale online and in-store from 10 October 2023.
