With National Day 2024 this month, danamic. is spotlighting the lives of Singaporeans with unique perspectives. This is the story of Tan Sii Mui, a student studying Fashion Design.
It’s not every day a person, let alone a student, is given the opportunity to design the official outfits of a minister. But one student can say that they’ve done so! At just 22 years old, Tan Sii Mui, a Year 3 student from NAFA attaining her Diploma in Fashion Design, has already achieved what many can only dream of.
This year, the NAFA’s Talent Development Programme enrollee collaborated with Mr Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Transport & Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, to design his National Day Parade (NDP) outfits.
I had the pleasure of having a quick chat with Sii Mui, and it was through this interview that I got to learn of her process when designing Mr Baey’s outfit and while diving into the world of fashion like never before.
The Beginning
For most of us, it may be rather daunting to receive the news that you’d be working with a prestigious figure such as Mr Baey, but for Sii Mui, her excitement was palpable. As if that wasn’t already impressive enough of an achievement for a person her age, this opportunity was also the first time Sii Mui was designing for a client!
It was nothing short of a significant milestone for Sii Mui’s budding career as a student, one that meant the need for careful consideration of the possibilities, ideas, materials, and techniques to bring her vision to life. It wasn’t just simply about creating a piece of clothing that is to Mr Baey’s liking, but also a reflection of Singapore itself. And this was exactly what Sii Mui set out to do.
As it was to be a National Day Parade outfit for Mr Baey, Sii Mui thought of drawing inspiration from Singapore’s vibrant natural landscapes. After all, this aligns with Mr Baey’s role at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment! So, as she delved into the design process, her ideas began to take shape around a particular aspect of Singapore’s rich biodiversity that we all know and love.
“My first design concept for the shirt carried the idea of our national flower, Vanda Miss Joaquim, which eventually synergised with Mr. Baey’s preferences,” Sii Mui explained. So, she got to work, starting by sketching out the designs and then going through two to three rounds of development.
This meticulous process also included deciding the overall style of her canvas, cementing the design, and the placement of designs. Eventually, the design blossomed into a piece that is a testament to Tansii’s creativity and ingenuity and her ability to translate Singapore’s natural landscapes into fashion.
The final piece features “undulating and repeating lines” that “highlight imperfections”, a mirror of the roots of trees and plants that spread across the island. Just from one glance at the design’s intricacies, you can see how not only are nature’s flaws highlighted but also celebrated, creating a powerful visual narrative.
Creativity amidst Challenges
For any creatives, it’s no secret that any creative endeavour comes with its own challenges. However, rather than simply overcoming them, a particularly memorable moment during the design process became an unexpected discovery.
As Sii Mui recalled, when Mr Baey flipped over one of the sample designs on its back, where the textures and loops from the machine stitching are shown, this textured side showed “an eye-catching and interesting pattern.” This was something that had not occurred to her when doing the design, and it was a thought-provoking lesson for Sii Mui, one that reshaped her outlook towards perceived imperfections.
“One takeaway I had with this, was a reminder that some mistakes along the way can be a good thing and that experimenting and exploration helps me discover unexpected finds in a positive way,” Sii Mui mused.
Additionally, beyond the design process, Sii Mui also carried this positive attitude over to the message she wishes people would take away from seeing Mr Baey’s designs during the National Day Parade! Citing the context of this being Sii Mui’s first time involving herself in such a project, she expressed how she was okay if things didn’t go as planned or were not perfect.
“Everything you do is a learning process, and things can go either way depending on how you look at it; also, how open-minded you are to learn new things along the way.”
While the final design strays from the initial idea of what she thought it would be, Sii Mui believed it “made for something quite unexpected” and resulted in a design “more interesting than anticipated”. She hopes that just like her, people would feel as intrigued as she would be when they see her design for Mr Baey.
Fashioning a Future of Inspiration
Now that the journey of designing Mr Baey’s NDP outfit has ended and Sii Mui nears her graduation, she is still contemplating her future in the fashion industry.
Looking forward, a myriad of possibilities appealed to Sii Mui. But whether it’s continuing her studies, founding her own fashion label, or maybe even moving into fashion styling, one thing that she wants to do is share her knowledge of design and fashion in the future should the opportunity present itself.
And while Sii Mui envisions a future of passing down her fashion knowledge on a larger stage, she’s already planting the first seeds of inspiration by sharing her advice here! When asked what advice she would give aspiring designers just starting, Sii Mui had this to say, and it truly is a preview into the fashion masterclass she’ll one day lead.
“Through my own experiences and having been told countless times, to ‘have the courage to create what you desire and not to hesitate on it’. You may have doubts and may regret, but in design, everything we do is down to the process of experimentation, sparked off by an idea conceived in our heads.”
As Sii Mui pointed out, you may have doubts about your creative endeavours, but rather than thinking about what could go wrong, she suggested envisioning what you could do to “make it better than what it is.”
In the end, in her wise words, “doubts will only try to hinder you from acting on it”! And finally, above all else, she believes that the motivation and drive to keep going is the most crucial part of it all.
I don’t know about you, but hearing such pearls of wisdom flow effortlessly out of a young person like Sii Mui, I could only gape in admiration. After all, this advice only reflects how Sii Mui’s journey is just beginning, yet is already rich with insight and experience.
More on Sii Mui
Through the short time spent hearing Sii Mui’s story, it’s evident that this went beyond just talking about design. I couldn’t help but draw parallels between Sii Mui’s inspiring optimism and outlook towards life with the story of Singapore’s independence, one that I’m sure many of us hold dear to this day. While things may not always go the way you hope, it’s only by staying true to your vision that may lead to unexpected, positive outcomes.
Sii Mui’s story truly showcased the values she embodies as a designer which I’m sure can inspire us all to approach our lives and our work with a little more openness, a little more experimentation, and a lot more heart.
This is only the first draft of Sii Mui’s story as a fashion designer, but she’s already weaving a tapestry of inspiration for others to follow, one thread of wisdom and heart at a time. You can follow along on her journey through her Instagram.
There are also more talents changing the world over at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, so be sure to also keep up with them over on their socials on Facebook and Instagram, as well as their official website.
Visuals courtesy of Tan Sii Mui and NAFA.
