The 1980s began with a strong focus nationally on consumption, but also a collective sense of ‘self’ which contradicted the over-riding governing principles in Singapore of consuming within “decent, modest and productive” constructs. This era saw the development of Singapore into a mall City-State, shopping guides, departmental stores, food reviews, and high fashion retails. The arrival of regional economic giants such as Japan’s Sogo in 1986 heralded the arrival of many other higher end flagship departmental stores such as Takashimaya and Heeren. Rather than depending on its regional tourism consumption, there was a recognition in the rise of the middle class in Singapore, with an awareness of disposable income of the youth and middle class. The economic slump was countered with the strategic partnerships and collaborations with ASEAN countries but also a recognition of the strength of domestic consumer spending.

With the rise of the collective self and rising educated middle class (Ooi, 1980), more concerns were directed towards collective identity, and that of national identity. Perennial questions arose about the need for a national costume (Khalik, 1980, ‘Do Singaporeans need a national costume?’). This era saw the enforcement of a widespread concern about our national identity as public broadcasts and television studies demonstrate how even programming enforced this public belonging and national narrative building in local programmes such as The Awakening (Tay, 2016).

Coincidentally, the ‘hero’ in the Singapore story has always been the economic and trade. Fashion garment manufacturing and high end fashion production was posited as a possible competitor for the global, or at least regional Asian market. However Singapore faced challenges in pursuing fashion manufacturing. There was an evident desire by the Economic Development Board (EDB) to globalise and export local enterprises in fashion sector, suggesting a government push for resources, without evaluating the groundswell. This desire was well echoed by fashion designers and retailers who desperately saw the popularity of local fashion identity without the usual rise of local designers to back the national, or local scene.

With a turn towards the national front, domestically gendered differences were beginning to change. Fashion segments of our national broadsheets reported on women’s stories highlighted the changing desires of women (Koh, 1982), who wanted to work rather than start a family. Contrastingly, older single women parents also saw work as salvation for their children and homes. Highly sensationalised, these features take on distinctive social agendas.