Singapore is a cultural hotpot, a diverse mix of different heritages that is known for its people living together harmoniously. The prominent cultures of Malay, Chinese and Indian interact with the common tongue of Singlish, that also the Western expats familiarize themselves with through daily communication with the locals. There is China Town, Little India, Arab Street and Holland Village, all showcasing cultural influences originating from their native inhabitants.

When you ask a Singaporean about the aesthetic of their country, you will most likely confuse them. How are you meant to describe the identity of a country that has the sole purpose of intertwining these cultures to create something completely new to call their own? ”We are quite eclectic” says Benjeamin Neo, second runner up of the Harper's Bazaar Asia competition.

As a country, Singapore is still relatively young, and perhaps still trying to find it's place and trying to identify itself in the midst of all these heritages with thousands of years of history.

To an outsider, Singapore is known for having squeaky clean streets, modern glass buildings and has acquired the reputation of being a garden city and a fine city (due to its fairly ridiculous fines on for example chewing gum).

These characteristics don't bring Singapore far though; it is still a colourful country deriving influences from a variety of western as well as eastern societies, with no set distinguishable cultural identity. ”Because of overlapping cultures, you don't see 100% originality. You see chinese and indian style mixed together to form a new identity. It's hard to define Singapore's fashion scene” says Lionel Low, first runner up from the competition.

Tying the topic of trying to find an identity in with normality, Singapore's population doesn't perhaps have such a clear cut and straight forward view of the basic citizen of the society. There are of course perceptions of the basic Western expat, the basic Malay and the basic Indian. All of these combine to create a look that is a juxtaposition between the contemporary and technically advanced style of singapore, and whatever ones roots are. ”From a third world country to a first world country, Singapore has transformed into something very new” says Sylvia Tan, winner of Harper's Bazaars' competition.